The Alivio Research Group (ARG) is a team of collaborators interested in materials science and chemistry education research (CER).

2. Development of equity-centered emancipatory pedagogies: Student success in the college classroom is defined mainly by those in power (researchers, faculty, deans, etc.) and “rarely [includes] meaningful student input, especially from minoritized populations" (Weatherton, M. & Schussler, E. E. CBE Life Sci. Educ. 2021, 20:es3/1–13). While academicians may have good intentions, traditional teaching methods, such as grading, promote unhealthy competition and encourage students to be fearful of taking risks (Blum, S. D., Ed. Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead); West Virginia University Press, 2020.) We want to use productive alternative grading strategies for Nicholls State's first-year STEM students. These emancipatory pedagogies promote and prioritize formative over summative assessments by implanting a culture and sense of growth mindset. Examples of formative assessments recently introduced to Nicholls State general chemistry students include metacognition and post-exam reflections. We hope to design compassionate curricula that improve the retention and persistence of STEM students.

3. Formation of precious bi- and trimetallic alloy nanoparticles in aqueous media: According to the Louisiana Department of Health, the Pelican State is one of the largest seafood producers in the United States. The $2 billion seafood industry is essential to Louisiana's economy, with employment numbers at ca. 30,000. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill underscored the significance of environmental safety in the seafood industry. Given their extensive uses, noble metal nanoparticles, such as gold, silver, and platinum, and their cations, are unintentionally released into aquatic environments in concerning quantities as they are increasingly incorporated into industrial manufacturing and commercial products. This has led to growing considerations about the potential toxicity of precious metal nanoparticles to humans and ecosystems (Sharma, V. K., et al. Sci. Total Environ. 2019, 653, 1042–1052). The underpinning mechanism behind dissolved organic matter (DOM) mediated formation of Ag-Au bimetallic alloy nanoparticles in aquatic environments was previously investigated. Results suggest that Ag-Au bimetallic alloy nanoparticles are stabilized by Au→Ag back-charge transfer events (Alivio, T. E. G., et al. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2018, 52, 7269–7278; Guo, B. E. G., et al. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2021, 55, 1710–1720). Our group is interested in understanding the synthesis of Ag-Pt, Au-Pt, and Ag-Au-Pt alloy nanoparticles in aqueous media in the presence of DOMs. Understanding the growth mechanism of precious alloy nanoparticles is essential in deriving their fate, transport, and toxicity in natural aquatic media.

The team

Principal investigator

Undergraduate research assistants

Group alumnae and alumni