Segenet Kelemu is an Ethiopian plant pathologist specializing in plant-insect interactions. Kelemu received her BS in plant sciences at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. She then completed her MS in Genetics at Montana State University in 1985, her PhD at Kansas State University in 1989 in Molecular Biology, and served as a post-doc research scientist at Cornell until 1992. Kelemu then worked in Columbia for several years before returning to research and leadership positions in Africa.
Kelemu is currently the Director General of the International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi, Kenya.
Kelemu has received numerous awards and honors including The World Academy of Sciences Prize in Agricultural Sciences 2006 and the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award in 2014.
Maestra Sonia Marie De León de Vega is a LA-based American symphony and opera conductor. Born in San Antonio, TX, De León de Vega is the daughter of actress/producer Sonia De León and singer/guitarist Reynaldo Sanchez. De León de Vega began her musical training at age four. She excelled in school and later at university where she focused on conducting studies with Dr. David Buck. She continued her training with Herbert Blomstedt, Otto Werner Mueller, Maurice Abravanel, Pierre Boulez, Andre Previn, Zubin Metha, and Ricardo Muti.
De Leon de Vega has been a guest conductor for many orchestras and opera companies and has developed concerts and children’s music workshops for the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles. At the Santa Cecilia Orchestra she developed the Discovering Music program that takes orchestra members into elementary schools in underserved Latino neighborhoods to introduce children to classical music, the instruments of the orchestra, and choir. The program has worked with more than 40,000 students in 35 schools introducing thousands of children to classical music, orchestral instruments, and the magic of the orchestra.
De Leon de Vega has accumulated many and diverse accolades. She was the first woman in history to conduct a symphony orchestra for the Pope, she was named named Outstanding Latina of the Year in 2000 by Univision, Mervyns, and Target, and she was voted one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the US twice. In April 2005 Hispanic Business Magazine named her in their “80 Elite Women” list. Also in 2005, she was named “Business Woman Of The Year in Arts And Entertainment” in the State of California.
Below is a NBC Nightly News segment on De León de Vega and the Santa Cecilia Orchestra...
Freeman Hrabowski, President of the University of Maryland, has been a busy man lately. He recently chaired a committee that published Expanding Under-represented Minority Participation: America's Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads and authored the editorial page in the January 14, 2011 issue of Science Magazine with his comments titled Boosting Minorities in Science. Both pieces offer incredible insight, data, and solutions to address to true obstacle in creating an inclusive future. We hope Hrabowski stays busy with this important line of research and work.
Goooooo Science! Three cheers for Darlene Cavalier, former Philadelphia 76ers cheerleader who also holds a Masters degree from the University of Pennsylvania where she studied citizen science. Darlene is a writer and senior adviser to Discover Magazine, as well as on the Steering Committee for Science Debate. Most importantly, she founded Science Cheerleaders to inspire generations of young women to become scientists.
I was psyched to hear judge Nina Garcia switch into Spanish in the first episode of Project Runway Season 8 on Lifetime. Casanova, one of season 8's competitors, wasn't quite understanding what host Heidi Klum was asking so Nina stepped right in to help out. Spanish is pretty rare in mainstream American television, particularly connected to design, so it really was great to see happen. Kudos for diversity in design! Reposted from Sustainable Sean.
In addition to being one of the most beloved poets of our day, Maya Angelou was also an accomplished educator, actress, and outspoken civil rights activist. In 1959 - at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.- Ms. Angelou became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She was the associate editor of "The Arab Observer" in Cairo, Egypt from 1961-1961 and feature editor of the "African Review" in Accra, Ghana 1964-1966. In 1973 she received a Tony nomination for "Look Away". In 1974 Ms. Angelou was appointed by Gerald Ford to the Bicentennial Commission and by Jimmy Carter to the Commission for International Woman of the Year. She received an Emmy nomination for "Roots" in 1977. at Bill Clinton's Presidential Inauguration in 1993 she recited "On the Pulse of Morning" and received Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for "On the Pulse of Morning" that same year. In 2005 she was honored by Oprah Winfrey at "Legends Ball" along with 25 other African-American women.
Future-ish added Maya Angelou to our PISA List in 2007.
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist and the Frederick P. Rose Director of Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). While visiting the Hayden Planetarium at age 9, Dr. Tyson relates that he was "called by the universe" to become an astrophysicist. He began lecturing on astronomy at 15, and later became editor-in-chief of the Bronx High School of Science's Physical Science Journal where he also captained the wrestling team. Dr. Tyson wrestled in college, along with rowing crew and excelling in dance styles including ballroom, jazz, and Afro-Carribean. A leading astrophysicist, Dr. Tyson's criticism of string theory due to it's over-reliance upon mathematical projections rather than testable hypotheses has made him quite controversial. Dr. Tyson also led the charge to downgrade Pluto to dwarf planet classification. Dr. Tyson has been very vocal on the topic of science and religion. Describing himself as being neither an atheist nor religious, his two Natural History Magazine essays The Perimeter of Ignoranceand Holy Wars have garnered much attention. Dr. Tyson appeared in the television show Big Bang Theory in 2010 and is a frequent guest on Comedy Central's Colbert Nation with Stephen Colbert.
Future-ish added Dr. Tyson to our PISA List in 2007.
Dr. Tyrone Hayes is a real life frog prince. A herpetologist and endochrinologist, Dr. Hayes has been fascinated with amphibians since he was a young child. Active in both lab and field research, much of Dr. Hayes' current work is in Eastern Africa and the Midwest focuses on how genes and hormones regulate developmental changes in amphibians.
Dr. Hayes' recent work is controversial, having identified that Atrazine, the world's number one selling herbicide and most common contaminant of ground and surface water, is an endocrine disruptor that both chemically castrates and feminizes amphibians, and is likely an important contributor to amphibian declines. Dr. Hayes' work has important ramifications since Atrazine is present and active in other vertebrate species, including humans, and likely increases the risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer. In addition to his scientific endeavors, Dr. Hayes works to educate policy makers and communities about the dangers of pesticide exposure. In particular, he is concerned about the adverse impacts of Atrazine on endangered species and on racial/ethnic minorities since ethnic minorities and people of low income are more likely to hold "unskilled" laborer positions in agriculture. Prostate and breast cancer are two of the top causes of death in Americans age 25-40, but in particular Black and Hispanic Americans are several times more likely to die from these diseases. Thus, Dr. Hayes sees not only an environmental and public health issue, but a racial/social justice issue as well.
Future-ish added Dr. Hayes to our PISA List in 2008.
