Some people dream of having a grand ship named after them, while others find pride in being linked to the scientific names of various species. María de los ángeles Alvariño González, a passionate oceanographer from Galicia, enjoys both of these distinctions.
María de los ángeles Alvariño González holds a unique position as the only woman listed among the 1,000 most influential scientists in history. Despite this remarkable achievement, she remains relatively unknown in her own country, which puzzles many.
Thanks to Google for remembering her birthday on 3rd October with a Google Doodle and helping the world recognize her contributions to oceanography. To find out more about María de los ángeles Alvariño González, you must give this post a read.
Who Is María de los ángeles Alvariño González?
Maria Angeles Alvariño Gonzalez was a Spanish scientist who studied plankton and the ocean. She was born on 3rd October 1916 in Serantes, a small town in northern Spain near Ferrol. Her father, Dr. Antonio Alvariño Grimaldos, was a doctor, and her mother was Maria del Carmen Gonzalez Diaz-Saavedra.
From a young age, María de los ángeles Alvariño González was fascinated by science and often read her father’s research books. Although she initially wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a doctor, he discouraged her. She attended Concepcion Arenal in Ferrol and graduated from the University of Santiago de Compostela in 1933.
María de los ángeles Alvariño González continued her studies at the Complutense University of Madrid, but her education was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War. In 1940, she married Eugenio Leira Manso, and they later had a daughter named Maria de los Angeles Leira Alvariño, who became an architect in the U.S.
Despite the challenges of the war, María de los ángeles Alvariño González completed her studies at the University of Madrid in 1941. Throughout her life, she emphasized the importance of creativity and imagination in science, believing science is as much an art as a discipline.
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María de los ángeles Alvariño González Career
Based on María de los ángeles Alvariño González biografia, she was a teacher and worked as a researcher, but she couldn’t go on Spanish Navy ships because of an outdated law.
María de los ángeles Alvariño González studied natural sciences in Madrid and then taught subjects like botany, biology, geology, and zoology in her hometown, Ferrol. Later, she moved back to Madrid to work with the Department of Sea Fisheries, but an old law stopped her career. The law said women couldn’t go on Spanish navy ships, even though it was ancient and didn’t make sense anymore.
María de los ángeles Alvariño González loved learning about nature, especially from her father’s library. She got interested in studying the ocean near the coast. Even though the Spanish Institute of Oceanography only allowed men at first, they were impressed by María de los ángeles Alvariño González’s work, so they hired her as a marine biologist in 1952. Later, she went to Britain to keep doing her research there.
María de los ángeles Alvariño González’s Life In The United States
Maria delos angeles alvarino Gonzalez got a special grant called a Fulbright Fellowship, which helped her relocate to the United States with her family. This is how she was able to continue with her research work.
Maria delos angeles alvarino Gonzalez worked at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. There, she worked with another scientist named Dr. Mary Sears, who was really into studying tiny sea creatures called zooplankton.
After her time at Woods Hole, Maria delos angeles alvarino Gonzalez went to another place called the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California. There, she did a lot of research work on various species of zooplankton and how they could indicate the water temperature. She also studied where these plankton lived in the ocean and how they were affected by ships and pollution.
Even after leaving Scripps, Maria delos angeles alvarino Gonzalez didn’t stop working and carried on with her research in Antarctica, and many other places, including the University of San Diego and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Maria delos angeles alvarino Gonzalez was so dedicated to her work that she didn’t stop until turning 71. Even after that, she went on several research trips.
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Maria delos angeles alvarino Gonzalez Discovered 22 New Species Of Planktons
According to a blog by Google Doodle, Maria delos angeles alvarino Gonzalez discovered 22 new types of plankton and wrote more than 100 scientific papers. She also taught in different places, including Mexico, Brazil, and the U.S.
Maria delos angeles alvarino Gonzalez has two types of plankton named after her – the Lizzia Alvarinoae and the Aidanosagitta Alvarinoae.
The Smithsonian says that she discovered these new species during Maria delos angeles alvarino Gonzalez’s life. Their names, which are in Latin, have unique stories. For example, one is named after her husband, Eugenio. Another one shares its name with where she worked for many years, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California.
Even though it’s not common in the science world, María de los ángeles Alvariño González didn’t name any of the species she found after herself. Other scientists did that later, honoring her work by naming species after her.
Maria delos angeles alvarino Gonzalez Death
María de los Ángeles Alvariño González passed away on 29th May 2005, in La Jolla, California. Before she died, she was writing a book about an ocean trip from the late 1700s.
In 2012, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography launched a ship named “Ángeles Alvariño” in her honor. The vessel was launched in Vigo, Spain, and her daughter was part of the ceremony.
Google mentioned on its Doodle blog that today, María de los ángeles Alvariño González is the only Spanish scientist among 1,000 scientists listed in the ‘Encyclopedia of World Scientists.’
María de los Ángeles Alvariño González’s Fight Against Unfair Treatment Of Women In Science
María de los Ángeles Alvariño González’s time at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) helped propel her career to great heights. However, she was overlooked in her home country.
In 1966, the Galician newspaper La Noche interviewed her daughter, a promising young architect based in the U.S. When referring to her mother, the editor described her as a “biologist” in the masculine form and noted her affiliation with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Despite María de los Ángeles Alvariño González already being a scientific figure, her name went unmentioned.
Even in the US, María de los ángeles Alvariño González had to deal with discrimination against women in science. According to her daughter, she strongly resisted her male colleagues’ efforts to support her work. She even complained to the U.S. government about sexist discrimination because women were not getting promoted to higher positions.
María de los Ángeles Alvariño González is one of the only women to be listed as the most influential scientists in history. She retired from NOAA in 1987 but continued working as a scientist emeritus.
She passed away in 2005 in San Diego due to leiomyosarcoma, regretting she didn’t have more time for research. Throughout her life, María de los Ángeles Alvariño González received many honors and awards from organizations like the United Nations and others.
María de los Ángeles Alvariño González’s work contributed to the discovery of 22 species of marine animals. Two species she discovered were named after her – Lizzia alvarinoae and Aidanosagitta alvarinoae.
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Final Words
The life and legacy of María de los ángeles Alvariño González serve as a testament to the brilliance and unwavering dedication of women in the field of science. Maria angeles alvariño Gonzalez’s personal hardships were many, but she didn’t let them stop her from achieving her goal. She made significant contributions to marine biology and oceanography through her research works, leaving an indelible mark on the scientific community.
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FAQs
What did María de los ángeles Alvariño González study?
María de los ángeles Alvariño González completed her graduate diploma in Experimental Psychology, Analytical Chemistry, and Plant Ecology at the Complutense University of Madrid.
Who is the Spanish female marine biologist?
María de los Angeles Alvariño Gonzalez is the Spanish female marine biologist.
Who is the famous Hispanic marine biologist?
Dení Ramírez Macías is a famous Hispanic marine biologist.
Why is María de los ángeles Ortiz famous?
María de los ángeles Ortiz is famous for participating in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China, and winning a silver medal.
¿Qué descubrió Ángeles Alvariño?
Ángeles Alvariño descubrió 22 nuevas especies de plancton.
¿Quién nació en Ferrol en 1916?
María de los ángeles Alvariño González nació en Ferol en 1916.
¿Dónde murió Ángeles Alvariño?
Ángeles Alvarino falleció en La Jolla, California, Estados Unidos.
¿Cuántas especies de organismos marinos descubrió Ángeles Alvariño?
Ángeles Alvarino descubrió 22 especies de plancton.
¿Dónde vivia Ángeles Alvariño?
Anglés Alvarino nació en una parroquia del municipio de Ferrol.
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