Humacao, Puerto Rico – The University of Puerto Rico at Humacao (UPRH) invites the university community, schools, and the general public to the conference "From UPR Humacao to Space: The Trajectory of a Puerto Rican Scientist," which will be given by Dr. Andy López Oquendo, an alumnus of the institution and recently honored by the international scientific community by
having an asteroid named after him. The event will be held on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., in the UPRH Theater.
Dr. López Oquendo, a native of Humacao, will share his academic and professional journey, as well as the experiences that shaped his development as a scientist. He was recently recognized internationally with the naming of an asteroid after him, becoming the second UPRH alumnus to receive this distinction.
The first alumna of the institution to receive this recognition was Dr. Desiree Cotto Figueroa, who was also his undergraduate research mentor and currently directs the Department of Physics and Electronics, and the UPRH Astronomical Observatory. This connection highlights the impact of mentorship and undergraduate research in the formation of new generations of Puerto Rican scientists.
“For the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, it is a source of great pride to once again welcome an alumnus whose career demonstrates the scope of the education we offer and the transformative power of mentorship and undergraduate research. Dr. López Oquendo's story represents a source of inspiration for our students and reaffirms that from UPR Humacao, one can also reach space,” expressed the institution's chancellor, Dr. Edwin Mojica Rodríguez.
The conference seeks to bring science and astronomy closer to students and communities in the region, as well as to highlight the academic and professional opportunities that can arise from a scientific education at UPRH.
Schools interested in attending with student groups or wishing to obtain more information, may write to uprh.comunica@upr.edu. The activity is free of charge.