{"id":60369,"date":"2024-04-15T19:01:54","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T23:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/?p=60369"},"modified":"2024-04-18T23:13:51","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T03:13:51","slug":"faculty-member-uses-dyes-to-research-degenerative-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2024\/04\/faculty-member-uses-dyes-to-research-degenerative-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty Member Uses Dyes to Research Degenerative Diseases"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
When the average person thinks of dyes, they likely think of hair and textiles. Associate Professor Nelson Vinueza<\/a> knows they have the power to do so much more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI build bridges between different research fields to see how we can make dyes more useful,\u201d Vinueza says of his research group at the Wilson College of Textiles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is this ability to push impactful and interdisciplinary research forward that played a huge role in NC State University\u2019s decision to name him a University Faculty Scholar<\/a> in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vinueza, who holds a joint faculty appointment in the Wilson College and the College of Science\u2019s Department of Chemistry, was first recruited to NC State University for his expertise in analytical, organic and forensic chemistry as part of the Chancellor\u2019s Excellence Faculty Program<\/a>. By using analytical chemistry, forensic scientists can determine the substances present in clothes, upholstery and other textiles in order to provide more evidence to investigators. Vinueza Labs<\/a> focuses specifically on developing ways to discern information from trace amounts of dye present on tiny fiber samples \u2013 shorter than a millimeter, to be exact.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vinueza says what drew him to NC State over other institutions was the wide range of interdisciplinary research he could engage in because of the college\u2019s focus on all aspects of textiles. He quickly focused on figuring out how he could apply his specialization in analytical and organic chemistry to a diverse range of research interests for Vinueza Labs.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFrom forensics to disease<\/h3>\n\n\n\n