Dear Ciencia Puerto Rico family,

This summer, 16 young science leaders from 15 institutions across the U.S. and Puerto Rico kicked off their year as fellows of the NIH-funded Yale Ciencia Academy (YCA) for Career Development. Led by Yale University’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, in collaboration with the non-profits Ciencia Puerto Rico and Science Communication Labs, YCA equips biomedical and health sciences PhD students from historically marginalized backgrounds with the knowledge, skills, and networks they need to find great postdoctoral positions that will further their academic interests and career goals. 

#2022NDiSTEM was an opportunity not only to connect with current and new members of CienciaPR but also to show the world what makes #CienciaBoricua unique and special.

On Sunday, September 18, 2022, Hurricane Fiona made landfall in southwestern Puerto Rico, the same area most impacted by the 2020 earthquakes. Fiona has left a catastrophic amount of rain and damage across the archipelago. Most people are without power and many are without water. All this, just days before the five-year anniversary of Hurricane María today, on September 20th. Puerto Rico has barely recovered from the man-made disaster that followed that storm, the legacies of which are still physically and emotionally present. 

A coalition of scientists from Puerto Rico and the diaspora has launched a call asking the United States government to take into account the opinions of the Puerto Rican scientific community when planning and designing the replacement of the Arecibo Observatory and to make a real financial commitment for its construction. In a letter, the group elaborates on the scientific and educational value that the Arecibo Observatory fulfilled for many years. Among the requests, the group demands that the next project reflect the latest technological advances, preserves and enhances the educational mission that was developed in Arecibo, and has sufficient scientific personnel.