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Hispanic Scientist of Year tells students: 'The nerds win'

By Arleen Spenceley, Times staff writer
In print: Saturday, October 11, 2008

Scientist and CEO Lydia Villa-Komaroff autographs T-shirts for Leto High School students, from left, Phuong-Nhien Nguyen, 17, Thong La, 15, and Nhi Luu, 15.
	[CHERIE DIEZ | Times]

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TAMPA — Lydia Villa-Komaroff came to the Museum of Science and Industry Friday with a message of nerd empowerment.

"Was I called a nerd? Yes. All the time," said the molecular biologist and biotech company chief executive. "I want to tell all the nerds in the audience, the nerds win."

Villa-Komaroff's latest win was earning the title of Hispanic Scientist of the Year, an award MOSI gives each year during Hispanic Heritage Month.

A hushed crowd of middle and high school students waited in a darkened auditorium Friday to hear her talk about her life and work.

After she spoke up for nerds, the crowd cheered, and Villa-Komaroff smiled. MOSI invited the 1,155 students from across Hills­borough County to see Villa-Komaroff speak in three lectures.

She made it clear she knows what the students are going through. And she hopes the students learn from her example.

"I've been paid my whole life to do something I find enormously fun," she said. "You can have it too, but it takes work."

The 61-one-year old, who grew up in a large Mexican-American family in Santa Fe, N.M., is the third Mexican-American woman in the country to have earned a Ph.D. in the sciences and is CEO of Cytonome Inc., based in Boston. She worked during high school and put herself through college. There are good reasons, she said, for today's students to do the same for the sake of the future.

"We need you," she said. "By the time you're my age, you will represent this country. If you don't take care of the country, no one's going to."

Margaret Oggero, who teaches physics at Lennard High School in Ruskin, said what Villa-Komaroff told the students will pay off.

"They need good role models (like Villa-Komaroff) to see where they can go and what's available to them if they work hard," Oggero said.

One of her students agreed.

"A lot of times, people from our school can be down on themselves. Just to see someone (like Villa-Komaroff) makes you think you can do that, too," said Cassandra Khan, 18.

Villa-Komaroff said she was honored to be selected as the Hispanic Scientist of the Year and to be given the chance to speak with so many students.

"Very young children will look at the world, and if they do not see somebody that looks like them in a particular role, they close that door, without even knowing the door has been there," she said. "I want them to know there's someone out there who thinks their success is important."

Arleen Spenceley can be reached at (813) 269-5301 or aspenceley@sptimes.com.