University of Arizona Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) welcomes new Faculty Director Dr. Gerardo Lopez

Gerardo (Jerry) Lopez, M.A.T., M.Ed., Ph.D., an Associate Professor & Extension specialist focusing on STEM, food safety, and environmental microbiology in the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, has recently taken on a new leadership role as Faculty Director with the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) program.

University of Arizona VIP teams engage undergraduate and graduate students in ambitious, long-term, multidisciplinary project teams. VIP teams cover a broad array of research, scholarship, and creative activities, and team leaders are connected to 13 U of A Colleges, five additional campus units, and three external partners.    

Dr. Lopez leads a statewide Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Leadership Team that implements a 4-H STEM Program, bringing STEM projects to urban and rural youth across the state of Arizona.

He also offers undergraduate and graduate research opportunities through his food safety and environmental microbiology research, focused on the protozoan parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis in agricultural waters and fresh produce to understand potential sources of Cyclospora contamination and prevent Cyclosporiasis infections.

Dr. Lopez has led the VIP team Investigating the Foodborne Parasite Cyclospora in Environmental Waters for three years, and we welcome him as a strong collaborator in VIP leadership.