Humberto Fernández Morán
Encyclopedia
Humberto Fernández-Morán Villalobos (February 18, 1924 March 17, 1999) was a Venezuelan research scientist born in Maracaibo
, Venezuela
, renowned for inventing the diamond knife, significantly advancing the development of electromagnetic lenses for electron microscopy based on superconducting technology, and many other scientific contributions. A quick review of his oft-cited peer-reviewed publications in journals of science shows a wide range of scientific research interests, from elucidating mitochondrial membrane structure to compositional analyses of lunar rock obtained in the course NASA's Apollo missions.
Dr. Fernández-Morán founded the Venezuelan Institute for Neurological and Brain Studies, the predecessor of the current Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (IVIC). He studied medicine at the University of Munich, where he graduated Summa cum Laude in 1944. He contributed to the development of the electron microscope
and was the first person to use the concept of cryo-ultramicrotomy. After flying over Angel Falls in his home country of Venezuela
he was inspired by the concept of the smoothly reoccurring flow system inherent in a waterfall to take his diamond knife invention and combine it with an ultramicrotome to dramatically improve the ultra-thin sectioning of electron microscopy samples. The ultramictrotome advances the rotating, drum-mounted specimen sample in such small increments (utilizing the very low thermal expansion coefficient of Invar
) past the stationary diamond knife that sectioning thicknesses of several Angstrom units are possible. He also helped to advance the field of electron cryomicroscopy - the use of superconductive electromagnetic lenses cooled with liquid helium in electron microscopes to achieve the highest resolution possible - among many other research topics.
He was appointed minister of Science during the last year of the regime of Marcos Pérez Jiménez
and was forced to leave Venezuela
when the dictatorship was overthrown in 1958. He worked with NASA
for the Apollo Project and taught in many universities, such as MIT, University of Chicago
and the University of Stockholm.
In the United States he was proposed to be nominated for the Nobel Prize
, which he rejected because to be nominated he would have had to accept American citizenship, which he refused, wanting to maintain his Venezuelan nationality.
His wife Anna was Swedish and together they had two daughters, Brigida Elena and Veronica.
The body of Dr. Humberto Fernández-Morán Villalobos was cremated and his ashes rest today in his second homeland, Stockholm
, Sweden.
Maracaibo
Maracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, renowned for inventing the diamond knife, significantly advancing the development of electromagnetic lenses for electron microscopy based on superconducting technology, and many other scientific contributions. A quick review of his oft-cited peer-reviewed publications in journals of science shows a wide range of scientific research interests, from elucidating mitochondrial membrane structure to compositional analyses of lunar rock obtained in the course NASA's Apollo missions.
Dr. Fernández-Morán founded the Venezuelan Institute for Neurological and Brain Studies, the predecessor of the current Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (IVIC). He studied medicine at the University of Munich, where he graduated Summa cum Laude in 1944. He contributed to the development of the electron microscope
Electron microscope
An electron microscope is a type of microscope that uses a beam of electrons to illuminate the specimen and produce a magnified image. Electron microscopes have a greater resolving power than a light-powered optical microscope, because electrons have wavelengths about 100,000 times shorter than...
and was the first person to use the concept of cryo-ultramicrotomy. After flying over Angel Falls in his home country of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
he was inspired by the concept of the smoothly reoccurring flow system inherent in a waterfall to take his diamond knife invention and combine it with an ultramicrotome to dramatically improve the ultra-thin sectioning of electron microscopy samples. The ultramictrotome advances the rotating, drum-mounted specimen sample in such small increments (utilizing the very low thermal expansion coefficient of Invar
Invar
Invar, also known generically as FeNi36 , is a nickel steel alloy notable for its uniquely low coefficient of thermal expansion . The name, Invar, comes from the word invariable, referring to its lack of expansion or contraction with temperature changes.It was invented in 1896 by Swiss scientist...
) past the stationary diamond knife that sectioning thicknesses of several Angstrom units are possible. He also helped to advance the field of electron cryomicroscopy - the use of superconductive electromagnetic lenses cooled with liquid helium in electron microscopes to achieve the highest resolution possible - among many other research topics.
He was appointed minister of Science during the last year of the regime of Marcos Pérez Jiménez
Marcos Pérez Jiménez
Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez was a soldier and Presidents of Venezuela from 1952 to 1958.-Career:Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez was born in Michelena, Táchira State. His father, Juan Pérez Bustamante, was a farmer; his mother, Adela Jiménez, a schoolteacher...
and was forced to leave Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
when the dictatorship was overthrown in 1958. He worked with NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
for the Apollo Project and taught in many universities, such as MIT, University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and the University of Stockholm.
In the United States he was proposed to be nominated for the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
, which he rejected because to be nominated he would have had to accept American citizenship, which he refused, wanting to maintain his Venezuelan nationality.
His wife Anna was Swedish and together they had two daughters, Brigida Elena and Veronica.
The body of Dr. Humberto Fernández-Morán Villalobos was cremated and his ashes rest today in his second homeland, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden.
Awards and honors
- 1967, the John Scott AwardJohn Scott AwardThe John Scott Legacy Medal and Premium, created in 1816, is a medal presented to men and women whose inventions improved the "comfort, welfare, and happiness of human kind" in a significant way...
, for his invention of the diamond scalpel. - Order of the Polar StarOrder of the Polar StarThe Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....