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| November 20, 2008 |
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Science, religion are inseparable for university professor.Nazarius S. Lamango is both a committed Catholic and a highly accomplished scientist. 
Nazarius S. Lamango, 40, is an associate professor of medicinal chemistry at Florida A&M University. He is a parishioner at St. Eugene Catholic Chapel and is a choir member, chairman of Sharing the Vision capital campaign and a member of the pastoral council. “When I stumble, what guides me? God has me see things that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.” TALLAHASSEE | Some people have asked Nazarius S. Lamango about the compatibility of his faith and his profession. He is both a committed Catholic and a highly accomplished scientist, having recently identified a potential drug candidate that may prevent some of the effects of Parkinson’s disease. But Lamango, known as “Lami” by associates, said he sees no contradiction between religion and science. He recalled something Father Ilesanmi Osasona, his former pastor, said to explain his perspective: God uses human beings to see what to do, to solve problems. Lamango further compared it to his father’s faith when he opens up the Bible at random and finds a Scripture passage that offers the wisdom he needs for the moment. “It’s the same as my doing science here,” the Florida A&M University professor said. “When I stumble, what guides me? God has me see things that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.” Lamango is looking with the eyes of faith. CLASSROOM EXPERIMENTS While the university environment has strict rules about religious practices in the classroom, Lamango said the principles behind the Ten Commandments apply to everyone. For example, he can help a student understand the importance of being honest by illustrating how much damage can be caused by dishonesty. “You have to be diligent. If you report the wrong things, you could be leading the whole world down the wrong path,” he said. Just as he applies knowledge to experiments in the laboratory, Lamango said he uses problem-solving methods with the graduate students he teaches. “It’s easier to teach the star A’s, the top of the class,” he said. “The students who really needs us are not getting the A’s. They are more challenging.” He continues to experiment with different methods that might help them along. It’s part of living his faith. He paraphrases Scripture to explain his reasoning, “Remember, ‘the rejected stone has become the cornerstone.’ You don’t know who that might be.” Lamango keeps in mind his own roots, too, how easily the circumstances could have changed and derailed his career. “There are times when you think you know it all — especially as a teenager,” he said. “I look at myself and see where I came from. My parents, they made sacrifices for me. Every student has a chance to go far.” Originally from Cameroon in West Africa, Lamango had a private Catholic education through the seventh grade. But his parents could no longer afford the tuition, so he moved to the government bilingual school through the 12th grade, where he gained a strong foundation in the sciences. He excelled and received a government-sponsored scholarship to study in Britain. Flashing a broad smile, he said, “I tell people that’s how I slipped out of Cameroon.” After receiving degrees at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, he was offered a postdoctoral fellowship at Louisiana State University. After almost two years, an opportunity opened up at Florida A&M University and he moved to Tallahassee. The vast differences between the African culture and the American one weren’t much of a shock to Lamango. “I tend to make friends wherever I go,” he said. “I play soccer and that helps. So long as you find things to do, you can cope quite well.” The consistency of the Mass provides consolation, too. “The order of the Mass, the structure, is just the same all over the world,” he said. And being part of a faith community continues to give him peace of mind. “When I go to church, I meet other people and they pray for me.” In addition, he said he runs into “Cameroonians” in this country quite frequently. “And if I haven’t seen one in awhile, I run into other Africans who can tell me where a Cameroonian is.” FAITH AT HOME Lamango met his wife, Linda, at Leeds and they are parents to 5- and 7-year-old boys who attend Trinity Catholic School. Linda Lamango is a registered nurse who works the weekend shift, which means he is a “single parent” Friday through Sunday. Naomi Shamatutu-Dzikunu, the assistant administrator at St. Eugene’s, said that’s when Lamango’s most important ministry is practiced — that of “dad.” “When he is in the choir, those boys sit in the front row by themselves and are so well-behaved,” she said. “They are quiet — very quiet, but so smart.”
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