2014 was a year of triumphs for Puerto Rican Julie Ann Rivera Pérez, who received a medal of honor from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was selected to participate in a very competitive leadership program in the agency.

Rivera Perez earned the Medal of Equal Employment from NASA for promoting diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities for the Hispanic community through her initiatives as president of the Hispanic Advisory Committee for Employees (HACE) for the past two years. In addition, leadership and job performance earned her a coveted seat in the NASA First Program, whose purpose is to identify and train the future leaders of the agency.

CienciaPR celebrates the scientific talent in Puerto Rico. Here we share the succesful stories of boricua brains that have excelled in conferences and receiving prestigious recognitions early in their careers. Share these stories using #cerebrosboricuas.

Students are distinguished as emerging scientists in science and engineering

The National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF- GRFP) is perhaps the most competitive and prestigious scholarship for doctoral students interested in a variety of disciplines related to science, engineering, technology and mathematics.

We are pleased to celebrate with you the names of twenty-three students from Puerto Rican universities who received this prestigious award and of three students who received honorable mentions. Only 17% of people who apply are awarded the scholarship.

Each year, a great number of Puerto Rican scientists are distinguished with prestigious prizes and awards. In Puerto Rico, the United States and in many parts of the world, Puerto Rican scientific talent makes itself known. Being the only network of Puerto Rican scientists in the world, it is our job to celebrate the achievements and recognitions of the members of our community.

Thus, it is with great pleasure that we announce the re-activation of our "Cerebros Boricuas" (“Puerto Rican brains”) blog.

Our intention with this blog is to recognize the accomplishments of CienciaPR members.  Our goal: to promote and celebrate the Puerto Rican scientific talent, motivating current and future generations of scientists.

Dear Friends,

The last month has been one of many achievements for the scientific community of Puerto Rico.

At CienciaPR we want celebrate these achievements and give more visibility to these scientific heroes that raise the profile of Puerto Rican science around the world. 

Here we highlight a few of these recent recognitions. If you have others to share with the CienciaPR community, please send a message to contact@cienciapr.org.