Dr. Ubaldo M. Córdova knew from a very early age that he wanted to be a scientist. He confirmed this thought when he had to complete a special project for his geography class in high school. For this project, a shy and introvert Ubaldo, built a geography map of Puerto Rico. He designed a very precise map that marked the Island’s municipalities using colorful sand. Based on the sophistication of his design- where the different colors of sand did not mix and every piece fit perfectly- his teacher told him that he would become an engineer.