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Is that barbecue or shrimp gumbo from your picnic safe to eat after sitting out for a couple of hours?

Thanks to a research team led by the University of South Carolina's Dr. John Lavigne, an instrument resembling a disposable "dipstick" could be available within a few years that would quickly determine if food will make you sick.

The test, presented at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting this spring, received widespread interest from scientists, media and business. Lavigne and his research team are continuing their studies on the new diagnostic kit that could reduce the number of food-poisoning cases annually.

Before joining the university's faculty in 2002, the 36-year-old Lavigne was a visiting scientist at the University of Texas at Austin and was a senior scientist for a research and development company in Austin.

Lavigne, an assistant professor, considers teaching as much a priority in his career as research. He chose the University of South Carolina because of the reputation of the department of chemistry and biochemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences and the university's support for research.

"This is a great department, with good interaction among faculty," Lavigne said. "There is a lot of interest in research ... great facilities ... and teaching is valued."

Since his arrival at the university, Lavigne has had undergraduates working with him and the graduate researchers in his laboratory. Six undergraduates are working in his lab now.

"They bring a completely different perspective to our studies," he said. "Their minds are freer, and sometimes we miss things that are obvious because of our training. They have an energy and curiosity that adds vitality to our work."

In fact, Lavigne often encourages his graduate students to seek out undergraduates if they're in a research slump. He'll hand over $5 and say, "Here's five bucks. Go grab a soda, and talk about what you're doing."

His reputation as a research mentor has received recognition. This spring, Lavigne received the university's Distinguished Undergraduate Research Mentor Award and the Golden Key Faculty Award for Creative Integration of Research and Teaching.

In addition to the food-poisoning research, Lavigne and his research team are working on studies involving porous materials and gas absorption. This research, which has a patent pending, could have an impact on the gas storage in fuel cells. He is also conducting research on a new diagnostic test for colon cancer that might eliminate the need for a colonoscopy in the first phase of patient screening.

"The colonoscopy would come along later rather than sooner," he said.

Lavigne, whose research has been published in numerous prestigious journals, earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry and master's degree in general education from St. Lawrence University. He earned his doctoral degree in chemistry and completed post-doctoral training at the University of Texas at Austin.

He teaches an undergraduate course in organic chemistry and graduate-level courses in physical organic chemistry. He has served as a mentor/research director for the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program in nanoscience at the university and helped develop a new undergraduate chemistry course for non-science majors in 2004. He is a faculty mentor for the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) and also the African-American Professors Program.

Website: http://www.chem.sc.edu/people/facultyStaffDetails.asp?SID=18