Miriam Rodon-Naveira
Encyclopedia
Dr. Miriam Rodón-Naveira, Ph. D., is a Puerto Rican
scientist
. She was the first Hispanic
woman to hold the Deputy Directorship for the Environmental Sciences Division within the National Exposure Research Laboratory
. She is now responsible for developing, coordinating and maintaining research and educational activities in support of NASA
's Dryden Flight Research Center
mission. She holds a doctorate
in Biology
-Aquatic
Microbial Ecology
.
, where she was raised and received both her primary and secondary education. After graduating from high school, she continued her academic education at Georgetown University
, Washington D.C. where she earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology
. She then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Biology-Aquatic Microbial Ecology at the same university.
In 1990, Rodón-Naveira worked with the United States Environmental Protection Agency
as Biologist
, Project Officer, and Environmental Research Scientist. In 1995, she became the first woman minority Branch Chief within the National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) and in 1998, the first Hispanic woman to hold the Deputy Directorship for the Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) within the NERL.
. Her responsibilities included coordinating and conducting research to enhance collaboration between Directorates within DFRC, NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California, universities, Indian tribes and other governments and international entities; all in support of the integrated use of remote sensing instruments.
Rodón-Naveira was involved with the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) developmental activities within NASA DFRC Aerospace Projects Directorate. As Science Lead, she was responsible for developing collaborative partnership with the scientific community for the potential use of UAVs as unique science platforms in long-duration, long-range, and high-hazard missions.
Rodón-Naveira is currently the Senior Physical Sciences Technical Manager at NASA, responsible for developing, coordinating and maintaining research and educational activities in support of NASA DFRC mission.
(formerly "Miriam Naveira de Rodón"). She participates in "institutional career days" providing information to students on careers related to science, engineering and technology; as well as participates in NASA educational workshops giving talks and hands-on demonstration projects, such as the Earth-to-space linkup, to schools in the area of aeronautics
and earth science
.
The Earth-to-space linkup is part of a weeklong training workshop for teachers from schools chosen for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Explorer School program. The workshop's goal is to help math and science teachers inspire the next generation of scientists and explorers of space. According to Rodón-Naveira:
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
. She was the first Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
woman to hold the Deputy Directorship for the Environmental Sciences Division within the National Exposure Research Laboratory
National Exposure Research Laboratory
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Exposure Research Laboratory is a national laboratory that conducts research and development to find improved methods, measurements, and models to assess and predict exposures of humans and ecosystems to pollutants and other conditions in air,...
. She is now responsible for developing, coordinating and maintaining research and educational activities in support of 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...
's Dryden Flight Research Center
Dryden Flight Research Center
The Dryden Flight Research Center , located inside Edwards Air Force Base, is an aeronautical research center operated by NASA. On March 26, 1976 it was named in honor of the late Hugh L. Dryden, a prominent aeronautical engineer who at the time of his death in 1965 was NASA's deputy administrator...
mission. She holds a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
-Aquatic
Aquatic ecosystem
An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem in a body of water. Communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems....
Microbial Ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
.
Early years
Rodón-Naveira was born in San Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, where she was raised and received both her primary and secondary education. After graduating from high school, she continued her academic education at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, Washington D.C. where she earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
. She then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Biology-Aquatic Microbial Ecology at the same university.
In 1990, Rodón-Naveira worked with the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
as Biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
, Project Officer, and Environmental Research Scientist. In 1995, she became the first woman minority Branch Chief within the National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) and in 1998, the first Hispanic woman to hold the Deputy Directorship for the Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) within the NERL.
Career at NASA
In December 2000, NASA offered Rodón-Naveira the position of Earth Science Remote Sensing Scientist at Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, CaliforniaEdwards, California
Edwards is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California.It is located east-southeast of Mojave, at an elevation of 2356 feet ....
. Her responsibilities included coordinating and conducting research to enhance collaboration between Directorates within DFRC, NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California, universities, Indian tribes and other governments and international entities; all in support of the integrated use of remote sensing instruments.
Rodón-Naveira was involved with the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) developmental activities within NASA DFRC Aerospace Projects Directorate. As Science Lead, she was responsible for developing collaborative partnership with the scientific community for the potential use of UAVs as unique science platforms in long-duration, long-range, and high-hazard missions.
Rodón-Naveira is currently the Senior Physical Sciences Technical Manager at NASA, responsible for developing, coordinating and maintaining research and educational activities in support of NASA DFRC mission.
Personal life
Rodón-Naveira, who is married and has a daughter and a son, is the daughter of Puerto Rico's first female Chief Justice, Miriam NaveiraMiriam Naveira
Miriam Naveira Merly is a Puerto Rican jurist who served in the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico from 1985 to 2004. Naveira was the first female ever to serve on the court as well as the only female Chief Justice .-Biography:Naveira was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1934...
(formerly "Miriam Naveira de Rodón"). She participates in "institutional career days" providing information to students on careers related to science, engineering and technology; as well as participates in NASA educational workshops giving talks and hands-on demonstration projects, such as the Earth-to-space linkup, to schools in the area of aeronautics
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
and earth science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
.
The Earth-to-space linkup is part of a weeklong training workshop for teachers from schools chosen for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Explorer School program. The workshop's goal is to help math and science teachers inspire the next generation of scientists and explorers of space. According to Rodón-Naveira:
"What better way than to have our teachers who are currently going through the workshop with us ... be able to ask questions of our astronauts in the International Space Station?"
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican scientists and inventors
- List of Puerto Ricans in the United States Space Program