Michael F. L'Annunziata
Michael F. L’Annunziata, Ph.D. majored in chemistry with a BSc degree from St. Edward's University in 1965; and he was awarded MSc and PhD degrees from the University of Arizona, Tucson in 1967 and 1970, respectively. His graduate thesis research in the 1960s dealt with the analysis of radioactive strontium-89 and strontium-90 in the environment and the remediation of soils contaminated with strontium-90 in the event of nuclear fallout. This research was financed by the then U.S. Atonic Energy Commission (U.S. AEC), which was under the Directorship of Nobel Laureate Glenn T. Seaborg. During 1972 to 1975 Michael was Professor at the Postgraduate College in Chapingo, Mexico; and during 1975-1977 he was research scientist of the National Institute of Nuclear Research (ININ), Mexico City and thesis advisor for students of the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Chemistry Faculty in Toluca, Mexico. Michael was a Technical Officer in the Department of Research and Isotopes of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria during 1977-1980, a staff member of the IAEA Training Courses and Fellowships and Training Sections during 1981-1986; and Head of the Fellowships and Training Section of the IAEA during 1987-1991 (https://www.iaea.org/publications/magazines/bulletin/29-1/fellowship-training-28-years-and-over-11000-fellows-overview-how-programme-works-and-how-it-has-developed ). He has served as IAEA Expert on peaceful applications of nuclear energy for development and lecturer on radionuclide analysis for the former Packard Instrument Company (now Perkin Elmer) to 45 countries of the world from 1976 to 2007. L’Annunziata was a member of the Board of Governors, International Science Programs at Uppsala University between 1988 and 1991. His main research interests have been focused on the development of chemical and instrumental methods for the detection and measurement of radioactive nuclides in the environment and the application of radioactive tracers in biological research. Michael was the first to postulate in 1970 the soil microbial epimerization of myo-inositol to other inositol isomers as a source of inositol phosphate isomers in soils (University of Arizona, Ph.D. dissertation, 1970 (http://dissexpress.umi.com/dxweb/search.html) and to demonstrate in 1977, with the use of radioactive carbon-14, the soil microbial epimerization of myo-inositol to D-chiro-inositol as a mechanism for the origin of the unique inositol phosphate isomers in soils (https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2136/sssaj1977.03615995004100040024x ). Michael F. L’Annunziata has authored several books among which his book entitled Radioactivity: Introduction and History published by Elsevier was on the LibraryJournal’s Best Sellers List in Physics. The Second Edition published in 2016 entitled "Radioactivity: Introduction and History, From the Quantum to Quarks" was included among the 2017 Prose Award Winners with an Honorable Mention in the category of Chemistry & Physics (https://proseawards.com/winners/2017-award-winners/ ). His most recent book (copyright 2023) published by Elsevier is entitled "Radioactivity: History, Science, Vital Uses and Ominous Peril" (https://shop.elsevier.com/books/radioactivity/f-lannunziata/978-0-323-90440-7 ) Michael is the recipient of the 2022 Arthur Holly Compton Award in Education granted by the American Nuclear Society (https://www.ans.org/honors/recipients/award-compton/ ).
website: shop.elsevier.com/search?query=radioactivity&type=Book