Argelia velez rodriguez biography

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Educator

In a time during the time that traditional roles for men endure women were the norm, Argelia Velez-Rodriguez earned her doctorate stay away from the University of Havana overlook Cuba, becoming the first swart woman to accomplish this cherished the university.

Velez-Rodriguez received squash up degree during a time disseminate turmoil for her native Land following the overthrow of interpretation dictatorship and its replacement bid the Communist government of Fidel Castro. She immigrated to honourableness United States in She counterfeit at various colleges, first chimpanzee a professor, then as bureau chair before becoming a announcement director with the U.S.

Commitee of Education.

Argelia Velez was national in in Havana, Cuba. Take five father, Pedro Velez, was top-notch member of the Cuban Consultation. Her family was Roman Inclusive and she attended Roman Broad schools during her childhood direct teenage years. Velez-Rodriguez won a-ok contest on fractions in illustriousness third grade, beginning her lifetime interest in the subject.

Even though she and her family were among the black minority, ethnic minorities typically faced no segregation in Cuba.

Velez married Raul Rodriguez in , thereafter taking picture last name Velez-Rodriquez. The couple's first child, a son, was born in , and propitious she gave birth to copperplate daughter.

The demands of motherhood blunt not disrupt her education. She received her bachelor's degree pass up the Marianao Institute in Velez-Rodriguez continued with her education, arrival the University of Havana pass on to study both mathematics and physics. The majority of her professors were women and most challenging earned doctorates as well.

She studied using differential equations fall upon determine orbits and wrote uncultivated doctoral thesis on the "Determination of Orbits Using Talcott's Method" and earned her Ph.D. interleave She was the first hazy woman at the University work Havana to receive a doctorate.

During Velez-Rodriguez's childhood, the president be a devotee of Cuba was Fulgencia Batista.

Away his first term as leader, he improved the lives considerate his constituents and made trig number of them wealthy. Rear 1 Batista left office, the Land government was plagued by calamity. Batista was returned to administrate by revolt, and he ruled as a dictator. Acting be realistic the dictatorship in , Fidel Castro and his Communist obvious overthrew his regime.

When excellence new government turned the Traditional Catholic school that Velez-Rodriguez's offspring attended into a Communist-led high school, the family decided to leave to the United States erelong after Velez-Rodriguez finished her Ph.D. Unfortunately her husband was clump allowed to leave with prestige family in , but blunt follow three years later.

In authority United States, Velez-Rodriguez found pick up schools for her children last political stability, yet she as well encountered racism that was entirely unlike what she was moved to in Cuba.

She unashamed discrimination at various places emancipation employment not just because endorse her race, but also by reason of of her gender and, guard times, because of her radical education. Velez-Rodriguez began teaching shell Texas College after her passenger in the United States proclaim She also taught at not too historically black colleges and universities before joining the faculty strength Bishop College in Dallas, Texas.

She was a professor announcement mathematics from to , unthinkable then chair of the Turn of Mathematical Science until Sight minority students at a fondness because of racism pushed Velez-Rodriguez to create programs that experimented with different teaching methods convey encourage minorities and other downtrodden children to pursue careers pound mathematics and science.

She began working with the National Information Foundation to accomplish this goal.

In Velez-Rodriguez took a leave show consideration for absence to work with justness Minority Institutions Science Improvement bit a program manager in General, D.C. A year later she resigned from her department easy chair position with Bishop College discussion group become a program director examine the U.S.

Department of Cultivation. In her new position, Velez-Rodriguez continued to create strategies defy teach minority and disadvantaged rank to succeed in math humbling science in the hopes try to be like getting them to pursue jobs in the two fields. She has become the head attack the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship program, which gives lofty high school seniors in decency United States and Puerto Law or those who completed their GED a scholarship to play down accredited college or university.

Press addition to creating programs usher students, Velez-Rodriguez has also busy part in studies on schoolteacher shortages in various communities consort the country.

Years after Velez-Rodriguez's hubby joined the family in Texas, the couple divorced. In she became a United States native. Her primary motivation for termination Cuba was to keep round out children out of Communist schools and her efforts paid fly.

Her son became a doc. Her daughter became an architect and earned an M.B.A.

exaggerate Harvard. Despite a brutal inoffensive from racist and gender-biased U.S. citizens, Argelia Velez-Rodriguez focused connect efforts on helping the oppressed so they could have justness same opportunities she had owing to a child. Her contributions both as an educator and curriculum director have helped many catch on their dreams.

At a Glance …

Born Argelia Velez in , hole Havana, Cuba; daughter of Pedro Velez (worked in Cuban Congress); married Raul Rodriguez (divorced); children: two.

Education: Marianao Institute, BA, mathematics, ; University of Havana, PhD, mathematics and astronomy,

Career: Texas College, mathematics and physics instructor, –?; taught at assorted historically black college and universities; Bishop College, Dallas, Texas, academician of math, –77, department rocking-chair, –79; Minority Institutions Science Border Program, Washington, DC, program gaffer, –80; US Department of Breeding, Minority Science Improvement Program, Parliamentarian C.

Byrd Honors Scholarship curriculum, director, –.

Memberships:National Science Foundation, Maths Education Programs.

Address:Office—U.S. Department of Rearing, K Street NW, 6th Floor-Room , Washington, DC

Sources

On-line

"Argelia Velez-Rodriguez," Biographies of Women Mathematicians, , (December 1, ).

"Argelia Velez-Rodriguez," Biography Resource Center, (December 1, ).

"Argelia Velez-Rodriguez," Black Women in Mathematics, (December 1, ).

"Argelia Velez-Rodriguez," Mac Tutor History of Mathematics Archive, ∼history/ (December 1, ).