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= **Spanish Essay:** =

In history there have been many famous scientists, and they have all made great contributions to society. Many of these scientists however weren’t just scientists they were Spanish scientists. This doesn’t mean that their discoveries and breakthroughs are better or worse than any other scientist’s, but it does mean that their discoveries represent the millions of people who also call themselves Spanish. And if that isn’t something to be proud of, then nothing is. You will be reading about one scientist in particular, and her name is Isabel Pérez Farfante. She was a great scientist who helped make breakthroughs in the world of marine biology. Today you will read about Isabel’s early life, her career as a scientist, and, finally, about here contributions to the scientific community.

Isabel Pérez Farfante was born July 24, 1916 in Havana, Cuba. She grew up in Cuba but moved to Asturias, Spain to attend high school since her parents were originally from Spain. Then she attended the college Central de Madrid only to return to Cuba before she could graduate. She then finished here bachelor in science at La Universidad de Habana in the year 1938 (Bauer). After graduating she married her husband Gerardo Canet Alvarez. After that, Isabel attended Radcliffe College in Massachusetts. Then in 1944 she received her masters in biology from Radcliffe followed by her Ph.D. This was a significant milestone in her life for a few reasons. First this was significant because she became one of the first women to attend Harvard University and she was the first Cuban woman to obtain her doctoral degree form an Ivy League school. This was the first of many great milestones Isabel would make throughout her life ("Isabel Perez Farfante").

After graduating Radcliffe Isabel returned to Cuba. Upon return she served as a full professor at the University of Havana until 1960. Shortly after Isabel and her husband were placed on the Cuban blacklist after her husband didn’t accept a job offer from the government when Fidel Castro had recently risen to power. Her and her family then fled back to America. Isabel then found work at the Museum of Comparative Zoology working as the associate in invertebrate zoology from 1961 until 1969 ("Isabel Perez Farfante"). She then began working at the Crustacean division at the National Museum of Natural History. Finally, Isabel worked at the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, National Systematics Laboratory until her retirement in 1986 **(**"SIA Acc. 07-134”). Isabel retired in Florida until her death August 20, 2009 at age 93.

Throughout Isabel’s life she hit many milestones many of which find their roots in science. Isabel, as a scientist focused mainly on crustaceans, and in 1950 she began to publish books and papers on her research (Bauer). More specifically Isabel studied the systematics of penaeid shrimp. She then began focusing on commercial shrimp. Isabel finally made a breakthrough when She discovered large shrimp populations in the Gulf of Batabano and Isla de la Juventud. In the U.S. under the United States Fish and Wildlife Service she researched shrimp from shrimp farms from 1961 to 1962. During this time she focused on reproductive morphology penaeid shrimp. While at the National Museum of Natural History she completed her "masterpiece," "Penaeoid and Sergestoid Shrimps and Prawns of the World. Keys and Diagnoses for the Families and Genera," alongside Brian Kensley and illustrator Molly Kelly Bryan ("Isabel Perez Farfante"). This is a book that Isabel wrote on penaeid shrimp that was so in depth it became the standard on shrimp and it is still used alongside other books today.

Now you know Isabel Pérez Farfante’s whole story from start to finish. You now know how even when faced with tough times Isabel followed her dreams of becoming a scientist, you know how once she achieved her goal she gave back to the world in tremendous ways, and, finally, you know all about her contributions to the science community. So now you understand why millions of people across the world take pride whenever think about all the Hispanic scientists there are. Hopefully, you to will appreciate the great men and women that are the Hispanic scientists of the world.


 * Works Cited List: **

Bauer, Raymond T. //Journal of Crustacean Biology. a Quarterly of the Crustacean Society for the Publication of Research on Any Aspect of the Biology of Crustacea//. 2nd ed. Vol. 30. Lawrence, Kan.: Allen, 2000. Print. Ser. 2010.

[|http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~rtb6933/shrimp/Obituary_Isabel_Perez_Farfante.pdf]
 * This is a reputable digital book because it comes directly from the Department of Biology at the University of Louisiana.

"Isabel Perez Farfante." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Aug. 2014. Web. 01 May 2014. [|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_Perez_Farfante]


 * This is a reputable site because it gets its information from references including the National Marine Fisheries Service, as well as a book written by Isabel Pérez Farfante herself.

"SIA Acc. 07-134, United States National Marine Fisheries Service, National Systematics Laboratory Records, 1955-1994." Smithsonian Institution Archives. United States, National Marine Fisheries Service, n.d. Web. 01 May 2014. []
 * This is a reputable site because it is a part of the United States National Marine Fisheries Service, archives.