Eugenia del Pino

Eugenia Maria del Pino Veintimilla (born 1945, Quito, Ecuador) is a developmental biologist at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador (Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador) in Quito. She was the first Ecuadorian citizen to be elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences (2006).

Biography

Del Pino was born, and grew up in Quito, Ecuador. She received a Licentiate Degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador,Quito 1967. She then studied in the United States of America and holds a M.Sc. Vassar College, 1969, and a Ph.D. Emory University, 1972. Upon completion of the doctorate she returned to Ecuador and joined the faculty the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador in Quito. She is professor of Biology since 1972-present. She served as Head of Biological Sciences, from 1973-1975. With a fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation she did research at the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, 1984-1985. She was Fulbright Fellow at the laboratory of Prof. Joseph Gall, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1990.

  L’OREAL-UNESCO For Women in Science Laureate, 2000.  TWAS Medal, 2004.  Eugenio Espejo Medal, 2005, Vice President of Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands during 1990s.

Del Pino's work has focussed on the embryonic development of several kinds of tropical frogs. Many of these have highly unusual reproductive systems, and this has added greatly to our understanding of the relationship between evolution and embryonic development.

Additionally, her work for the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands and her position as the only Ecuadorian woman to have achieved international recognition in science, have made her a figure of national importance in Ecuador.

Further Reading

• Eugenia Maria del Pino Veintimilla. 2003 Sheth Distinguished International Alumnae Award. Emory University International. Available at http://www.international.emory.edu/About/International%20Awards/eugenia.html
• Reflections on being a Scientist and a teacher of Science in Ecuador. April 6, 2006. Available at http://agora.forwomeninscience.com/index.php/2006/04/reflections-on-being-a-scientist-and-a-teacher-of-science-in-ecuador/
• Valiente, G. Noted biologist Eugenia del Pino 72G. Who needs mice when you have marsupial tree frogs? Emory Magazine. Spring 2007. Available at http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_MAGAZINE/spring2007/del_pino.htm
• Mossman, K. Profile of Eugenia M. del Pino. PNAS October 30, 2007. Vol. 104: 17249-17251. Available at http://www.pnas.org/content/104/44/17249.full?sid=390ed2d2-7bd8-40c9-8ebe-5a94dabf557b
• Annual Report 2009 of the Charles Darwin Foundation. Special issue, page 10. Available at http://www.darwinfoundation.org/english/_upload/annual_report_2009.pdf.

External links

• Eugenia M. del Pino, Ph.D., Faculty page,School of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador,
• Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador