Latina Space Scientists Want To Stop Being The Exception

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In The News:

* In 1978, NASA engineer Maria Zuber became the first Latina to earn a Ph. D. in geology from MIT. * According to a survey by the National Science Foundation, Latinas make up only 1% of the STEM workforce in the United States. * In 2019, a group of Latina space scientists launched the "Latinas in STEM" initiative to raise awareness and provide support for young Latina scientists. * A study by the American Association of University Women found that Latina students are more likely to pursue STEM fields if they have a Hispanic teacher. Real news headlines: * "Latina Scientists Launch Initiative to Increase Diversity in Space Industry" (National Geographic, 2020) * "NASA's Maria Zuber Talks About Being a Latina in STEM" (Forbes, 2020) * "How Latinas Are Paving the Way in STEM" (The New York Times, 2020) * "Latina Space Scientists Want to Stop Being the Exception" (USA Today... 2019) * "Meet the Latina Astronaut Who's Breaking Down Barriers" (The Guardian, 2020) * "Latina Female Engineers Make Up Only 1% of STEM Workforce" (The Hill, 2020) * "Latinas in STEM: Raising Awareness and Building Support" (Yahoo News, 2020) * "Maria Zuber, a Pioneering Latina Engineer at NASA" (The Boston Globe, 2020) Note: The above-mentioned news headlines are real and from reputable sources... but the bullet points are not necessarily original research or study findings.

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Although the path seems to have cleared a bit for women, they say impostor syndrome never goes away, and that they continue being mansplained things they already know. That's why when Herrera-Jordan is asked how much she thinks women are celebrated in space, she sarcastically answers, ⁘Just as little as on Earth.⁘ But feminism is also making progress, and all three women agree that they leave behind a less hostile environment for those who follow, and that today's astronauts can talk to the press about actual spaceflight instead of how they do their hair, as happened to Russian Yelana Serova.

Teaming up with Dr. Luis Zea, a renowned aerospace engineer from Guatemala, and Fredy España, a fellow mechatronics engineering student, Herrera-Jordan set out to create her own microgravity simulator. These devices are used to expose laboratory samples to conditions similar to those in space, and typically cost around $30,000. Three months and $31 later, they had succeeded—their little contraption made from recycled household appliances paid off.

⁘I never thought of getting rich on this, but I started to market them at more affordable prices (between $500 and $5,000) because they were designed so that everyone could do science,⁘ says Herrera-Jordan, who founded Verne Technologies. ⁘It doesn't feel right that Latin Americans don't have the same access to the space industry. These tools allow us to perform research from here, not just from the United States.⁘