Juan Alfonzo - The Science of Persistence and Dedication
By Ligia Lundine

"If you are an artist, scientist or a philosopher, everything is hard and takes work if you want to be successful"

In 1980, Juan Alfonzo came to the United States from Venezuela with the intention of studying English for a couple of months. Today, 25 years later, with a Ph.D. in microbiology from the Indiana University, and a successful and prolific scientific career in several institutions (including the University of California in Los Angeles and here at Ohio State), he recalls those days with a nostalgic smile on his face. After finishing his bachelor's degree at Indiana with a major in microbiology, Alfonzo knew he wanted to pursue an advanced degree in science. Despite his strong desire, things were not easy in the beginning. In order to stay in Indiana, he worked for one year at a bakery and it was precisely there when opportunity knocked at his door. Only one week before the business declared bankruptcy, Alfonzo ran into one of his former professors, who happened to buy bread at the bakery. This professor offered Alfonzo a job as a lab technician, marking the starting point in his career.

The impact that a professor can have in our lives is a recurring element that weaves the threads of our careers. As a chemistry student at Indiana University, Alfonzo was tremendously inspired by Prof. Walter Konetzka, who taught an introductory microbiology class. After one semester of taking Konetzka's class, Alfonzo changed his major from chemistry to microbiology, and he knew he had found his professional passion in life. Konetzka taught more than 11,000 students during 37 years of his academic and research career, and inspired many students, including Alfonzo and other successful scientists.

With a promising scientific career in front of him, Alfonzo had several options after he finished his doctoral degree at University of California in Los Angeles. He was invited to 14 universities to give job talks and present his research. When it came to make the final decision, Ohio State stood out among another six institutions. Alfonzo said the main reason why he joined Ohio State was the potential to work in the university's renowned Department of Microbiology, specifically in the area of RNA biochemistry.

Alfonzo, and his team of researchers, which includes a group of Ph.D. students and post doctoral scientists who have decided to join his lab, work with DNA¹ and RNA² from parasites. The latter are protozoan, microscopic organisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Alfonzo and his group are interested in exploiting the differences between parasites and human beings for the purpose of providing therapies for the diseases these parasites cause.

As a message to the Latin@ community at Ohio State, Alfonzo recalls a quote from Aquiles Nasoa, a Venezuelan poet: "When you write to eat, you don't eat and you don't write." Alfonzo says: "You better do things for the right reason, if you are going to write, it should be because you like to write. The eating takes care of itself." During his career, Alfonzo has noticed that few Latin@ students and even students in general show much interest in science. He has heard comments from his students complaining about the fact that science seems to be too difficult and too demanding. But Alfonzo states: "In every field of knowledge, if you think it will not take a lot of work, you have been a little bit misguided... everything else being equal, every discipline takes work."

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¹DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid that carries genetic information in the cell and is capable of self-replication and synthesis of RNA. Source: www.dictionary.com 2005.
²RNA: Ribonucleic acid: A polymeric constituent of all living cells and many viruses, consisting of a long, usually single-stranded chain of alternating phosphate and ribose units. Source: www.dictionary.com 2005.