Currently, Alderete is Professor, Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, and cofounder of the biotechnology firm Xenotope Diagnostics, Inc., in San Antonio. A widely accomplished teacher who has worked tirelessly with students at all levels of education and professional training, Alderete has garnered impressive results in his work with students from underrepresented minority groups. He has mentored dozens of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and undergraduates who have gone on to successful academic and professional careers. He has also worked closely with high-school interns, medical students, and visiting researchers on more informal bases, offering his expertise and advice.
Outside the laboratory, Alderete has devoted countless hours to encouraging pre-college-age students to consider a career in science, through a host of programs including weekend laboratory tours, career days, and summer institutes. Particularly successful are the Saturday morning science programs he has conducted in Texas for nearly 15 years for minority students and their parents and teachers. In addition to introducing these young students to science as a highly successful Hispanic scientist and educator, he serves as an important role model for young people.
Alderete has also worked to maximize diversity in science at all professional levels. Past president of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), Alde
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Contact: Barbara Hyde
bhyde@asmusa.org
202-942-9206
American Society for Microbiology
30-Apr-2004