Top Hispanics in Computer Science and Computer Engineering
Source: Frank McCoy
Hundreds of millions of city- and rural-dwelling 25-year-olds on every habitable continent cannot recall a time when computers were not part of their lives as desired possessions or transformative devices. The power and efficiency of computer science (CS) and computer engineering (CE) has also given these young peoples’ parents positive and negative jolts to their lives and livelihoods.
Nearly all of the Hispanic women and men showcased here are recipients of either CS or CE degrees, and those without that diploma have experience and knowledge that still makes them computer scientists. But this is not a definitive list. Those profiled are a small subset of current students and alumni. This is a snapshot of some of the many Latino leaders in the fields.
The ranks of these scientists include high-achievers from the public, private and non-profit sectors. They are former NASA astronauts, one of whom works for an oil company giant, and another, who was a migrant worker as a child and is now running for Congress; Bell Lab research managers; several engineers at Google; a vice president of engineering and Chief Technology Officer of Google; and a specialist in the simulation of severe trauma to support the training of Combat Life Savers and Combat Medics.
Their continued success, and the impact it has on young people, shows how far CS or CS expertise can take one. The first computer science department in an American college was established at Purdue University in 1962. Now there are more than 190 university computer science Ph.D. programs. The Hispanic presence in these schools is growing, and the alumni’s impact is changing the world.
Three years ago this June, the National Science Foundation’s Office of Cyber infrastructure announced the appointment of Dr. José Muñoz as chief technology officer effective June 1, 2010. Munoz was one of 50 people featured in Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology’s Top Hispanics in Computer Science and Computer Engineering.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Jose Munoz
Chief Technology Officer
Ph.D. Degree in Computer Science, University of Connecticut
Jose Munoz was the Deputy Director of the Office of Cyber infrastructure at the NSF before becoming its first CTO. His goal at NSF is to create outreach opportunities for the organization. Prior to his move to NSF, he was, respectively, director of computer science at the National Nuclear Security Administration for three years and served for five years as a program manager at DARPA, the central research and development organization for the Department of Defense. The specialist in high-performance computing is a member of the U.S. Senior Executive Service.
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