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Wilton Virgo

Visiting Scholar 2006-2008 Research affiliate, Department of Chemistry, MIT
The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific and religious freedom have always been in the minority… It will take such a small committed minority to work unrelentingly to win the uncommitted majority. Such a group may transform America’s greatest dilemma into her most glorious opportunity.
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Background

Wilton L. Virgo is a quantum physical chemist with expertise in performing state-of-the-art research in laser spectroscopy and publishing cutting-edge scientific articles. He earned his AB in 2000 from Princeton University and his PhD in 2005 from Arizona State University, both degrees in physical chemistry.

Interests

As a research affiliate in the Department of Chemistry at MIT, Virgo uses technology-driven global knowledge systems to collaborate and exchange ideas that solve problems related to climate change at the microscopic level. He has performed research in laser spectroscopy at Princeton University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Arizona State University, and Wellesley College, where he worked with student assistants using lasers to drive reactions involving organic molecules in solution, with potential for use in a molecular detector for use in early cancer detection.

As an MLK visiting scholar and postdoctoral associate in Prof. Field’s laboratory, Virgo focused on investigating how metastable molecules are involved in both intra-molecular and intermolecular energy flow and on inventing new, sophisticated techniques using lasers, molecular beams and detection of the metastables on metal surfaces.

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