Three faculty and administrators at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have been recognized by Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology magazine as "2003 Power Hitters in Business and Technology." They are Francisco Hernandez, vice chancellor for student affairs, and Frank Talamantes and Martha Zúñiga, both professors of molecular, cell and developmental biology.
The magazine published its fifth annual survey of the country's most powerful Hispanics in business and technology in the May issue. More than 100 Hispanic men and women were chosen based on their "progressive leadership responsibilities, achievements in helping to advance access to technology, demonstrated effectiveness in engaging technology within the global market economy, and their contributions to furthering technical literacy within the Hispanic community."
Hernandez has served as vice chancellor for student affairs since 1994, with responsibility for the quality of student life through residential life programs, student services, and enrollment services. He is the executive director of the UC College Prep Initiative, a UC program that offers online AP courses to underrepresented high school students in the state of California.
Talamantes, a prominent endocrinologist, serves as vice provost and dean of graduate studies. He has received numerous awards and honors for his pioneering research on hormones and hormone receptors. He is a past president of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), and his leadership on issues of minority education has earned him several awards. In 1998, he was selected as one of the "100 most influential Hispanics" by Hispanic Business magazine.
Zúñiga is an immunologist whose research focuses on the molecules that enable the immune system to distinguish "self" from "non-self." She is a member of the Minority Affairs Committee of the American Society for Cell Biology and a past board member of SACNAS. Zúñiga is also a faculty mentor for several programs that involve students in research activities both in the U.S. and abroad. She was among ten Hispanic scientists featured in an exhibit at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose as part of National Hispanic Heritage Month in 2000.
