Ciencia Boricua Profiles

Every month we profile the work of an outstanding CienciaPR member or discuss a topic of relevance to our community

Illuminating the "Gray City" and the World with her Science

Reyna I. Martínez De Luna's picture
Dr Lilliam Casillas
La Dra. Lilliam Casillas Martínez is Profesora en la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Humacao y fundadora del Observatorio Microbiológica Cabo Rojo.

This summer, while on the way Playa Sucia or Los Morrillos Lighthouse, many of us will drive by the Cabo Rojo salt flats. Salt extracted from the Cabo Rojo salt from salt flats—the oldest industry in Puerto Rico—is highly pure and has great commercial value, thus making it an important source of income. But, did you know that the salt flats or salterns, as they are also known, are also a large-scalen oversized Microbiology laboratory?

Eco-pacifist Education as a Tool for Social Evolution

Jacqueline Flores Otero's picture
Logo Proyecto EcoPaz
El Proyecto Ecopaz utiliza recursos educativos para proveer herramientas que nos ayuden a entender y transformar los problemas que actualmente enfrentamos.

Throughout the years, our role as agents of change in a dynamic society such as the one we live in has acquired major relevance. Our society is not only threatened by the economic challenges that are actually being faced in the world, but by the crisis that exists in what respect to the human values and its consequences in the environment.

Advancing Society with Science

Mónica Ivelisse Feliú-Mójer's picture
Daniel Colón-Ramos, receiving AAAS prize
CienciaPR's founder and Yale University professor, Daniel Colón-Ramos, receiving the 2011 AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science.

The answer to many of the environmental, health, social and economic challenges faced by modern society lay in the advancement of science, engineering and innovation. Thus, scientists and engineers must play a role in making science accessible to the public they aim to help with their discoveries.

Organizations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) aim to increase communication between the scientists and the public to "advance science and serve society."

Public Service through Ecology and the Environmental Sciences

Wilson Gonzalez-Espada's picture
Janice Alers
Dr. Janice Alers-Garcia achieved a perfect combination by providing public services through ecology and environmental sciences.

Guest Editor Mónica Feliú Mójer | CienciaPR.org 


Talking about Janice Alers-Garcia's scientific and professional interests entails stories about self-discovery, making the best out of opportunities and appreciation for the inspiration provided by colleagues, students, family and friends. 

The "Chemistry" between Science and Society

Greetchen Díaz-Muñoz's picture
Dr. Jorge Colón
Dr. Jorge Colón (holding poster, on front) and members of the AAAS Caribbean Division, with Haitian scientists and educators during the first workshop in Puerto Rico. Photo by: Edward W. Lempinen/AAAS

Two years after a devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12, there are there are still many challenges facing our neighboring country. Given the need to rebuild and recover infrastructure and systems, science promises to play a vital role. Contrary to what many people think, Haiti has educational institutions and basic research resources to support local science in its territory. Although much was devastated by the last earthquake, the reality is that there is talent to continue and enhance the work of Haitian scientists and science educators.

Summertime: A chance for reciprocal summer research programs

Giovanna Guerrero-Medina's picture
Reciprocal summer programs
Propuesta para el desarrollo de programas de verano recíprocos. (Imágen por F. Carrero-Martínez)

Creating an environment conducive to academic research requires a number of critical factors: funds to recruit investigators and pay for the costs of their projects; access to research resources, reagents, and technologies; institutional systems to support research logistics (e.g. purchasing offices; facilities; administrative support; budget offices; grants and contracts specialists; etc.); and above all, brilliant minds and skilled hands. There is a lot of scientific talent and interest in Puerto Rico—as evidenced by the membership of this website, which grows daily.

Being a Scientist: The joy of creating and spreading knowledge

Mónica Ivelisse Feliú-Mójer's picture
CienciaPR Symposium
Simposio de CienciaPR: Quiero ser científico… ¿y ahora qué hago?

Understanding the world around them. This is what motivates thousands of people, in Puerto Rico and around the world, to do science. The great patriot and educator Eugenio María de Hostosonce said: "Science is the presentation of each and every one of the efforts of understanding."

Through history, science has been a key element in one of the most fundamental quests of humanity: the generation of knowledge to understand the world around us. It could be said that science makes us humans. After all, scientific questions stem from curiosity, a quality we all share.

The Fifth Anniversary of Ciencia Puerto Rico: Five years promoting science and research in our archipelago

Marcos Lopez's picture
Changes in CienciaPR website in first 5 years
CienciaPR website throughout time. March, 2006 (left). Right, August, 2011

CienciaPR.org was established in 2006 with the mission of providing a site in where the members of the scattered Puerto Rican scientific community could have a meeting point. Thanks to the support of thousands of users and a dedicated group of volunteer scientists, in five years, CienciaPR have exceeded the initial expectations becoming one of the scientific portals of more coverage in Puerto Rico and Latin America.

A Journey Through Our Indian Roots: The archeological work of Dr. Ricardo Alegría-Gallardo

Jacqueline Flores Otero's picture
Dr. Ricardo Alegría old and as a young archeologist
Dr. Ricardo Alegría Gallardo, arqueólogo y antropólogo

Ricardo Alegría Gallardo (April 14, 1921- July 7, 2011)

Archeological findings help reveal the secrets of old civilizations, construct the history of a place and its ancestors, and shape the identity of contemporary people. The knowledge of our Puerto Rican history, more than an agglomeration of findings that reveal an unknown origin, was a life style for Dr. Ricardo Alegría-Gallardowhom we honor with this spotlight.

Survey of Science & Technology: Assessing the R&D ecosystem in Puerto Rico

Jacqueline Flores Otero's picture

Our society is at the cusp of a scientific revolution. The generation and application of knowledge and innovation have fundamentally changed the way we live and are a driving force in the global economy. For that reason many countries around the world, including Puerto Rico, are making a push to establish knowledge-based economies.

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