CienciaPR.org gets $50K to help plug brain drain
Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust Interim Director, Iván Ríos-Mena
Ciencia Puerto Rico, the world’s largest online network of Puerto Rican scientists, has implemented new capabilities in the CienciaPR.org site to help mitigate the island’s scientific brain drain by adding resources to help the community stay connected.
The new online tools were developed with financing provided by the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust and will allow, for the first time, to create a map of Puerto Rico’s scientific community on the island and around the world.
The new tools help remove geographical barriers to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, ideas and opportunities among the members of this geographically dispersed community, composed mostly of scientists, students and educators
“The Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust’s mission is to promote scientific and technological research, as well as development projects. Through the subsidy to CienciaPR, we are fulfilling this mission and contributing to the development of a knowledge economy,” said Science, Technology and Research Trust Interim Director, Iván Ríos-Mena, during a news conference Tuesday.
Ciencia Puerto Rico is a nonprofit organization composed of scientists, professionals, students and citizens committed to the promotion of science, research and science education in Puerto Rico
CienciaPR.org’s redesigned web site also includes an extensive catalog of news and resources related to employment, opportunities for professional development funds, in a format that is easy to navigate, due to the ability to tag content by topic and use keywords to facilitate the search of information for students, teachers and professionals.
Furthermore, the new user profiles capabilities allow members to network and connect in an easier manner, based on their area of specialty, institution, or geographic location. CienciaPR currently has nearly 6,500 scientists, professionals and students, scattered throughout the world but united in their interest in science and Puerto Rico, organization officials said.
“At a time when we’re expressing concerns about the brain drain situation, the tools designed by CienciaPR help mitigate this phenomenon and provide an example of how the migration of Puerto Rican talent could be aligned with the development of a knowledge economy in Puerto Rico,” said Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, executive director of CienciaPR.
“By using their cyber tools and new portal, CienciaPR continues to generate opportunities for the scientific community to contribute to the development of Puerto Rico’s education and the island’s scientific workforce,” she said.
One of Puerto Rico’s major competitive advantages to establish a knowledge-based economy is its human capital, she said.
CienciaPR.org’s new tools are available free of charge, provide a unique system to connect to a Puerto Rican workforce that is highly educated and trained in the areas of science and technology, regardless of where they are in the world.
