May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, also referred to as Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, a time to recognize and celebrate notable members of the AANHIP community. While their accomplishments are remarkable anytime of the year, AANHPI Heritage Month is an excellent time to learn about and reflect on the achievements of these five scientists.
1. Roseli Ocampo-Friedmann — Microbiologist and Botanist
Roseli Ocampo-Friedmann is known for her study of extremophiles — organisms that survive and thrive in extreme environments. Along with her co-researcher and husband, Imre Friedmann, she discovered over 1,000 microorganisms living in seemingly unsurvivable environmental conditions. Some of these organisms were cryptoendoliths — microbial ecosystems which exist inside porous rocks in the Antarctic desert.
In 1976, NASA referenced her published findings in their quest to determine if life was possible on Mars, believing cryptoendolithic-like microorganisms might have previously existed there due to the fact that the McMurdo Dry Valleys — where researchers first discovered them — are regarded as the closest environment comparable to Mars.
