PHYSICS REPORT

“TOP 10 SCIENTISTS FROM

HONDURAS”
MR. ROBERTO MATUTE
ALEXANDRA GIRON
APRIL 9TH, 2019
11-A
LA CEIBA BILINGUAL SHOOL
 “TOP 10 HONDURAN
SCIENTISTS”
Honduras is a country that is known for its beautiful and natural places, but let’s
not forget about the 10 top researchers, who outstand for their abilities in a
recognizable level. The Zamorano faculty has been providing their best
education to their students who later became known, because according to
Google, their information has been cited a considerable amount of times.
Meaning that they made their highest effort to get where they are at , some of
them are known as: Dr. Juan Carlos Rosas, Dr. Salvador Moncada, Dr. Eric van
den Berghe, Dr. Oliver Komar, Dr. Jesus Orozco, Blanca Jeannette Kawas,
Mary Lorena Vallecillo Zúñiga, Mirna Marin, Karla Mossi, and Paola Oliva
Altamirano. However, these scientists made various contributions, besides
reaching Honduras name to the top and making the country feel proud for them.
One of them was even chosen to contribute with her knowledge in the NASA
Company. Blessed are those who have the right wisdom for becoming a well-
known scientist.
 Dr. Juan Carlos Posas

Dr. Juan Carlos Rosas teaches genetics and plant breeding. He has been a
leader in the Bean Research Program developing more than sixty varieties. He
offers more than a hundred and twenty-five publications in scientific journals,
chapters in books, memoirs of scientific meetings, textbooks, newsletters,
brochures and others. He is also a member form the Zamorano Faculty and is
specialized in Science and agriculture production. This man has been working
on the projects in Central America and the Caribbean for 30 years and was also
honored on November 6th, 2016 at the Zamorano Faculty with the naming of a
building to honor him and all the apportions he did during the time he was
studying in this place.

Dr. Salvador Moncada

He was born on December 3, 1944 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. His specialties

were in two areas; medicine and surgery. In 1971, he migrated to London to
study a doctorate in pharmacology at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, of
the Royal College of Surgeons, under the tutelage of Sir John Vane. He
returned to Honduras, after a short period of research at the University of
Honduras, he went to Welcome Research Laboratories, where he became
Director of Research, in 1986.
 Dr. Eric Van Den Berghe

Dr. Eric Van Den Berghe teaches Ecology and Coastal Management. His
research focuses on biological monitoring, biodiversity, animal behavior,
taxonomy, orchids and fish. All of his adventure began when he started to
collect insects during his childhood. This was the time he began to know better
himself and discovered he had a great passion for the area of Science.

Dr. Oliver Komar

Dr. Oliver Komar studied at the Zamorano Faculty and became a professor
there. This man teaches Natural Resources Management and Biodiversity. His
research area focuses on biodiversity, conservation biology, ecology and
ornithology. First he studied at Kanvas and then he migrated to Honduras in
2011. This man has coordinated activities funded by USAID, OAS, GEF, CBD,
UNDP, and IUCN.
 Dr. Jesus Orozco

Dr. Jesus Orozco teaches Entomology and is the curator responsible of

administrating, developing and improving the entomological collection of
ZAMORANO, which is the second largest in Central America with about
300,000 specimens. The research of this man focuses on taxonomy, monitoring
and diagnosis of agricultural, forest and urban pests, biodiversity and both
veterinary and human health. He studied at the Zamorano Faculty and was
acknowledge for his great accomplishments.

Jeannette Kawas

Jeannette Kawas started her studies at the Miguel Paz Barahona School and
earned her title of Expert Accountant and Certified Public Accountant in 1967,
after which she began working in financial institutions during the 1970s.
Between 1977 and 1979 she met and married Jim Watt, giving birth to two
children, Damaris and Jaime. Then she moved to New Orleans to study
computation. It started when she was at Honduras where she began to collect
seashells, rocks and started to like the sand and all that has to do with beaches.
 Mary Lorena Vallecillo Zuniga

Mary Lorena Vallecillo Zuniga is a woman who make Honduran citizens feel
proud for her recognitions in a worldwide level. She is definitely one of the most
famous scientists that Honduras has. A very humble woman, who was born in
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Her works are really appreciated in the United States
Of America. She is currently looking for the cure or anything that can help
people who are affected by muscular dystrophy.

Mirna Marin

Mirna Marin is a biologist and had a hard childhood. She earned money by
fixing and cleaning the shoes of her classmates. She graduated from the UNAH
faculty at Honduras. It was there, where she developed all of her skills and
became one of the best students in the university. Professors felt proud about
her and later began to get known for her academic grades and the knowledge
she shared.
 Karla Mossi

She is a great pride for Honduras and a compatriot who stands out in the
scientific area worldwide, is Karla Margarita Mossi, who is the director of the
Graduate Program in Mechanics and Nuclear Engineering of Virginia
Commonwealth University (VCU) in the United States. Her family is from
Intibuca, but she studied at Tegucigalpa. Later she migrated to Virginia to get
her doctorate and specialty on mechanics and nuclear engineering.

Paola Oliva Altamirano

She is an astrophysicist researcher who studied at Swinburne University of

Technology. After several years of studies, Paola Oliva, a professional
graduated from the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH), will
soon fulfill her goal of obtaining a PhD at the University of Swinburne in
Australia.
 SOURCES
 https://www.zamorano.edu/en/2017/01/18/zamorano-faculty-in-the-top-ten-of-
scientists-in-honduras/
 http://cetoniinae.blogspot.com/
 https://criterio.hn/2018/11/05/cientifica-hondurena-rechaza-ser-embajadora-marca-
pais-honduras/
 http://www.radioamerica.hn/mujeres-se-destacaron-historia-honduras/
 https://presencia.unah.edu.hn/noticias/estoy-a-un-paso-de-obtener-mi-doctorado-en-
astronomia-paola-oliva

CONCLUSION
After this research, I learned about scientists that Honduras raised. This
people, who stand out for their rare but extraordinary abilities, are a
proud to Honduras citizens. Some of them started form the very bottom
and worked really hard to accomplish their dreams and even to acquire
the recognition that they deserved. It is clear that, Honduras has very
good education in the area of Science but it is all about aiming and
searching to find the right one for you. Thanks to these scientists, who
will always be remembered, some other Hondurans will hopefully get
inspired by their works and eventually become scientists, researchers
and an example for the country an for the rest of the world.