In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships is recognizing a few of the exceptional researchers who are making a difference at OU and beyond.
Victor Maqque, managing director of OU’s Latin America Sustainability Initiative, is leading the program’s efforts to connect universities, companies, research institutions, non-profit organizations, and government entities to identify sustainable development challenges and build interdisciplinary, inclusive teams to work on solutions that improve human well-being and the environments in which we live.
Carol Silva, codirector of OU’s Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, can trace her family’s history to southern New Mexico, long before the land became a state. What Hispanic Heritage Month means to her comes through the lens of a family who did not immigrate to the United States, but who lived where the political borders shifted around them.
Maggie León-Corwin, a postdoctoral researcher studying human-environment interactions, says Hispanic Heritage Month provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the challenges and opportunities that exist, particularly in academia.
Javier Jo, a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Gallogly College of Engineering, grew up in Lima, Peru. Through his expertise in optical imaging, he maintains collaborative research efforts with colleagues in Latin America.
Karelia La Marca Molina, a doctoral candidate in geophysics, is studying how to characterize oil, gas, and geothermal resource reservoirs for energy. “One of…the biggest responsibilities for a Latina in STEM is to prove people that you are smart enough, that you are strong enough and courageous enough to basically get that degree, and show that you are capable of those things by excelling in every project or aspect that you want to tackle…it represents for women in STEM to set the basis or the stepping stone for other people to look up and feel that they can follow the same pathway.”
