A Memorable Latin American Scientist and Citizen of the World
Dr. Humberto Fernández-Morán at work.
Here's a time line of Dr. Fernandez's life:
February 18, 1924, Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela.
1936, he started elementary school at the Colegio Alemán de Maracaibo.
1944, he was graduated summa cum laude on University of Munich.
1948-1952, he contributed to the development of the electron microscope and was the first person to use the concept of cryo-ultramicrotomy.
1953, he published a research article titled "The diamond blade for ultrathin sectioning"
1954, he invented the diamond scalpel.
1957, he founded the Venezuelan Institute for Neurological and Brain Studies (IVNIC).
1958, he was appointed as Minister of Science during the last year of the regime of Gen. Marcos Pérez Jiménez.
1960-1970, he worked as a key scientist with NASA for the “Apollo Mission”.
1960-1970, he and taught in some American universities, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Chicago, and later on, at the University of Stockholm, in Sweden.
1986, he donated a collection of his papers to the Universidad del Zulia (LUZ).
March 17, 1999, he died at the age of 75 in Stockholm, Sweden.
Humberto Fernández-Morán was not only a memorable Latin American scientist but also a citizen of the world. But as the old saying states: “No man is a prophet in his own land”.
If you have time, you should read more about this incredible human being on his
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