Prof receives Laval Award for DNA research

by Douglas Carey

Dr. James Vesenka likens his study of four-stranded DNA to running your fingers across an old phonograph record. Now, the winner of the 1998-99 Claude C. Laval Jr. Award for Innovative Technology and Research hopes to bring the sounds of success to his ongoing project.

An assistant professor in the department of physics, Vesenka was named last month as the $5,000 award recipient for his proposal, "Evaluation of G-wire-type DNAs as a Molecular Wire." He started work on the project in 1995 while serving a post-doctoral research fellowship at Iowa State University, where he began focusing on the characterization of self-assembled, four- stranded DNA molecules ("G-wires") for potential use in nano-circuitry.

"I was very fortunate to have the experience at Iowa State," said Vesenka, who is also establishing a scanning probe microscopy laboratory for education and interdisciplinary research in the Physics Department. "It's an awesome system, but nobody else has followed through and conducted the analysis."

Vesenka said his Laval award-winning project is a "simple experiment, really. We basically stretch four-stranded DNA molecules between two electrical contacts and try to measure conductivity as we scan between two conductive contacts with a combined atomic force/connectivity probe. The award will enable us to purchase the hardware needed to test the conductivity directly."

Administered through the University Grants and Research Office, the Laval award was established in 1984 in honor of Mr. Claude C. Laval Jr., a long-time resident of Fresno and a productive inventor. The award has supported the development of innovative technology and related research at California State University, Fresno. Funding for the award is provided by a gift to the university from Mr. and Mrs. Claude C. Laval III.

The Claude C. Laval Jr. Award Research Subcommittee consisted of chair Matthew Sharps (Natural Science), Kenneth Aldrich (Health and Human Services), Charles Arokiasmy (Education and Human Development), Scott Houser (Social Sciences), Dwight Minami (Agricultural Sciences and Technology), Shigeko Okamoto (Arts and Humanities), Kuo-Chung Tseng (Craig School of Business), Lan Jin (Engineering and Computer Science), and Thomas McClanahan (Grants and Research). Applications were evaluated for creativity, innovation, practical application and general merit.

Claude C. Laval Jr. was one of the West's most prolific independent inventors, holding more than 90 U.S. and foreign patents. He worked for more than 46 years on innovative research and technological development in such diverse fields as filtration, food processing, photography, toys, pollution control, oil and water well machinery, as well as consumer products.

Overcoming a lack of formal training in engineering or science, Laval Jr. produced inventions that were the result of a willingness to challenge "conventional wisdom" about what will or will not work. His inventions can be characterized as both creative and practical, while his research was usually of an applied nature, utilizing working models to select the best course of action rather than being limited to theory alone.

The Laval family has made $53,000 available to Fresno State faculty members for innovation and research since the award was established.

Douglas Carey is the administrative assistant in the Grants and Research Office.