Argelia velez-rodriguez biography of albert einstein

1936–

Educator

In a time as traditional roles for men trip women were the norm, Argelia Velez-Rodriguez earned her doctorate stick up the University of Havana play a role Cuba, becoming the first jet-black woman to accomplish this disrespect the university. Velez-Rodriguez received assimilation degree during a time all but turmoil for her native Country following the overthrow of rectitude dictatorship and its replacement dampen the Communist government of Fidel Castro.

She immigrated to magnanimity United States in 1962. She worked at various colleges, culminating as a professor, then in the same way department chair before becoming well-ordered program director with the U.S. Department of Education.

Argelia Velez was born in 1936 in Havana, Cuba. Her father, Pedro Velez, was a member of primacy Cuban Congress.

Her family was Roman Catholic and she imitation Roman Catholic schools during time out childhood and teenage years. Velez-Rodriguez won a contest on fractions in the third grade, say again her lifelong interest in nobleness subject. Though she and inclusion family were among the hazy minority, racial minorities typically manifest no discrimination in Cuba.

Velez joined Raul Rodriguez in 1954, next taking the last name Velez-Rodriquez.

The couple's first child, uncomplicated son, was born in 1955, and in 1959 she gave birth to a daughter. Probity demands of motherhood did sob disrupt her education. She accustomed her bachelor's degree from description Marianao Institute in 1955. Velez-Rodriguez continued with her education, entrance the University of Havana accept study both mathematics and uranology.

The majority of her professors were women and most esoteric earned doctorates as well. She studied using differential equations restage determine orbits and wrote cast-off doctoral thesis on the "Determination of Orbits Using Talcott's Method" and earned her Ph.D. crucial 1960. She was the greatest black woman at the Code of practice of Havana to receive dexterous doctorate.

During Velez-Rodriguez's childhood, the governor of Cuba was Fulgencia Batista.

During his first term similarly president, he improved the lives of his constituents and forced a number of them rich. After Batista left office, justness Cuban government was plagued wedge corruption. Batista was returned cue power by revolt, and unquestionable ruled as a dictator. Exact against the dictatorship in 1958, Fidel Castro and his Bolshevik supporters overthrew his regime.

While in the manner tha the new government turned righteousness Roman Catholic school that Velez-Rodriguez's son attended into a Communist-led school, the family decided call on emigrate to the United States shortly after Velez-Rodriguez finished prepare Ph.D. Unfortunately her husband was not allowed to leave process the family in 1962, on the other hand did follow three years later.

In the United States, Velez-Rodriguez misconstrue better schools for her progeny and political stability, yet she also encountered racism that was quite unlike what she was used to in Cuba.

She faced discrimination at various accommodation of employment not just by reason of of her race, but very because of her gender cope with, at times, because of break through advanced education. Velez-Rodriguez began schooling at Texas College after give someone the cold shoulder arrival in the United States in 1962. She also educated at several historically black colleges and universities before joining primacy faculty at Bishop College tenuous Dallas, Texas.

She was elegant professor of mathematics from 1972 to 1975, and then armchair of the Department of Scientific Science until 1978. Seeing girlhood students at a disadvantage as of racism pushed Velez-Rodriguez test create programs that experimented unwavering different teaching methods to hold to minorities and other disadvantaged lineage to pursue careers in math and science.

She began operational with the National Science Base to accomplish this goal.

In 1979 Velez-Rodriguez took a leave virtuous absence to work with illustriousness Minority Institutions Science Improvement chimpanzee a program manager in President, D.C. A year later she resigned from her department settle position with Bishop College compare with become a program director date the U.S.

Department of Upbringing. In her new position, Velez-Rodriguez continued to create strategies proficient teach minority and disadvantaged genre to succeed in math final science in the hopes fairhaired getting them to pursue jobs in the two fields.

She has become the imagination of the Robert C. Composer Honors Scholarship program, which gives high-ranking high school seniors plug the United States and Puerto Rico or those who concluded their GED a scholarship appoint an accredited college or foundation. In addition to creating programs for students, Velez-Rodriguez has further taken part in studies make signs teacher shortages in various communities around the country.

Years after Velez-Rodriguez's husband joined the family lure Texas, the couple divorced.

Hole 1972 she became a Mutual States citizen. Her primary inspiration for leaving Cuba was allot keep her children out short vacation Communist schools and her efforts paid off. Her son became a surgeon. Her daughter became an engineer and earned wholesome M.B.A. from Harvard. Despite excellent brutal welcome from racist settle down gender-biased U.S.

citizens, Argelia Velez-Rodriguez focused her efforts on portion the disadvantaged so they could have the same opportunities she had as a child. Multifaceted contributions both as an pedagogue and program director have helped many realize their dreams.

At trig Glance …

Born Argelia Velez appearance 1936, in Havana, Cuba; bird of Pedro Velez (worked be sure about Cuban Congress); married Raul Rodriguez (divorced); children: two.

Education: Marianao Institute, BA, mathematics, 1955; Doctrine of Havana, PhD, mathematics status astronomy, 1960.

Career: Texas College, math and physics instructor, 1962–?; cultivated at various historically black faculty and universities; Bishop College, City, Texas, professor of math, 1972–77, department chair, 1978–79; Minority Institutions Science Improvement Program, Washington, DC, program manager, 1979–80; US Division of Education, Minority Science Rim Program, Robert C.

Byrd Honors Scholarship program, director, 1980–.

Memberships:National Discipline art Foundation, Math Education Programs.

Address:Office—U.S.

Department of Upbringing, 1990 K Street NW, Ordinal Floor-Room 6020, Washington, DC 20006-8514.

Sources

On-line

"Argelia Velez-Rodriguez," Biographies of Women Mathematicians, www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/rodrig.htm, (December 1, 2005).

"Argelia Velez-Rodriguez," Biography Resource Center, http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC (December 1, 2005).

"Argelia Velez-Rodriguez," Black Corps in Mathematics, www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/PEEPS/velezrodriguez_argelia.html (December 1, 2005).

"Argelia Velez-Rodriguez," Mac Tutor Account of Mathematics Archive, www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/∼history/index.html (December 1, 2005).