Oct 03, 2021
Dr. María de los Ángeles Alvariño González's 105th Birthday
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates the 105th birthday of Spanish-American professor and marine research biologist Dr. María de los Ángeles Alvariño González, who is widely regarded as one of the most important Spanish scientists of all time.
María de los Ángeles Alvariño González was born on this day in 1916 in Serantes, a small coastal town in northern Spain’s Galician coast. Ángeles Alvariño’s love of natural history began with her father’s library and deepened as she pursued coastline oceanography research. Although the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) only accepted men at the time, Ángeles Alvariño’s university work impressed the organization that they appointed her as a marine biologist in 1952.
At IEO’s Vigo Oceanographic Center, she began her pioneering research on zooplankton, tiny organisms that serve as the foundation of the oceanic food chain and identified some species to be the best indicators of ocean health. In 1953, the British Council awarded Ángeles Alvariño a fellowship that resulted in her becoming the first woman to work as a scientist aboard a British research vessel. Following several expeditions, she furthered her studies in the U.S., where she retired as one of the world’s most prestigious marine biologists in 1987.
In addition to Ángeles Alvariño’s rigorous research, including the discovery of 22 new species of zooplankton and the publication of over 100 scientific papers, she held professorships in Brazil, the U.S., and Mexico. Today, Ángeles Alvariño is the only Spanish scientist of 1,000 in the “Encyclopedia of World Scientists,” and a modern research vessel in IEO’s fleet bears her name.
Happy birthday, Dr. María de los Ángeles Alvariño González!
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