AAPI Heritage Month Highlights
Dr Peter Tsaoi
(Taiwanese American)
Invented the N95 maskDr. Flossie Wong-Staal
(Chinese American)
First to clone HIVDr. Har Gobind Khorana
(Indian American)
1968 Nobel prize winner in psychology/medicineDr. Khorana was a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was the first to show that nucleotide sequence determines protein synthesis and cell fate. He was also the first to synthesize an artificial copy of a yeast gene.
Dr. Min Chueh Chang
(Chinese American)
Co-invented the combined oral contraceptive pill and was the pioneer behind in vitro fertilization.Dr. Chang was a reproductive biologist who worked at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology. He worked with Gregory Pincus on the use of steroids to control fertility which led to the first combined oral contraceptive pill. He also worked extensively on in vitro fertilization with different animal models and his work led to the first successful birth of a human baby by in vitro fertilization in 1978.
Back To TopDr. Roger Tsien
(Chinese American)
2008 Nobel price in chemistry.Dr. Tsien was a professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCSD. He discovered and developed the use of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in biological applications and built the foundation for next generation sequencing which is currently used in next generation sequencing.
Back To TopDr. Kalpana Chawla
(Indian American)
First Indian American woman to go to space.Dr. Chawla was the first Indian American female astronaut and mechanical engineer who worked on the primary robotic arm on the first Space Shuttle Columbia flight in 1997. She was one of 7 crew members that passed away on the second space shuttle Columbia's disintegration upon re-entry in 2003.
Back To TopDr. Roseli Ocampo-Friedmann
(Filipino American)
Studied cyanobacteria and extremophiles.Dr. Ocampo-Friedmann was a professor at Florida A&M university and was also a consultant for SETI. While working with her husband in the mid 1970's Ocampo-Friedmann discovered Cryptoendoliths in the dry valleys region of Antarctica where the mountain ranges were thought to be lifeless. Her work is often cited when scientists discuss the potential for terraforming Mars.
Back To TopDr. Barry Paw
(Burmese American)
Discovered gene mutations that cause anemia.Dr. Barry Paw worked as a pediatric oncologist at Harvard Medical School. While there he contributed to several research projects including one on how mitoferrin transports iron to red blood cells to form hemoglobin. His research led to the discovery of genetic mutations that cause anemia and other red blood cell disorders.
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