Dr. María Tamargo’s interest in science began as a young woman. She was first exposed to chemistry as a high school student, where she had the opportunity to study in Spain for a year. This opportunity sparked her desire to become a scientist and therefore, she decided to major in chemistry. For her undergraduate degree, María attended the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, where her parents were also professors. At the time, the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico did not offer a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. Recognizing her scientific talent, one of her professors encouraged María to transfer to the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, where she completed her B.S. in Chemistry.

Corals have an extraordinary ecological role. They serve as the main habitat for thousands of species and are the base of the coastal food web. Corals also protect from coastal erosion, to mitigate greenhouse gases and global warming, to boost the fishing industry, and to serve as places for tourism and recreation. However, in the last decades, many corals have been dying. The attackers are many: turbidity, sedimentation, fecal contamination, climate change and even military bombs. 

During the last century, women have experienced great progress in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. However, we still face barriers that contribute to our underrepresentation in these disciplines.

In the month of November, Ciencia Puerto Rico's montly story is joining the anniversary celebration of the blog Borinqueña. Use #Borinqueña to share this story.

The enthusiasm and passion that Dr. Michelle Martínez Montemayor exudes for her work, family and life can be easily felt when talking to her. Michelle is a Borinqueña from Bayamón. She was born and raised in the “City of Cowboys”, as Bayamón is also known in Puerto Rico, and today works as a professor and investigator at the Central University of the Caribbean (CUC).