about our founder, melissa...
Melissa is a Latina (Puerto Rican and Mexican) marine biologist and conservationist who is actively engaged in research, exploration, communication, and application of scientific knowledge related to the conservation of marine ecosystems. She currently studies sharks and their relatives (the skates, rays, and chimaeras) and created The Fins United Initiative to allow for scientifically accurate and open-access (free) materials for educators worldwide. She has traveled all over the world to visit classrooms (or Skype into them) to teach all ages about these fascinating creatures.
Melissa is outspokenly passionate about the potential of young women, especially Latina women. She believes anyone can do science, and wants to shine the spotlight on those scientists who are different and help show younger generations how many amazing opportunities exist as a STEM major. She did a TEDx talk that discussed this in length (see here). This passion and belief in Melissa is why The Fins United Initiative features diverse shark scientists from around the world -- and why she started her bi-weekly #STEMSaturdays segment with the organization femSTEM. As a wildlife educator, Melissa has also had her writing featured in major media outlets such as New Zealand Geographic, Lateral Magazine, Biosphere, etc. and has been featured in various podcasts, radio shows, and is the January/February 2018 covergirl of SMORE magazine.
Márquez is also a very active science communicator, a believer that anyone can discuss science in an easily digestible and entertaining way! Through her various projects and speaking engagements, she aims to help increase the level of scientific literacy among the general non-scientific public so that anyone can understand scientific topics. Her latest endeavors include writing a series of bilingual children's books and is a podcast host to ConCiencia Azul, which interviews Spanish-speaking researchers to discuss ocean-related topics, and speak about some of the unique hardships Hispanic/Latino countries face (such as poverty, government corruption, lack of funds, etc).
Melissa is outspokenly passionate about the potential of young women, especially Latina women. She believes anyone can do science, and wants to shine the spotlight on those scientists who are different and help show younger generations how many amazing opportunities exist as a STEM major. She did a TEDx talk that discussed this in length (see here). This passion and belief in Melissa is why The Fins United Initiative features diverse shark scientists from around the world -- and why she started her bi-weekly #STEMSaturdays segment with the organization femSTEM. As a wildlife educator, Melissa has also had her writing featured in major media outlets such as New Zealand Geographic, Lateral Magazine, Biosphere, etc. and has been featured in various podcasts, radio shows, and is the January/February 2018 covergirl of SMORE magazine.
Márquez is also a very active science communicator, a believer that anyone can discuss science in an easily digestible and entertaining way! Through her various projects and speaking engagements, she aims to help increase the level of scientific literacy among the general non-scientific public so that anyone can understand scientific topics. Her latest endeavors include writing a series of bilingual children's books and is a podcast host to ConCiencia Azul, which interviews Spanish-speaking researchers to discuss ocean-related topics, and speak about some of the unique hardships Hispanic/Latino countries face (such as poverty, government corruption, lack of funds, etc).