Image of famous hispanic scientists

September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month!

CURIOSO.PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (RAINFOREST); CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (MEXÍA); UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS (SPECIMEN); RICARDO BETANCOURT SÁNCHEZ/CC VIA INATURALIST (ERYNGIUM MEXIAE); BRAYAN CORAL JARAMILLO (PINK FLOWER); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES (BATS); COURTESY OF KATHRIN BARBOZA MÁRQUEZ (MÁRQUEZ); ALBUM/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (MOLINA); SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (MOLECULE, SPRAY, GLACIER); NASA (OZONE LAYER); JIM SPELLMAN/WIREIMAGE (HAMMER); JOHNNY STOCKSHOOTER/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (FLOOD ZONE); DALE GERHARD/THE PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY VIA AP IMAGES (HOUSE); PD/WIKIMEDIA (PAULET); NASA (SPACE, SKETCH); ENPERU/PD (DIAGRAM); SPACEX (ROCKET); SCIBAK/GETTY IMAGES (SATELLITE); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES (HELICOPTER); NASA/BILL INGALLS (RUBIO); NASA/JPLCALTECH (SPACE); BETTMANN ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES (FINLAY); MEHAU KULYK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY RF/GETTY IMAGES (YELLOW FEVER); PANTHER MEDIA GMBH/ALAMY STOCK VECTOR (RADIATION); FAJRIN RAHARJO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES (BABY); SHERRY YATES YOUNG/SCIENCE SOURCE (VACCINE); ALEJANDRA ARIAS (CHARRETÓN)

STANDARDS

NGSS: Core Idea: ETS2.B, ETS2.A

CCSS: Writing: 2

TEKS: 6.4A, 7.4A, 8.4A, ENV.10C, ENV.11B

Trailblazing Hispanic Scientists

Discoveries by Hispanic and Latino scientists continue to change the world

AS YOU READ, THINK ABOUT the challenges Hispanic and Latino scientists have faced when pursuing their careers.

Hispanic Heritage Month honors contributions made by Hispanics—people with ancestors from Spanish-speaking countries—and Latinos, or those from Latin America and the Caribbean. That includes famous people like actress Jenna Ortega, musician Bad Bunny, and artist Frida Kahlo. Hispanics and Latinos have also made advances in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)!

Hispanics and Latinos have been conducting groundbreaking science for hundreds of years, says Emily Key, who works in education at the National Museum of the American Latino. Despite their important achievements, she says, many of these trailblazers are “not necessarily in the eye of the public.” That’s because history books often focus more on the work of White scientists.

Hispanics and Latinos have designed rockets, discovered new species, and helped save millions of people from deadly diseases. Read about Hispanic and Latino scientists from the past, and learn how their modern counterparts are following in their footsteps.

Image of famous hispanic scientists

CURIOSO.PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (RAINFOREST); CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (MEXÍA); UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LIBRARY DIGITAL COLLECTIONS (SPECIMEN); RICARDO BETANCOURT SÁNCHEZ/CC VIA INATURALIST (ERYNGIUM MEXIAE); BRAYAN CORAL JARAMILLO (PINK FLOWER); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES (BATS); COURTESY OF KATHRIN BARBOZA MÁRQUEZ (MÁRQUEZ, BAT)

Number 1

Exploring Nature

As the daughter of a Mexican diplomat, Ynés Enriquetta Julietta Mexía lived in many different parts of North America. In 1909, Mexía’s family moved to Northern California. Exploring the state’s redwood forests ignited a passion for botany—the study of plants. At age 51, Mexía embarked on her first expedition to collect plant specimens in Mexico. She would go on to travel across the Americas, from Denali National Park in Alaska to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Throughout her career, Mexía defied beliefs about how a woman should behave. She traveled alone, rode horses, wore pants, and advocated for the rights of Indigenous women. In 13 years, Mexía collected nearly 150,000 specimens and discovered 500 new plant species.

When Kathrin Barboza Márquez was in college, she attended a lecture on bats. “I didn’t even want to go,” she confesses. But what she learned convinced her to devote her life to studying these flying mammals. In 2006, Barboza Márquez rediscovered Tomes’s sword-nosed bat, a species believed to be extinct in her home country of Bolivia since the 1930s. She started a campaign to create the first protected areas in Latin America to help save bat species. Barboza Márquez now works to bring scientific knowledge into decisions made by the Bolivian government. “I would like science to spur real conservation actions,” she says.

Image of famous hispanic scientists

ALBUM/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (MOLINA); SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (MOLECULE, SPRAY, GLACIER); NASA (OZONE LAYER); JIM SPELLMAN/WIREIMAGE (HAMMER); JOHNNY STOCKSHOOTER/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (FLOOD ZONE); DALE GERHARD/THE PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY VIA AP IMAGES (HOUSE)

Number 2

Fighting for the Planet

In 1975, Mexican-born chemist Mario Molina made a startling discovery about a group of human-made gases called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). They were destroying Earth’s protective ozone layer—the part of Earth’s atmosphere that shields the planet from the sun’s rays. Back then, CFCs were used in products like refrigerators, aerosol spray cans, and air conditioners. At first, researchers thought Molina’s warnings about CFCs were exaggerated. Eventually, his findings were confirmed, and scientists began advocating for solutions. In 1989, governments around the world agreed to phase out CFCs. Now the ozone layer is almost completely healed. In 1995, Molina’s findings earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Nicole Hernandez Hammer was born in rural Guatemala. When she was 4, her family moved to the U.S. Living in a more urban area, she felt “starved for nature.” She decided to become an environmental scientist, researching the impact of climate change on coastal communities. Warming temperatures are causing ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise. Hernandez Hammer realized that Latinos and other communities of color are most affected by rising ocean waters. She started working with environmental groups in Florida and elsewhere to highlight how climate change impacts these communities. “I have a duty as a scientist, as a mother, and as a Latina to sound the alarm,” she says.

Image of famous hispanic scientists

PD/WIKIMEDIA (PAULET); NASA (SPACE, SKETCH); ENPERU/PD (DIAGRAM); SPACEX (ROCKET); SCIBAK/GETTY IMAGES (SATELLITE); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES (HELICOPTER); NASA/BILL INGALLS (RUBIO); NASA/JPLCALTECH (SPACE)

Number 3

Shooting for the Stars

The rocket that NASA used to send astronauts to the moon in 1969 was inspired by the drawings of a Peruvian engineer born nearly 100 years earlier. Pedro Paulet is considered one of the fathers of the space age. In 1895, he left his home country of Peru to study chemistry and engineering in Paris. There he came up with the idea for the first rocket engine powered by liquid fuel. His model was revolutionary. Before this, scientists were convinced that gunpowder was the best way to propel a rocket to space. Paulet never saw his idea become reality. But today, NASA and others recognize his contributions to rocket science. Peru even celebrates “Aerospace Science and Technology Day” every July 2 on Paulet’s birthday!

When Frank Rubio was growing up in Miami, Florida, he wanted to become a doctor. The son of a single mother from El Salvador, he never dreamed that he could be an astronaut. Rubio became a surgeon and a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Army. Then in 2017, he applied to become a NASA astronaut—and was chosen! “What are the chances that a kid like me would end up being where I am today?” he said when he was selected. In 2022, NASA announced that Rubio would go to the International Space Station (ISS), a massive laboratory that orbits Earth. On the ISS, Rubio conducted more than 300 experiments. He also performed three spacewalks—working outside the station to install new hardware. After 371 days on the ISS, Rubio returned to Earth. He was the first American to live in space for more than one year.

Image of famous hispanic scientists

BETTMANN ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES (FINLAY); MEHAU KULYK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY RF/GETTY IMAGES (YELLOW FEVER); PANTHER MEDIA GMBH/ALAMY STOCK VECTOR (RADIATION); MAILSON PIGNATA/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (MOSQUITO); WAWARDS.ORG (MEDAL); CAMIMAGE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (FEVER SIGN); FAJRIN RAHARJO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES (BABY); SHERRY YATES YOUNG/SCIENCE SOURCE (VACCINE); ALEJANDRA ARIAS (CHARRETÓN)

Number 4

Curing Diseases

In the 1700s and 1800s, a mysterious illness was spreading across North America. People were experiencing muscle pains, fever, headaches, and nausea. Their skin and eyeballs were turning a yellowish hue, giving the illness its name: yellow fever. No one knew what caused the disease—until a Cuban doctor named Carlos Juan Finlay discovered the answer. Finlay studied medicine in the U.S. and Europe, and then returned to Cuba to work as an ophthalmologist—a doctor who treats eye disorders. He devoted his free time to studying yellow fever. In 1881, Finlay proposed that the deadly disease was passed from person to person by infected mosquitos. Other scientists ridiculed Finlay’s theory. But that didn’t stop him. Over the next 20 years, Finlay conducted more than 100 experiments and successfully proved his idea correct.

Susana López Charretón was a student in Mexico’s largest public university when she first heard about rotaviruses. These viruses—nonliving particles that invade and reproduce in living cells—cause diarrhea and vomiting. Rotaviruses are especially dangerous for children and cause the death of 200,000 every year, mainly in developing countries. López Charretón identified the process by which rotaviruses invade cells in the body’s digestive system. These findings helped other researchers develop a vaccine to treat rotavirus infections. In 2001, this research earned her the Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology. López Charretón hopes that her story will inspire younger generations to work on problems in their home countries.

OBTAINING INFORMATION: Choose one of the scientists mentioned in the article. Research to find out more about their life and work.

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