(July 7, 2014) http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/ochoa.html, NASA. Photo by Desmond Boylan/Reuters RIGHT: Farmer Carlos Frachi invented a crop irrigation system using soda bottles. Spilling out of cafes and blasting from cars, music is a backdrop to daily life in Cuba. From groundbreaking biologists and physicists to innovators in the fields of medicine, botany, and environmental studies, here are 10 game-changing Hispanic scientists you should know about. About 1.7 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and about 600,000 are expected to die of it. It has been updated for 2021. Reed and his colleagues, who had been dispatched to Cuba to fight the disease that had killed so many soldiers during the Spanish-American War, helped Finlay improve his experiments and verified that the species now known as Aedes aegypti was indeed the culprit. (July 3, 2014) http://www.who.int/lep/situation/latestdata/en/, World Health Organization. (July 9, 2014) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892770/. Read more about Cuban inventions in How communism turned Cuba into an island of hackers and DIY engineers. (July 4, 2014) http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/60347/Baruj-Benacerraf, Encyclopedia Britannica. Note: The first person of Latin American origin in space was Cuba's Arnaldo Tamayo Mndez in 1980, as part of a team from the Soviet Union. Indeed, an Italian study found that Nimotuzumab, in combination with another drug and radiation treatment, appeared to induce a response with few side effects. Two years ago, the groups of people crowding Havanas parks and sidewalks with cell phones pressed to their faces didnt exist. These endeavors, combined with his contributions to cracking the Mixtec Codices, marked his best-known accomplishments in anthropology [sources: Anthropology News; Encyclopaedia Britannica; Gaillard; Smithsonian]. Reuters. Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. She became an astronaut in 1991 and flew four shuttle missions. 25. He sent the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean in 1901. Try this: Look around your classroom or home and find all the devices that use USB ports and technology. Cubans wait for the departure of a public bus built from a repurposed semi truck, commonly called ElCamello (The Camel). The cost, around $2 an hour, is prohibitive for locals, but enterprising Cubans have figured out how to divide them up to sell in smaller allotments. Monoclonal antibodies in the medicine attach to epidermal growth factor receptors on the surface of the cancer cell, thus preventing it from dividing and spreading the cancer. "Alfonso Caso y Andrade (1896 - 1970)." Cuba's once-grand colonial architecture is crumblingthe impact of decades of sanctions on its economy. Roswell Park is preparing for a clinical trial to test Racotumomab in multiple myeloma, and it's prepping VSSP for three trials -- two in kidney cancer and one in breast cancer. During his 75-year career, he received several honors, including Spain's Prince of Asturias Award and France's Legion of Honor. But that is just tip of the iceberg. As a teenager, Estefan's family fled the Cuban. Try this: Put your students to work with these fun assembly line classroom activities. Yellow fever was wiped out of Cuba as well as Panama, enabling engineers to finally complete the Panama Canal [sources: Haas; PBS; UVHSL]. "Carlos Finlay (1833-1915)." 65, no. 2006. 83, no. Before Google doodles, we honored important forgotten figures with postage stamps. Ruiz pays contacts in the U.S. to buy and bring the necessary technology to Havana. Try one of these kid-safe electricity experiments to follow in his footsteps. How a zoo break-in changed the life of an owl called Flaco, Naked mole rats are fertile until they die, study finds. Learn more: Thomas David Petite, Readworks. The following year, he and Felix Bloch pioneered measuring a neutron's magnetic moment, that is, its tendency to align with an applied magnetic field (an important clue that the neutrally charged particle is made of electrically charged fundamental particles). Try this: Watch this video to learn more about stem cells and their importance to modern medicine. He created the N95 respirator mask, which helps keep people safe against airborne viruses. She was nominated for the position by President Barack Obama. Read more about Cuban inventions in How communism turned Cuba into an island of hackers and DIY engineers. 1970. It is transmitted by sand fly bites [source: BBC; Encyclopaedia Britannica; Chinea]. Similar, yet worlds apart; that's this list in a nutshell. A car is rewired for a digital display in Havana. Multiple studies of different populations of people who have had their lower limbs amputated show that the procedure is linked to an increased risk of early death, suggesting either that surgery is a trauma many people don't survive, or that people who submit to this kind of amputation are some of the most vulnerable and at-risk patients in care. It's also trying to get clinical trials underway to replicate Cuban scientists findings, per U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations. Today, yellow fever afflicts roughly 200,000 and kills 30,000 people annually, mostly in African areas lacking vaccines. He invented a way to process and store blood plasma, eventually managing two of the largest blood banks during World War II. Subscribe to Here's the Deal, our politics newsletter. It has no known side effects, and the shot costs the Cuban government $1 to make. (July 3, 2014) http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1995/molina-lecture.pdf, Myrbck, Karl. Vol. Access to culture was a principal pillar of the communist system Fidel Castro installed in Cuba. Working against a wide-ranging embargo from the neighboring United States, Cubans have been getting along without many basic goods for half a century. Born in 1889 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Charles Terres Weymann would go on to become a leading light in coachwork technology, his designs featuring on many of the finest automobiles of his era. For each one, youll find resources for more information and hands-on activities to help kids learn more about their achievements. Known for: Kids may not give a lot of thought to cataracts, but they should still know about Dr. Bath. Try this: Check out the Hour of Code program to learn how kids of all ages can learn computer coding in fun and easy ways. Photos by Ernesto Oroza. Learn more: Thomas Jennings, Smithsonian Magazine. During that time, Finlay didnt give up on his research. With his robotics training, Fernndez has created a Roomba from scratch using processors brought into the country by his friends. He also served as rector of UNAM and director of the National Museum and of the National Institute of Anthropology and History [sources: Anthropology News; Encyclopaedia Britannica; Gaillard; Smithsonian]. Invented by scientists at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Havana, the treatment, which its creators describe as an epidermal growth factor, is injected near the affected area and can accelerate the skin's healing process, closing a wound safely over the course of about three months. Photo by Edel Rodriguez.Read more about Cuban inventions in How communism turned Cuba into an island of hackers and DIY engineers. She currently lives in Tampa, Florida where she often works on her back porch while taking frequent breaks for bird-watching and gardening. He was also inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007. May 13, 2014. The work earned him the 1995 Nobel Prize in chemistry, an honor he shared with Rowland and Paul J. Crutzen, a pioneer in studying nitrogen oxide effects on ozone destruction [sources: Crutzen; Nobel Prize; Nobel Prize]. Though he created the device, which allows scientist to examine living cells, in 1948, its still considered a crucial scientific tool to this day. What if we could clean them out? (July 7, 2014) http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs100/en/, Yandell, Kate. Try this: Experiment with the classic tin can telephone to learn more about how sound travels. History and Culture. Milstein was born to poor immigrant parents in Baha Blanca, Argentina, and attended the universities of Buenos Aires and Cambridge, where he earned his Ph.D. Mexican inventor Victor Ochoa was also a Mexican revolutionary. A new television covers the wall of an old home in Havana. Routledge. (July 3, 2014) http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1988/, Nobel Prize. Read more about Cuban inventions in How communism turned Cuba into an island of hackers and DIY engineers Lamps made from household items like glass jars and toothpaste tubes. He used and improved on the technology of the time to make the first commercial steamboats. Photo by Ernesto Oroza. 5. 1970. "All of these arcane rules and restrictions related to the embargo that are designed to block commerce with Cuba are keeping Americans from having access to these treatment opportunities," LaRame said. Though Jobs went on to become more well-known, he and Wozniak worked together to build the Apple I, the home computer that launched a revolution. LEFT: Cuban inventor Yolando Perez Baez demonstrates his engine-starting device which can work in the place of a starter motor-a component that frequently fails. onenote change background color; rolfe reflective model 2001 reference; tommy welch chicago fire actor; meath ireland pronunciation; texas railroad commission well search by operator (July 7, 2014) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/fever/peopleevents/p_finlay.html, PBS. Can we bring a species back from the brink? Eco-friendly burial alternatives, explained. She first served on a nine-day mission aboard the space shuttle Discovery, where she and a team of astronauts studied Earths ozone layer, then returned to space three more times, spending nearly 1000 hours in orbit. MP3 players and rear-facing cameras are common additions. Try this: Looking for a cool science fair idea? This was especially true in the case of the chemically inert chains of chlorine and fluorine atoms strapped to a carbon backbone known as chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Cuba may not have had the technology, but its had the drive for innovation. Read more about Cuban inventions in How communism turned Cuba into an island of hackers and DIY engineers. Since 2007, the most important method of distributing the Internet has been the El Paquete Semanalor, The Weekly Package. Surgery is the primary way to treat most head and neck tumors, but these procedures can severely affect people's ability to chew, swallow or talk. Learn more: Our Dad Invented the N95 Mask. Invention/discovery . All Rights Reserved. Deardoff)." (July 7, 2014) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/iub.1031/pdf, PBS. Known for: While kids may not know Baers name, theyre sure to love his accomplishments. 1: Franklin Chang-Daz (1950-) and Ellen Ochoa (1958-), Anthropology News. From illegally installing rooftop radio antennas to record American music to hotwiring antique cars, Cubans are ingenious at figuring out workarounds to barriers that would otherwise keep them decades behind their neighbors. He became an American citizen in 1977. Vol. The trade embargo is holding up research in some crucial areas. The VSSP research is so preliminary that Cuban scientists' documents still have to be translated from Spanish into English, says Dr. Kelvin Lee, chair of Roswell Park's department of immunology. Known for: Do you have a home security system? In 2012, she was named JSC director -- the first Hispanic person and second woman to do so [sources: NASA; NASA]. Top 100 famous female inventors in history 1. 6. Their Cinmatographe was a three-in-one machine that could record, develop, and project films for an audience. Known for: Though hes often said to have invented peanut butter, Carvers many achievements didnt actually include that popular product. Travis Daub Fidel died in late 2016, and now Cubans are watching to see what further technological advances will arrive on the island. Try this: With a few basic supplies, you can experiment with dry cleaning at home. The drugs Cetuximab and Panitumumab, which are in the same class as Nimotuzumab but are available in the U.S., can cause unsightly and unpleasant acne-like rashes, while international reports about Nimotuzumab suggest its incidence of rash is a lot lower. Try this: Understand more about the anatomy of the eye by building a 3D human eye model. Learn more: Taking Flight With the Wright Brothers. Many of his other inventions were focused on helping the deaf, sparked by his desire to help his wife Mabel, who lost her hearing at the age of five. 64, no. And while they definitely belong on this list, theyre just the start of the innovators and inventors that kids ought to know. When the one-hour Internet cards sold at hotspots were prohibitively expensive (theyre more than $2double the average daily wage), savvy entrepreneurs started divvying them up and selling shorter, slower allotments. Read more about Cuban inventions in How communism turned Cuba into an island of hackers and DIY engineers, Lamps made from household items like glass jars and toothpaste tubes. Brilliant, bold, and brave, his inventions revolutionised the industry and changed the face of commercial cars forever . Known for: Woz and Jobs are two of the most famous inventors of the 20th century. The man credited with one of the most important Mesoamerican discoveries in history started out lecturing on legal philosophy. The New York Times. Sure, politicized scientific issues like global climate change might instigate rancorous debate, but this smoke, though toxic in its own way, is nothing compared to the fire under which teachers, intellectuals and scientists have lived during many authoritarian regimes. Shortly after taking power, he legalized private home computers, mobile phones, and DVD players. 268. Gaillard, Gerald. Born in New York City in 1929, Puerto Rican-American pediatrician and healthcare advocate Helen Rodrguez Tras helped improve access to public health services for women and children in both the United States and Puerto Rico. The new year once started in Marchhere's why, Jimmy Carter on the greatest challenges of the 21st century, This ancient Greek warship ruled the Mediterranean, How cosmic rays helped find a tunnel in Egypt's Great Pyramid, Who first rode horses? famous cuban inventors Jan Matejko (1838-1893): He was a famous history painter and portrait painter. Convit also developed a vaccination against leishmaniasis, a protozoal skin disease linked to poverty and malnutrition. He became an astronaut in 1981, served as in-orbit capsule communicator (CAPCOM) during the first Spacelab flight, and flew seven space shuttle missions. Read more about Cuban inventions in How communism turned Cuba into an island of hackers and DIY engineers. Learn more: The Lumire Brothers, Pioneers of Cinema. When uncontrolled diabetes causes nerve and blood vessel damage in a persons foot, it can lead to one of the most debilitating complications of the disease: the development of foot ulcers -- deep, red sores that can penetrate to the bone. She went on to become the first Black female millionaire in the U.S. "10 Hispanic Scientists You Should Know" Learn more: Alexander Graham Bell (Brittanica). This list may not reflect recent changes . Salsa and ballet have long been staples of Cuban culture, but other dance forms are arriving. (July 4, 2014) http://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/02/obituaries/luis-w-alvarez-nobel-physicist-who-explored-atom-dies-at-77.html, The Telegraph (UK). Top 100 Famous inventions and their inventors 3 years ago Salil Ahuja . Known for: At a time when most Black men in the United States were slaves, Jennings was born free in New York City. 2004. Jenny Marder is a senior science writer for NASA and a freelance journalist. She's also done training and curriculum design for a financial institution and been a science museum educator. Try this: Make your own shampoo and test how it performs. (July 7, 2014) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1388825/Cesar-Milstein.html, USA Science & Engineering Festival. (July 4, 2014) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/an.1971.12.4.3.4/pdf, BBC. Jan. 1, 2013. In Cuba, theres hope that loosening restrictions will help it catch up with the 21st century. Childrens toys built from glue bottles and plastic bottle caps. In 2015, Cuba opened up dozens of wifi zones across Havana. This makes finding one "cure" difficult, if not impossible. Countries of origin include: Argentina, Cuba, Spain, United States and Venezuela. Currently a faculty member at the Institute for Advanced Studies, he has been awarded the Fundamental Physics Prize (2012) and appeared on the Einsteins Dream episode of PBSs Big Ideas. Ascertaining the genetic basis of this major histocompatibility complex, or MHC, earned Baruj Benacerraf the 1980 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine and advanced our understanding of immune response and autoimmune diseases (such as multiple sclerosis) by leaps and bounds. Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine. Learn more: Grace Murray HopperA Legacy of Innovation and Service. As economic and diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba continue to normalize, here's hoping that these promising Cuban medical treatments can be investigated fully in the U.S. Americans have been waiting long enough. Adalberto Alvarez. The Alvarezes postulated that a giant asteroid or comet hit Earth millions of years ago, causing mass extinctions. "Luis Alvarez: 1911-1988." His finding further enabled him to define five major phases of the ancient capital's history, beginning in the 8th century B.C.E., that lined up with the history of other sites. Known for: Every time you plug your phone in to charge or attach a component to your laptop, you can thank Ajay Bhatt for inventing USB technology. To tackle the task, Alvarez developed his own bubble chamber, camera stabilizers and a computerized system for analyzing bubble photographs. Bernardo Alberto Houssay was barely out of puberty himself when he began researching the pituitary gland, but then he was always a bit of a prodigy: The intelligence that helped him stand out from his seven siblings had previously earned him a spot in pharmacy school at age 14. Chang-Daz was born in San Jos, Costa Rica, and earned his doctorate in Applied Plasma Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). On the Dec. 12 episode of Sundial we are remembering the father of the ventanitas, Felipe Valls Sr. the inventor of the Miami coffee window and founder of arguably the most famous Cuban . (July 4, 2014) http://www.dailycal.org/2014/06/17/frank-asaro-uc-berkeley-nuclear-chemist-dies-age-86/, Milstein, Csar. "If people knew about these cutting-edge treatments coming out of Cuba, people would want to have them," said Pierre LaRame, executive director of the Oakland-based Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba, which advocates for Cuban medical inventions in the U.S. and publishes an international, peer-reviewed journal focusing on Cuban health and medicine. She invented the first compiler, a program that translates programming code to machine language. Even before a reliable Internet connection, Cubans had created their own versions of Craigslist, Yelp, and eBay. According to an article in the Harvard International Review, the country invests 1.17 percent of its GDP in technological researchmore than the U.S. and on the same level with Israel. Celia Cruz The most popular Latin musical artist of the 20th century was born in Havana, Cuba but spent most of her life in the United States. Theater and dance were given to the masses for almost nothing. Learn more: Ann Tsukamoto, Necessity is the Mother of Invention. "Award Ceremony Speech: Luis Alvarez." Students who studied technology, like 34-year-old Yusnier Fernndez, find ways to put their skills to use. Please be respectful of copyright. The first, a child of Spanish immigrants, spent his life in his homeland and dedicated himself to the treatment of leprosy there; the second, born of Spanish Moroccan and French Moroccan parents, spent his formative years in Paris and most of his life in America, and studied the genetic causes of autoimmune diseases. After discovering a love of ancient regional architecture and writing systems, the Mexico City native began taking classes in anthropology. (July 4, 2010) http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1980/speedread.html, Parodi, Armando. Try this: Follow Bill Nyes lead and try this candle-extinguishing experiment to learn how effective face masks are. Ted Cruz is the first Hispanic-American to serve as U.S. To wit: Mark Cuban. With fans that include Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, Steve Gadd, Taj Mahal and Quincy Jones, Martinez is the world's first-call rumbero, and a consummate master of Afro-Cuban folkloric music and. These drugs aren't as fully developed as CimaVax, says Lee, but they appear to have great potential. newsletter for analysis you wont find anywhereelse. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Houssay performed research in circulation, respiration, immunity, the nervous system, digestion and the treatment of insect and snake bites. Copyright 2021. The most promising change yet came Tuesday, when the Obama administration announced that American dollars will now be usable in financial transactions in Cuba. Perhaps theyll be inspired to become famous inventors themselves! Heres why each season begins twice. 15 Famous Cuban-Americans Gloria Estefan Born in Havana, Estefan is arguably Cuba's most famous singer. The pair have attracted devoted fans that follow their shows across Havana. Now, with new technology coming into the country, these old cars are being revamped with mini-DVD players and stereo systems that blast out oldies in Spanish and the latest American pop. For decades, Cuba has been closed off to technology. famous cuban inventions. Jenny Marder. But over the years, scientists have developed a variety of different treatments that can transform cancer into a chronic, survivable condition. The island nation, hemmed in by a 54-year trade embargo with the U.S., cant exchange goods with one of the worlds largest economies and the largest medical market. "Johnson Space Center Director Dr. Ellen Ochoa." Photograph by Greg Kahn, National Geographic, Photographs by Greg Kahn, National Geographic. Try this: Assemble a homemade pulley system to mimic Jeffersons dumbwaiter. Known for: Over the last year or so, Tsais invention has suddenly become world-famous. All rights reserved. Physicists had already constructed cloud chambers and bubble chambers, which spotted speeding, charged particles via condensing vapor or boiling liquid. Try this: Check out this video to learn more about the Smart Grid and how its used. Carlos Juan Finlay, the Cuban physician who first linked yellow fever to mosquitoes in 1881, has received both tributes. Clockwise from left, in the photos above, the motors have been repurposed as coconut shredder, a key duplicator, a grinding wheel, and a shoe repair tool. Perhaps the most well-known Cuban innovation is the vaccine CimaVax. Known for: If youre reading this right now, thank Tim Berners-Lee. Caso's exploration of early Oaxacan cultures led him to the monumental discovery and excavation of Tomb Seven at Monte Albn. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Page 3. Rum And Coke Rum and coke, also known as Cuba Libre, was invented after Cuba gained independence after the Spanish-American War. Bernardo Houssay -- Biographical." On the rooftop of Flauta Magica bar and restaurant, DJ Joan Coffigny spins deep house music. March 2014. Andy Ruiz is one of the first to produce 360-degree video in Cuba. "Jacinto Convit." Aug. 08 2001. "J. Luis Federico Leloir, or How to Do Good Science in a Hostile Environment." This article aims to delve into important inventions and their inventors from the perspective of the SSC CGL/CHSL and Banking examinations. Cuba's masters of invention Cuban Raul Hernandez speaks to reporters about what he considers the smallest cows in the world. . Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton are known as the greatest scientists of all time. 12, no. Find out how to build your own Da Vinci-style ornithopter with household items. He also developed Morse Code: a system of dots and dashes used to send these messages. VSSP, originally designed as a compound to help boost the immune response to vaccines, also appears to enhance the anti-cancer immune response. Photograph by. (July 4, 2014) http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/18131/Luis-W-Alvarez, Frierson, J. Gordon. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Though grouping such a diverse collection of people under a single rubric -- particularly the politically expedient but dubious term Hispanic isn't ideal, it does make room to explore their wide-ranging array of backgrounds and accomplishments. She invented the Laserphaco Pro probe, which revolutionized cataract surgery.