Science is all around you: "Higüero de sierra", A Puerto Rican Endemic Plant

Submitted by José R Almodóvar on 27 November 2013 - 8:43pm

Cerebros Corazones

Submitted by Mónica Ivelisse Feliú-Mójer on 18 November 2013 - 11:54pm

“Porque los Cerebros se están yendo.” Magali García Ramis, Cerebros que se van corazón que se queda, 1993

Yajaira Sierra-Sastre: I am a Borinqueña and Materials Scientist

Submitted by Greetchen Díaz-Muñoz on 17 November 2013 - 6:01pm

Borinqueña emphasizes the contribution of Puerto Rican and Hispanic women in science and technology and provides a space to discuss topics of interest about the empowerment of women. In “I am Borinqueña” we will be interviewing women scientists that are role models for future generations.

UPRM Industrial Engineering Students Yaileen Méndez and Kasandra L. Ramirez named finalists in the 2013 INFORMS Undergraduate Operations Research Prize.

Submitted by Applied Optimization on 1 November 2013 - 11:05am

UPRM Industrial Engineering Students Yaileen Méndez and Kasandra L. Ramirez named finalists in the 2013 INFORMS Undergraduate Operations Research Prize.

Every year the Institute for Operations Research & Management Science (INFORMS) holds a competition ‘to honor a student or group of students who conducted a significant applied project in operations research or management science, and/or important theoretical or applied research in operations research or management science, while enrolled as an undergraduate student.’ Participants submit their works from all around the globe, making this an international technical competition.

Meet the Borinqueñas

Submitted by Greetchen Díaz-Muñoz on 31 October 2013 - 3:09pm

The following scientists will be in charge of the organization, writing and editing of Borinqueña Blog. Visit their profiles to learn more about these role models or to contact them:

Greetchen Díaz - Borinqueña’s main coordinator and editor. Greetchen is a microbiologist and is currently conducting postdoctoral training at the University of Nebraska. In her limited free time, she is also social media director, volunteer coordinator, and writer of the blog series Ciencia a tu alrededor (Science is all around you) for CienciaPR. She is so busy and dynamic, we suspect Greetchen has found the secret to cloning herself.

Science is all around you: Carnivorous plants in P.R.

Submitted by Greetchen Díaz-Muñoz on 29 October 2013 - 7:46pm

Why women leave science, you ask? THIS. This is why.

Submitted by Mónica Ivelisse Feliú-Mójer on 13 October 2013 - 8:41pm

[Puedes leer esta entrada en Español aquí]

Over the last 3 days or so, the science blogosphere has been a firestorm. Scientist, science writer and diversity advocate Dr. Danielle Lee aka The Urban Scientist aka @DNLee5 was attacked. She was attacked professionally and personally, in multiple ways.

Serpentinization... Microbial life in high pH fluids

Submitted by Melitza Crespo-Medina on 10 October 2013 - 8:11am

Serpentinization is the process in which the mineral olivine reacts with water and gets transformed to serpentinite. The process creates a high pH fluid enriched in electron donors and acceptors that can be used by microorganisms for food and energy source, although living in these serpentinizing fluids represent challenges to the cell.

The mineral olivine is abundant in ultramafic rocks, rocks that are representative of the uper mantle. At Ophiolites these ultramafic rocks are uplifted and are exposed obove sea level in continents. Thus, serpentinization can ocurr at the sea floor, but also at these continental ophiolites.