Latina Leadership Lessons: Exploration is IMPORTANT

This month we’ve been talking about Latinas in the sciences and although the month officially ends tomorrow, I sincerely hope you’ll join us for our call Wednesday with the first Latina astronaut, Dr. Ellen Ochoa!

And for those of you in the San Diego area, don’t forget that the San Diego Science Festival EXPO is this weekend – make sure and attend with your friends and family.

You may wonder why so many of us are so interested in and concerned about the sciences. Let’s look at some numbers…

According to Nobel Laureate Richard Smalley, by the year 2010 (just 1 year from now) 90% of the world’s scientists and engineers will live in Asia.

Additionally, 85% of people being trained in the advanced physical sciences in the United States are from abroad. Further, because the opportunities are now greater in the sciences abroad, we are no longer retaining those who study here in the USA.

Although it’s wonderful that focus on the sciences is spreading worldwide, we want to encourage sciences in the U.S. also, and support all children in these endeavors. And historically, we have not been very good at supporting children of color and all girls to pursue the sciences.

When I spoke with Dr. Elma Gonzalez, Professor Emeritus at UCLA, she told us of her lifelong work of promoting science careers for students of color, even when the school was encouraging them NOT to pursue those majors (because of the fear that those areas of study were “too hard” for our kids).

When I interviewed Diana Gomez, current national President of SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers), she also shares the concern of making sure that young people in the U.S., and especially Latinos, have the resources they need to pursue interests in the sciences.

And all the scientists we’ve talked to have spoken about the importance of science, and how it can be difficult to get encouragement for the pursuit of those studies. So although exploration can pertain to a variety of things, let’s not forget how important it is to be aware of how science affects our everyday lives, and to share our gratitude with those who make these wonderful things happen for us.

And keep exploring in your own life, because exploration is truly important in ALL areas! Later this week, we’ll be starting to talk abou the theme and archetype for April which is La Chismosa. Let’s stay in communication…

Latina Leadership Lessons About The Explorer

What an awesome interview with Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff this week.  We had a great time and she shared so many insights with us that were right on point with our theme of the explorer.  She talked about discoveries that she made early in her career that have changed the way that people receive health care!  Lydia shared the joy and the exhilaration of being someone to discover something truly new.  What must that feel like?  Wow!

At the same time, Lydia told us that for the discovery to make a difference, you have to get it out there!  Isn’t that true for all of us?  We may discover something amazing about ourselves, in our lives, within our families or jobs or schools, but unless/until we get it OUT THERE it doesn’t really impact the world, does it?  Sometimes the real role of the explorer is after the discovery and in the sharing with the public.  And that can be the scary part, too.

But moving through our fear is such a key part of being an explorer.  Taking the next step, even when it’s difficult and when others tell you you can’t do it, or it that it’s “too hard” is part of the process.  Lydia reminded us that it’s the little steps that will get you there.  Just keep moving forward…

And there will always be someone smarter than you!  Now, while this may sound discouraging, Lydia (brilliant mind that she is) wanted to encourage us not to be afraid of that, but rather to embrace that and be OK with it.  It doesn’t really matter if there is someone “better” than you – because there always may be — it’s only up to you to do YOUR best.  If you’re scared that someone’s out there that’s better, yup, there might be.  So move on and do the best you can with what’s in front of you.  That’s all your responsible for.

And finally, have FUN.  Life is short, so enjoy the moments!  And a really nice thing that Lydia shared with us is that working hard can be fun.

Don’t forget we’ll be talking to first Latina ASTRONAUT next week, Dr. Ellen Ochoa…  And more on why exploration is important!

Lydia Villa-Komaroff

Lydia Villa-Komaroff, a Ph.D. in Cell Biology, is currently CEO of Cytonome, a company building the first optical cell sorter capable of supporting rapid, sterile sorting of human cells for therapeutic use.

Lydia was born on August 7, 1947, and grew up in Sante Fe, New Mexico. As the eldest of six children, she developed teamwork- and consensus-building skills out of necessity; these skills would later serve her well in the lab and the workplace.

>>  I’ll be speaking with Lydia about her growing up years and how they shaped her.

Taking cues from those above her, Lydia had many relatives who served as strong role models. Her mother worked as a teacher and social worker. Lydia’s paternal grandmother had been a curandera, or a healer, and her maternal grandmother, a lone breadwinner with three children, had sold chemical toilets on horseback up in the mountains.

Lydia knew by age nine that she wanted to be a scientist. While still in high school, she won a minority scholarship from the National Science Foundation to attend a summer lab program at a college in Texas. In 1965, she enrolled as a chemistry major at the University of Washington in Seattle. After an advisor told Lydia that women did not belong in chemistry, she switched majors, finally settling on biology.

>>  How did Lydia react to being detracted from certain science fields initially?  And then later?

Commenting on her parents’ whole-hearted backing of her budding resolve, Lydia noted, “In the Mexican American family, what papa says goes, so it’s clear that his support made a difference in my life. What’s also amazing is that my parents fully accepted and supported my decision to go far away to college…. In the southwestern Chicano culture that I came from, many parents, consciously or unconsciously, discourage children from pursuing higher education because they are afraid that education will change their children or that the children will be lost to them. I think it’s incumbent on people like me to convince parents that they won’t lose their child to education, but that it will enrich the child and thus the family.”

She began her research career under the tutelage of David Baltimore and Harvey Lodish at MIT, and received a Ph.D. in Cell Biology in 1975.  As a postdoctoral fellow in Walter Gilbert’s laboratory, she was lead author of a landmark paper reporting the first synthesis of mammalian insulin in bacterial cells.  Her professional life includes research positions at Harvard University, the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Cold Spring Harbor, Children’s Hospital in Boston, and Cytonome, Inc.

>>  How did Lydia choose her research subjects, and what did she learn?

During the discovery phase of her career, she published over 70 research articles and reviews. In 1996 she moved to full time administration; from 1998 to 2003 she was Vice President for Research at Northwestern University in Illinois and from 2003 to 2005 she served as Vice President for Research and Chief Operating Officer of the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge.

In 2003 she was appointed to the Board of Directors of Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc (TKT), a biopharmaceutical company that developed products for the treatment of rare diseases.  She became non-executive Chair of the Board in January 2005.  She joined Cytonome, Inc as Chief Scientific Officer in 2005 and became CEO in 2006.

>> What were the pros and cons of being in an academic setting?  Of being in a company setting?

She is a member of the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Hall of Fame and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and of the Association for Women in Science.  She has served on review committees for the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation.

Lydia was a member of the Institute of Medicine Committee on Assessing the System for Protecting Human Research Subjects, the National Research Council Committee on the Structure of NIH, the congressionally mandated National Science Foundation Committee on Equal Opportunity in Science and Engineering, as well as the National Science Foundation Advisory Committee for the Biology Directorate, which she chaired from 1997 to 1998.

She was a member of the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council from 2000 to 2004 and was elected to a four year term on the Board of Directors of AAAS in 2001.  Lydia is a founding member of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science and has been both a board member and vice president of the organization.

>>  What has Lydia learned from sitting on the various committees, and during her various involvements?

She is currently the Chair of the Board of Trustees for Pine Manor College and is serving on the National Academies of Science and National Academy of Engineering Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine, the National Research Council Committee on Underrepresented Groups and the Expansion of the Science and Engineering Workforce Pipeline.

In 2008, Lydia was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center by Governor Duvall Patrick, was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by Hispanic Business Magazine, and was named Hispanic Scientist of the Year by the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, Florida.

Latina Leadership Lessons: Exploration Can Be Lonely

While exploration may be exciting and fun, it can also be lonely and difficult.  That’s not to discourage you from exploring your own curiosities, figuring out your own boundaries and “Going where no Latina has gone before” (ok, I warned you earlier I was a geek, remember?), but it is to say prepare yourself.

Exploration asks us to push beyond where our comfort zone is, and this can be difficult, both for ourselves and for those around us.  Exploration calls upon us to be brave, to be courageous and to persevere even when others tell us it can’t be done.  Exploration can open us up to ridicule from others.

Exploration can come about in a number of different ways.  Exploration is not just an academic thing — it can be someone asking you to try out for a contest, or taking a class you’d never thought of, or taking on a bigger responsibility than you’d ever been responsible for before.  Exploration can be talking to someone you know about what they do, or simply (is it ever simple?) standing up to your family about something which you see different than they do.

Whatever your mode of exploration, I would encourage you to push harder, move farther, and go deeper than those before you have gone.  Because even me — I am counting on you to know where you need to go, what you need to say and where you need to be, even if you yourself didn’t know it at the time…

So know that exploration can be lonely.  But if you KNOW, in your heart, that you are doing what YOU need to do, then no one should be able to knock you off your path, and I’m simply here to remind you of that.   Adelante!

Latinas Learning to Lead Summer Youth Program

Location: The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Link out: Click here
Description: The Latinas Learning to Lead Summer Youth Program (LLL) will take place June 19-27, 2009 at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. LLL promotes and fosters the development of young college-age Latina leaders through leadership training and technical and practical experience, during a one-week comprehensive curriculum program in Washington, D.C.

Find out more at: http://www.nhli.org/latinas_lead/2009LLL_application0212.pdf

Applications are due by: March 27, 2009

Date: 2009-06-19

Adriana Manzi

Adriana Manzi, Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, has over 25 years of experience in biomolecules research and development.  She is President and Principal Consultant of Manzi & Associates where her consulting work has spun the areas of recombinant proteins, dendritic cell vaccines, biosimilars, analytical methods, CMC, and selection and management of CMOs.

Adriana was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was the only child of Elsa, a housekeeper, and Ricardo, an accountant, both second generation Argentinians from Northern Italian families. From early age, Adriana was constantly learning something new, from sawing to painting to English to international politics.

>>  I’ll be talking with Adriana about how her childhood experiences influenced her career path, and what early influences were important to her.

Adriana’s parents and grandparents instilled in her strong ethical principles, the value of hard work and the need to take responsibility for one’s actions. Her family lived a simple life in a large cosmopolitan city. Adriana attended an all-girl Catholic school from kindergarten through high school where she was always at the very top of her class, and valedictorian when she graduated.

Adriana was only eight years old when she decided she would become a chemist, although politics was a close contender and she also enjoyed fine arts.

>>  How did Adriana know she wanted to be a chemist and was it difficult for her to commit to and stay with this professional decision?

By the time she finished high school, it was required that applicants take a full year course to be admitted to the University of Buenos Aires, a free public university. The limited spots offered for admission were filled with the students who received the top grades. Adriana was admitted at her first try and enrolled in the Chemistry program. She received a BS in Chemistry and MS in Food Sciences and Industrial Chemistry in 1978.

Those years were not without challenges. Argentina was suffering a military dictatorship of very dark consequences. The universities were under strict control and in one occasion, the government decided to close the university to avoid turmoil.  Students were left to just wait and see what would happen with no indication of when the universities would reopen.

>>  What did Adriana learn from her years at the university in Argentina, and what insights does she have about the process?

Adriana got married and had her first baby, Pablo, while finishing her Master’s degree. Soon after, she started the graduate program in Organic Chemistry.  In 1981, a baby girl was born, Marina, and challenges duplicated!  But, with determination and the values of hard work and discipline learned in early childhood, Adriana earned a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry (suma cum laude) in 1984.

>>  I’ll be asking Adriana about how she combined her work and family life and if she has tips for us…

Adriana obtained a scholarship from the National Research Council of Argentina and moved with her family to San Diego in 1986 to become a Visiting Scholar at the Cancer Center of the University of California, San Diego.

After three years of this scholarship and one year of fellowship from the State of California, she returned with her family to Argentina. The country was suffering again of political and economical instability and the position promised to her upon her return could not be granted due to a hiring freeze. Adriana returned to her old teaching position at the university while applying to different job opportunities in the US.

In 1991, she moved her family back to San Diego and became an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Glycobiology Core at the University of California, San Diego.

>>  What different activities was she responsible for in her work, and what differences were there in her positions in the U.S. and in Argentina?

In 1998, Adriana moved to the private sector, first as Assistant Director of Analytical Development for Cytel, and then as Director of Analytical Development and QC for Nextran.
In 2001, she became a Director of Research for Baxter Healthcare Corporation. While she stayed in San Diego – taking care of her ailing mother - Adriana’s laboratory was in Illinois, where she traveled every other week. She led a team providing global support on the analysis of biomolecules and spent a great deal of time traveling through the US and EU.  Adriana was promoted to Senior Director of Research in 2003 becoming the first woman to hold such position in the technical track.

>>  How did Adriana decide to transition to the private sector, and was was both easy and difficult about the change?

In parallel, Adriana has been an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Chemistry of San Diego State University and had taught courses for IBC International, the FDA and UCSD extension.

She is a member of several professional associations to which she has contributed actively as Committee member or Chair; she has participated in NIH review groups, and organized national and international symposia.

Adriana has published 29 original research articles, 20 book chapters and three magazine articles and has mentored many scientists.

>>  How does Adriana choose her outside activities, and which ones has she found the most beneficial?

In 2006, Adriana decided to test her entrepreneurial spirit starting a consulting business, Manzi & Associates. She has built a successful organization focusing on advising early stage biopharmaceutical companies on product development.

Adriana enjoys spending time in L.A. with her daughter, now a lawyer, and in New Jersey with her son, a software engineer, and daughter-in-law. She is still into politics as well as fine and performing arts.

Latina Leadership Lessons: Curiosity and Exploration

Do you ever wonder how the simple things happen?  Like, how does the alarm go off in the morning (in spite of the fact that we wish it didn’t), how is it that we’re able to turn on the radio and listen to, like, a bazillion stations, and how amazing is it that you can pick up your cell phone and make a call to your tia or abuela no matter where in the world she might be? (even if it also costs a gazillion dollars)

These are the amazing things that scientists bring to us, and so very much more.  Our roads, our cars, even our food and our very livelihoods are all mediated by science and technology.  And yet, we take so much of it for granted.  Or, at least I do.  I get frustrated when my computer’s slow, and heaven forbid I can’t get an internet connection when traveling!  How dare planes be late, the Tynenol doesn’t kick in fast enough, or the car sputters when I go to pull out of the driveway.

Almost every moment of our lives is brought to us by people who have asked questions about how things work, and then taken the answers and pushed to the next level.  This month San Diego is having its first ever San Diego Science Festival, and I’ve had the honor and privilege of meeting some incredible women in the sciences.  These women  ask themselves questions that wouldn’t occur to me to wonder about.   My mind just doesn’t turn that way.  Yet…

But the more time I spend thinking about all the incredible things that DO happen around us each day, the more grateful I am that I live NOW, in this time, with all the amazing opportunities that surround me, and the more question I ask.  Such as what am I curious about?  Why?  What questions are important to me and why do I want the answers?  If you don’t ask the questions, you can’t even have the conversation and sometimes simply asking the questions are enough.

Last week when I interviewed Ines Cifuentes, a Ph.D. in Seismology, she was telling us that one of her advisors in her Ph.D. program didn’t think that the question she wanted to research could be answered.  And we were kind of laughing together about it: Isn’t that the point?  We HAVE to ask the questions that we’re not sure have answers!  Otherwise, we can’t move forward.   What if no one asked the question about electricity, or phones, or automobiles!?!

So, I would encourage you, as will I, to ask yourself — where does your curiosity lie?  You may not be the one asking the question in the sciences — or maybe you are! — but whatever your questions are, keep asking them, and keep pushing to find the answers…

Ines Cifuentes

Dr. Inés Cifuentes, a Ph.D. in Seismology, and former Director of the Carnegie Academy for Science Education (CASE) won the 2008 Hispanic Heritage Award for Math and Science in recognition of her role in creating CASE.

>> Join me as I talk with Inés about the twists and turns of her career and life paths.

Inés Cifuentes is a child of two cultures. Her father is from Quito, Ecuador, and her mother is Jewish from New York City. Although she was born in London, England, most of her childhood was spent in Latin America.

Both of her parents were economists with the United Nations so she and her brother had the opportunity to live in many different countries including Ecuador, Paraguay, Chile, and Guatemala. Even though she has lived in America from the time that she was twelve years old, Latin America still feels like home and for many years Inés planned on returning to live there permanently.

>> What were some important moments for Inés in her youth?

Moving to America wasn’t easy for Inés and she found it very difficult to adjust both socially and academically. It was challenging to get into the right classes. She had to fight to get into the high track math class where she knew she belonged.

Inés has loved math and science ever since she received a book on astronomy from her grandfather when she was seven years old. Thanks to her parents, who valued her for being a girl and being intelligent, she was never faced with the notion that women could not be scientists or mathematicians.

>> We’ll be discussing some of the difficulties women, and especially Latinas, find in pursuing careers in the sciences.

She majored in physics with an emphasis in astronomy at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where she was the only woman in the department. Inés knew that she wanted to balance her love of science with her passion for political work, but she was not sure how. One of her physics professors encouraged her to apply to graduate school in geophysics, emphasizing that such work could be beneficial in Latin America. She took her professor’s advice, and started her graduate work at Stanford University in geophysics.

After receiving her master’s degree, Inés was employed by the U.S. Geological Survey doing field research in Guatemala and Nicaragua where she was setting up portable seismographs in rural areas. As it turned out, there was an earthquake while she was there, and because she could speak Spanish, she was able to explain to villagers what the USGS was doing.

>> In what different ways has being Latina influenced Inés’ work, and vice versa?

She now felt like she could do science research in Latin America and help people at the same time. However, she realized that in order to do really interesting and beneficial scientific work, she needed to get a Ph.D., because that advanced degree would give her the independence and means to create her own projects.

Inés enrolled in the Ph.D. program in seismology at Columbia University in New York City where she became very interested in studying the Chilean Earthquake of 1960. At 9.5 on the Richter scale, it is the largest ever-recorded earthquake. It lasted for almost five minutes and created tidal waves as far away as Hawaii! The particularly interesting thing about this earthquake was that an unusual seismic event had been recorded at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena fifteen minutes before the earthquake struck. Her question was whether these events were related or were simply coincidence.

After years of research and studying seismographic records from all around the world, she was able to prove that the two events were connected. It was her hope that this work would contribute to the research being done on how to predict earthquakes.

>> What can Inés tell us about her work and what she learned?

While her research was very fulfilling and exciting, her experience at Columbia was challenging. It was extremely difficult to be the only woman, let alone Latin American in her program. Despite the hardship, she graduated in 1988 and was the first woman to ever earn a Ph.D. in seismology from Columbia!

Although she never made it back to Latin America to live, her life has come almost full circle because she is now working in the Washington D.C. area, including the district where she attended school. Similar to when she was in school, many children are being placed in classes based more on the color of their skin rather than their academic potential. Most of these classes have very poor science, math, and technology programs.

In her work as the director for the Carnegie Academy for Science Education in Washington D.C., Inés taught science and mathematics to elementary school students and educators in the D.C. public schools to try and improve the programs and increase opportunity for the students.

>> Inés is now at the American Geophysical Union and we’ll be discussing her current work.

Getting to where she is in life has not been easy, but Inés has learned to fight battles and see where she can make a difference. Science has given her a special view of the world. It has taught her to think critically, ask questions, and persevere.

The Explorer

Well, we’ve probably all heard about Dora the Explorer, and it’s fun to think of Latina GIRLS as being at the forefront of exploration and learning.  Although I love science fiction, I wasn’t encouraged in the sciences when I was a girl, but for some reason have a special place in my heart for the sciences.  And I am a big supporter of girls, and especially Latinas, being able to follow their dreams to work in the sciences (so that it’s not just FICTION!). 

This month, I’m interviewing some true explorers in the sciences.  Last week, I spoke with Marina La Grave, who is translator and outreach coordinator in The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.  Check out their amazing (and fully bilingual) website at www.windows.ucar.edu.  This week I’ll be interviewing Dr. Ines Cifuentes, a Ph.D. in Seismology, who’s done work to support the research being done on how to predict earthquakes!

Later in the month, I’ll be speaking with Dr. Adriana Manzi who has over 25 years of experience in biomolecules research and development.  And then I’ll be interviewing Lydia Villa-Komarof, a Ph.D. in cell biology.  Both Drs. Manzi and Villa-Komarof run their own companies that specialize in different areas of the sciences.

And the first interviewee in April will be the first Latina astronaut, Dr. Ellen Ochoa!  Each of these amazing women have taken great strides in exploring the physical world.  Their curiosity and exploration led them to pursue these different fields and they make the landscape of the sciences different and better for those of us that have come after.  But there’s still lots to do.

Do you look around you and express your curiosity about how things around us work?  If so, what do you do about it?  I would strongly encourage you to check out the UCAR website and find an activity to do with a young girl in your life.  Ask her what she’s interested in and encourage her to be an explorer.

Join me in celebrating the Latina scientists out there, thinking about exploration in our own world, and how each of us is an explorer in her own right!

Marina La Grave

Diversity has always surrounded Marina La Grave. Her immediate roots are in Venezuela, France, and Brazil, while her extended family traces its line to Guatemala, Italy, Lebanon, Spain, and Canada. Growing up in Venezuela, she learned Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and English.

>> What was is like for Marina to grow up at the cross-sections of so many cultures?

Not surprisingly, a career in translation and interpretation lay in Marina’s future. She realized she could put her language skills to work while satisfying her general curiosity about a variety of fields. What she didn’t expect was that she would eventually find herself working in science education, learning more about the atmospheric and Earth system sciences than she ever dreamed. She also never imagined she’d be reaching out to Spanish-speaking communities in the United States and across Latin America, learning how to construct networks of support for science teachers and students.

>>  I’ll be speaking to Marina about how she came to this field and what she’s learned from it.

Marina works as a translator and outreach coordinator in University Corporation for Atmospheric Research’s Education and Outreach group, a close team of scientists and educators who strive to build bridges between the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s scientific research and K-12 education.

>>  What are the goals of the group she works with and why has it been important to do translation and outreach?

Marina came to UCAR in 2003, initially to apply her skills as a Spanish translator to Windows to the Universe, a vast and colorful educational Web site covering Earth and space sciences. Of the roughly 18 million users who visit Windows to the Universe each year, more than a quarter now head for the site’s Spanish pages.

When she began translating Windows to the Universe, Marina realized that her intended audience wouldn’t visit the site if they didn’t know it existed.

Marina began building a network of educators and government ministers throughout Latin America, and made contacts at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Over time, her job has continued to include a strong outreach component.

>>  What are the largest groups she works with and how does she perform her outreach?

She finds herself doing everything from organizing Boulder workshops for bilingual science teachers to traveling to Mexico to help scientists from around the world share their research with teachers and students during a major field study of air pollution.

She returned to Mexico for the spring 2007 joint assembly in Acapulco of the American Geophysical Union and participating societies from across Latin America. There she helped present a bilingual workshop to 72 teachers. Shortly after, she headed to Chile for a conference on education that brought together more than 1,000 teachers from across that nation to learn about Web-based educational resources. Her next step was Argentina to present a workshop at a UNESCO conference.

Although Marina is not trained as a scientist, she’s had a love for and fascination with the natural world since childhood. Her father was an admiral for the Venezuelan navy, so the family traveled frequently, including stints abroad in Washington D.C. and France. They passed summers on La Orchila, a Caribbean island that serves as a Venezuelan naval base.

Marina’s other love was guitar, which she started playing at age five. After earning a music degree in Venezuela, she was offered a scholarship to study in Spain under the famed Andrés Segovia, considered to be the father of the modern classical guitar movement. She turned the scholarship down to marry and start a family in Venezuela.

>>  Marina and I will be talking about how she combines her personal and work lives…

She decided to become a certified translator of written language and interpreter of spoken language, which fit well with her plan to work primarily from home when she had children.

One of her most memorable jobs was as a personal “whisperer” for Venezuelan president Carlos Andrés Pérez during his second term, from 1989 to 1993. She stayed by his side during meetings and functions conducted in other languages, giving him quick summaries in hushed Spanish.  “I learned a lot and it was a great experience, but I learned that I didn’t really like politics all that much,” she says.

She decided to jump into science and education next, since the natural world had always interested her and, as a parent, she was attentive to her own children’s education. She started working as a translator for scientific organizations around the world, which allowed her to explore a variety of scientific subjects and make contacts worldwide.

When she moved to the United States in 1993, Marina did a variety of jobs in her field before taking a position as a Spanish translator and interpreter for the city of Boulder. The position exposed her to every municipal program, including the school district and community events. She was able to build ties among educators and within the Latino community that helped pave the way for her outreach efforts at UCAR.

She especially enjoys her interaction with colleagues at UCAR. “I have the privilege of working on a team of people with so much knowledge,” she says. “I couldn’t have found a better environment to learn and grow as a person and professional than UCAR.”  She says she looks forward to coming to work every morning—a commute she makes by motor scooter to cut down on the emissions that cause global warming. She’s also teaching free Spanish classes to UCAR/NCAR staff one evening a week. “Coming here is like coming to school. I’m always so excited with everything I’m learning, and I know that the things I do inside my little office go far beyond.”

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