National Hispanic Heritage Month is a National Observance period starting on September 15th and continuing through October 15th every year. The observance was expanded to cover a 30-day period by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, after it was originally established as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968. During this month, we celebrate the valuable contributions, culture, and heritage of members of the Hispanic community in the United States and the American citizens whose ancestors came from Latin America and Spain.[1]

Hispanic Americans have not only contributed socially and economically to the well-being of the country. Their technological inventions have paved the way in the fields of physics, the medical sciences, and music, among others. These are some of their most notable names and contributions.

Ellen Ochoa (1958-)

Of Mexican descent, Dr. Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman to go to space in 1993 and first Hispanic director of the Johnson Space Center. Dr. Ochoa investigated optical systems for performing information processing as a research engineer for NASA and Sandia National Laboratories. She is the co-inventor of three optics-related patents including US 4,838,644 “Position, Rotation, and Intensity Invariant Recognizing Method.” Dr. Ochoa has been recognized with the Distinguished Service Medal, NASA’s highest award, and has received several other awards through her career.[2]

Guillermo González Camarena (1917-1965

A Mexican scientist and engineer, Guillermo González Camarena was the inventor of the first color television system in 1940, for which he was awarded patent US 2,296,019 “Chromoscopic Adapter for Television Equipment”. His invention disclosed an adapter that allowed any black and white television equipment to transmit and/or receive colored pictures. [3] His discoveries in the telecommunications field were implemented in NASA’s Voyager mission in 1979 to transmit color images back from space.[4]

Alejandro Zaffaroni (1923-2014)

Alejandro Zaffaroni was a Uruguayan biotechnology innovator who came to the U.S. to obtain his Ph. D. at the University of Rochester. His patent US 3,598,122 “Bandage for Administering Drugs” was a breakthrough in the use of transdermal patches as drug delivery systems. Thanks to Dr. Zaffaroni’s research, over 40 transdermal products have been approved by the FDA to treat different conditions such as pain, nicotine addiction, and depression. Dr. Zaffaroni was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1995 and inducted in the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2012.[5]

Miguel Angel Ondetti (1930-2004)

Miguel Angel Ondetti was an Argentine chemist whose work included the first synthetization of captopril, an ACE inhibitor. Captopril is highly effective in treating hypertension with less side effects than prior treatments. As co-inventor of U.S. Patent 4,105,776 “Proline Derivatives and Related Compounds,” Dr. Ondetti’s work has led to a significant reduction of deaths from congestive heart failure. Captopril has also been found effective in postponing kidney failure in diabetics. During his career, Dr. Ondetti earned over 100 patents and was awarded the Perkin Medal in 1991. He was also inducted to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007. [6]

Julio C. Palmaz (1945-)

Born in Argentina, Julio Palmaz earned his medical degree in 1971 from the National University of La Plata. He moved to the United States to work at the University of Texas Health and Science Center at San Antonio, where he revolutionized cardiac care by developing the first balloon-expandable stent used in intravascular operations. Dr. Palmaz’s invention was awarded patent US 4,733,665 “Expandable Intraluminal Graft, and Method and Apparatus for Implanting an Expandable Intraluminal Graft” in 1988. Inducted in the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006, Dr. Palmaz continues to improve on his original design to this day.[7]

Luis Walter Alvarez (1911-1988)

The grandson of a Spanish immigrant, Luis Alvarez was an American physicist and inventor who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1968 for his contribution in the development of the hydrogen bubble chamber, used to detect subatomic particles. Prior to this, he designed a “Radio Distance and Direction Indicator” for locating aircraft during World War II for which he was awarded U.S. Patent 2,480,208. Dr. Alvarez was a member of the President’s Science Advisory Committee in 1971-1972 and was inducted to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1978.[8]

For more patents or information on patents and intellectual property, visit our site at adventip.com/faq

References

1. “About National Hispanic Heritage Month” National Hispanic Heritage Month. www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/about/. Accessed 11 Sept. 2020

2. “NASA Astronaut Dr. Ellen Ochoa.” NASA. www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/people/orgs/bios/ochoa.html. Accessed 14 Sept. 2020

3. “Centenario del Nacimiento del Ing. Guillermo Gonzáles Camarena” Gobierno de Mexico. https://www.gob.mx/telecomm/articulos/centenario-del-nacimiento-del-ing-guillermo-gonzalez-camarena-17-feb-1917-18-abr-1965?idiom=es. Accessed 14 Sept. 2020

4. “Early Color Television: Guillermo Gonzales Camarena” Early Television Museum. www.earlytelevision.org/camarena.html. Accessed 14 Sept. 2020

5. “Alejandro Zaffaroni” National Inventors Hall of Fame. www.invent.org/inductees/alejandro-zaffaroni. Accessed 11 Sept. 2020

6. “Miguel Angel Ondetti” National Inventors Hall of Fame. www.invent.org/inductees/miguel-angel-ondetti. Accessed 11 Sept. 2020

7. “Julio C. Palmaz.” National Inventors Hall of Fame. www.invent.org/inductees/julio-c-palmaz.
Accessed 14 Sept. 2020

8. “Luis Walter Alvarez” National Inventors Hall of Fame. www.invent.org/inductees/luis-walter-alvarez. Accessed 11 Sept. 2020

[1] “About National Hispanic Heritage Month” National Hispanic Heritage Month. www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/about/. Accessed 11 Sept. 2020

[2] “NASA Astronaut Dr. Ellen Ochoa.” NASA. www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/people/orgs/bios/ochoa.html. Accessed 14 Sept. 2020

[3] “Centenario del Nacimiento del Ing. Guillermo Gonzáles Camarena” Gobierno de Mexico. https://www.gob.mx/telecomm/articulos/centenario-del-nacimiento-del-ing-guillermo-gonzalez-camarena-17-feb-1917-18-abr-1965?idiom=es. Accessed 14 Sept. 2020

[4] “Early Color Television: Guillermo Gonzales Camarena” Early Television Museum. www.earlytelevision.org/camarena.html. Accessed 14 Sept. 2020

[5] “Alejandro Zaffaroni” National Inventors Hall of Fame. www.invent.org/inductees/alejandro-zaffaroni. Accessed 11 Sept. 2020

[6] “Miguel Angel Ondetti” National Inventors Hall of Fame. www.invent.org/inductees/miguel-angel-ondetti. Accessed 11 Sept. 2020

[7] “Julio C. Palmaz.” National Inventors Hall of Fame. www.invent.org/inductees/julio-c-palmaz.
Accessed 14 Sept. 2020

[8] “Luis Walter Alvarez” National Inventors Hall of Fame. www.invent.org/inductees/luis-walter-alvarez. Accessed 11 Sept. 2020

Hispanic Inventors that have Revolutionized their Fields