THE DAYS at one of Barbados’ leading secondary schools were routinely filled with excitement that spurred an interest in learning, science and in preparing for the future.
Dr Alvin Holder traced that excitement to the commitment of some outstanding teachers at The Lodge School to the development of their students, regardless of their colour or economic or social backgrounds. And that was particularly true of Cornelius Shea, Colin “Black Beard” Harper and Mac Fingall, who encouraged their students to reach for the stars.
“Without those teachers I wouldn’t be where I am today,” said Holder, an associate professor in Old Dominion University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in Norfolk, Virginia.
Old Dominion University is a 30 000 student public research tertiary institution whose history dates back to 1930.
In a sense, the successful Bajan researcher and science academician is walking in the shoes of those classroom professionals in St John who helped to mould his life.
Today, his classes and research are helping to prepare the next generation of American scientists while at the same time prolonging life.
“I can’t say enough about those teachers in Barbados,” he told the Sunday Sun. “Mr Shea, Harper and Mac Fingall inspired me.”
Holder has written extensively on biological and inorganic chemistry and about the synthesis, characterisation and biomedical uses of cobalt, copper, vanadium and zinc complexes in alleviating diabetes.
There’s more. The 49-year-old Barbadian accomplished scientist, who was born and raised in Foster Hall in St John and holds degrees from the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill and Mona, including a doctorate in inorganic chemistry in 1994, has published more than 50 academic and scientific articles, two textbooks and five book chapters on science.
He is extremely comfortable talking about bio-inorganic studies of DNA reactions; the use of scientific agents to fight cancer; and the use of nanoparticles to make renewable energy.
“Our main research theme is to solve some of the world’s problems with inorganic elements,” he explained the other day. “Two of the main problems on Earth are the rising cases involving cancer and the dwindling fossil fuel reserves. As such we have developed some promising compounds which have been shown to inhibit growth of cancer cells of the colon through dark and light toxicity, where appropriate.”
He has spent much of his adult life studying, teaching and conducting research in and out of the laboratory with the goal of prolonging human life. life. In addition, he is passionate about training ethnic minorities in the United States so they can pursue careers in science.
“I would like to see more young people in Barbados get involved in science,” said the Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. “I would like to see some of the young men do more than just spend time liming on the block.
“I view the work of the Caribbean Science Foundation in Barbados as very important,” added the chemistry professor who has taught at UWI, the University Of Southern Mississippi, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the University of Toledo.
But Holder expressed regret that Barbados and its Caribbean neighbours haven’t established stronger relationships with Caribbean scientists in the US and the rest of Diaspora. He credits them with doing ground-breaking work that would be useful in the Caribbean.
Another thing. He regrets the decline of agriculture, especially the sugar industry in Barbados.
“It’s a sad thing to see the decline of the sugar industry,” said the father of 23-year-old Alvin Jr, whose career interest is in information technology. “You know I would like eventually to return to the Caribbean, to Barbados to do research and to teach.”
Tony Best is the Nation’s North American correspondent.