Dear Friends,

The last month has been one of many achievements for the scientific community of Puerto Rico.

At CienciaPR we want celebrate these achievements and give more visibility to these scientific heroes that raise the profile of Puerto Rican science around the world. 

Here we highlight a few of these recent recognitions. If you have others to share with the CienciaPR community, please send a message to contact@cienciapr.org.

Scientific Puerto Rican professional organization leading the most important in chemistry

 Dr. Ingrid Montes, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, has been selected to the Board of Directors of the American Chemical Society, the largest scientific organization in the world with over 163,000 members. It is the first Hispanic to enjoy this recognition. Congratulations Dr. Montes! 

First Fulbright Scholarship of the UPR-Rio Piedras, Faculty of Natural Sciences

Dr. Sheila Ward, professor of the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Faculty of Natural Sciences, and Associate Director of the IGERT program in Environmental Sciences of that institution, has been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship to conduct research on biodiversity in Mexico. This is the first award of its kind for the School of Natural Sciences. Congratulations Dr. Ward!

Leader in nanomedicine recognized 

Dr. Carlos Rinaldi of the University of Florida, was selected to receive the International Journal of Nanomedicine Early Career Award. This award is given to an early-career researcher, within less than 10 years of completing his Ph.D., who has made significant contributions to the field of nanomedicine. Dr. Rinaldi is recognized as a leader in the development of magnetic nanoparticles for cancer applications. Congratulations Dr. Rinaldi!

The Forest Hero is a Puerto Rican scientist

The United Nations Organization (UN) has recently awarded Dr. Ariel Lugo, ecologist and Director of the International Institute of Tropical Forestry of the Federal Forest Service, with the "Hero of the Forest" medal. This recognition has been given to Dr . Lugo in light of his commitment and work to improve the relationship between humans and forests. Congratulations Dr. Lugo!

A Boricua in Mars

Dr. Yajaira Sierra-Sastre has dreamed her whole life of traveling to outer space. This month, she inches a step closer to this goal as a participant in a NASA simulated mission to Mars. Dr. Sierra-Sastre was selected among many other candidates to participate in the Hawai'i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation project thanks to her experience and knowledge in the area of nanomaterials and her commitment to informal science education. Congratulations Yajaira and good luck on the mission!

Communicating science is her passion

Dr. Mónica Feliú-Mójer, Vice-Director of CienciaPR and leader of this organization's media collaborations, believes strongly that learning about science creates better citizens. Through her work with CienciaPR,she has taken to the task of communicating science to a general public and helping and inspiring other scientists to do the same. Recently, Mónica received the first Paul Shin Award from the Coalition for Public Understanding of Science. You can listen to an interview she gave recently where she explains her trajectory and passion for science communication. Congratulations Mónica, we are proud of you!

33 Puerto Rican "brains" selected for one of the most prestigious scholarships in the sciences

The National Science Foundation (NSF), recently announced the winners of its prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship. 33 students from Puerto Rican institutions earned this prestigious scholarship, which provides a stipend of $ 30,000 per year, covers tuition and provides funds for conference travel and research materials.

This year scholarship winners from Puerto Rican institutions include:

Acevedo, David Antonio, University of Puerto Rico

Acevedo-Acevedo, Suehelay, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Acevedo-Cartagena, Daniel Henry, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Aponte, Christian Albert, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Aponte, Nicole Ann, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras

Ayala-Acevedo, Abner, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Carrion-Matta, Aleshka, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras

Cruz-Lopez, Didiana, Universidad del Este

Cruz-Hernández, Jean Carlos, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Fermaintt, Charles Steven, University of Puerto Rico at Humacao

Fonseca Vega, Jose Javier, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras

Freytes-Ortiz, Ileana M., University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras

Laboy-Juarez, Keven Joel, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras

Lopez-Nieves, Samuel, University of Puerto Rico in Ponce

Martinez, Mariela Rachel, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Mojica Santiago, Jorge Alexis, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Montoyo-Rosario, Jose Guillermo, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Villaverde Morales, Lourdes Maria, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras

Ortiz-Rivera, Isamar, University of Puerto Rico Cayey University College

Korean Padilla, Nancy, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras

Teal-Delgado, Emmanuelle, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras

Perez-Betancourt, Diamilet, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Recart Wilnelia, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras

Rios-Acosta, Lorena Rios, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Rivera, Lianette, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Rivera, Samuel J, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Rodriguez, Fernando Javier, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Natalia A, University of Puerto Rico Cayey University College

Rodriguez-Molina, Jose Francisco, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras

Pink Silver, Isamar, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Soler-Crespo, Rafael Antonio, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Torres Torres, Norma I, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

Vazquez-Rivera, Emmanuel, Universidad del Este

If we missed anyone, please contact us so we can add their name to the list. 

Congratulations to all of them!

Scholarships for undergraduate research

Nine students from the Applied Optimization Group directed by Dr. Mauricio Cabrera-Ríos of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, have obtained Lockheed Martin 4th Year Research Scholarships for their undergraduate research. Students Nicole White, Janet Zierenberg, Enery Lorenzo, Karla Ortiz, Astrid Varela, Yaileen Mendez, Nicole Ortiz, Gabriel Cruz and Luis Irizarry were honored for research projects in manufacturing optimization or analysis of biological data. The nine students join a long list of members of this research group who have achieved Lockheed Martin Scholarships, which includes a bonus incentive of $1,000, professional development experiences, presentation of research results, and the opportunity work with the company. Congratulations to the students and Dr. Cabrera!