The MY HERO Project

Celebrate the best of humanity.

These essays have been written by vistors of all ages. If you have a hero story you would like to share with the world, visit the MY HERO Create Program.

Science Heroes

"Game-changer" in Human Evolution Found in South African Bones	Abner Peeler is credited with the invention of the first airbrush.	Ada Lovelace was a ninteenth century woman who influenced the computer programming of today	Airborne Windmills: Turning High Altitude Wind Into Cheap Electricity
Alan Turing laid the theoretical groundwork for the first computer.	Albert Einstein believed in the power of imagination.	Alexander Borodin was an accomplished chemist, composer and staunch advocate of women's rights.	Alexander Graham Bell was the inventor of the telephone.
Algae Fuels United States Navy	Ameen Abdulrasool is a young inventor who developed a portable navigation system for the blind.	Amy Charkowski works on the front lines of protecting Earth's food supply.	Ancient Art Supplies Found In South African Cave
Andrea Mia Ghez is an astrophysicist best known for her discoveries about the black hole at the center of our galaxy.	Architectural Answer to Rising Seas: Floating Homes	Ariel Ruiz i Altaba Scientist - Photographer combines art and science to research how cells are generated and formed.	Audrey Penn: Just Do It is a medical doctor who has devoted herself to studying diseases that affect muscle control.
Augusta Ada Byron developed the world's first computer program while struggling with her own personal hardships.	Babak Darvish, MD inspires his patients and coworkers with his upbeat attitude and determination.	Barbara McClintock was one of the first women geneticists, and a Nobel laureate.	Ben Carson is the chief of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital.
Benjamin Franklin was an inventor, diplomat, writer, and a huge influence on American history.	Bernard Fantus created the world's first blood bank.	Bernardo Houssay was an Argentinean physiologist and Nobel Prize winner.	Beth Rickard Environmentalist is an advocate of solar as the energy of the future.
Bill Fenical "Neptune's Medicine Chest" is a pioneer in the hunt for medicines from the ocean to treat cancer and other diseases.	Blood-Test Promises Improvements in Screening, Treating Cancer	Bonnie Dunbar helped start a scholars program to inspire students to pursue careers in aerospace and engineering.	Bram Cohen is a computer programmer and the creator of BitTorrent.
Bulletproof Skin Created From Spider's Silk Holds Great Medical Promise	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention an online source for Credible Health Information	Charles Darwin is the father of modern biology.	Chiaki Mukai is the first female Japanese astronaut.
Christiane Nusslein-Volhard is a Nobel Prize winner and pioneer genetic researcher.	Claudia Gerwin: Keeping the Neurons Firing researches how nerve cells relay messages to each other.	Clifford V. Johnson is a string theorist who studies the makeup of the smallest particles of the universe.	Commander Chris Hadfield is the first Canadian to become the commander of the International Space Station.
Connie Samaras has created media archives for deep space voyages.	Courtney Schumacher is an atmospheric scientist and educator committed to mentoring young women interested in science.	Cristina Diaz: Biologist studies intertidal and tropical sponges.	Dame Cicely Saunders founded the modern hospice to provide compassionate, holistic care to the dying.
DAREnet provides open access to Dutch academic research information and findings.	Darlene Cavalier founded ScienceCheerleader.com to promote science literacy.	Darlene Ketten studies stranded whales and dolphins.	Dean Kamen makes science and technology exciting for young people,
Debbye Turner became Miss America and pursued her dream to become a veterinarian.	Denis Mukwege Helps Women Ravaged By Congo War	Dilfuza Egamberdiyeva cares for the Earth's soil, researching ways to produce microbes to control plant diseases.	Dr Deepak Acharya is a scientist devoted to protecting India's endangered Patalkot Forest.
Dr. Alexander Langmuir Langmuir's work in epidemiology has saved millions of lives.	Dr. Barbara Ross Lee became the first African American woman dean of a US medical school.	Dr. Caldicott has been a lifelong anti-nuclear activist.	Dr. Carolyn Mazure founded the Yale Women's Health Program and is a forceful figure in the women's health movement.
Dr. Edward Holland Ophthalmologist transplants corneal stem cells to help give people their sight back.	Dr. Edward Jenner discovered the vaccine.	Dr. Elizabeth Kalko and the Jason Project studies bats in the Panamanian rainforest.	Dr. Elvia Niebla Soil Scientist is dedicated to soil conservation.
Dr. Farouk El-Baz is an Egyptian space scientist and geologist.	Dr. France Cordova is a renowned astrophysicist who has broken gender and cultural barriers.	Dr. Gloria WilderBrathwaite was inspired to provide health care to the poor in the innner city.	Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy cares for the eyes of millions of people in India.
Dr. Ines Cifuentes Seismologist works to improve science programs for students in Washington, DC.	Dr. Karen Plaut has been a pioneer in animal science research.	Dr. Kay Jamison is both an expert on, and a sufferer of, Bipolar Disorder.	Dr. Kristi Curry-Rogers is an accomplished paleontologist who travels the globe in search of dinosaur digs.
Dr. Madan Kataria has started a revolution of joy and laughter that is spreading around the world.	Dr. Michael DeBakey is the father of modern open-heart surgery.	Dr. Patch Adams gives the practice of medicine a humorous twist.	Dr. Paul Farmer has dedicated his life to treating people in the poorest nations in the world.
Dr. Richard Murphy Marine Biologist educates others about the sea and ways to protect the oceans for the future.	Dr. Robert Ballard and the JASON project bring scientific exploration to children around the world.	Dr. Sara W. Lazar Neuroscientist - Meditator researches the effects of meditation on the brain.	Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh is a scientist dedicated to the study and conservation of bonobos.
Dr. Susan Love is committed to women's health issues.	Dr. Zeda Rosenberg is working to protect women from HIV/AIDS.	Edgar Allan Poe was a writer and poet who explored psychology and science in his works.	Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female doctor and opened the first medical school for women.
Elizaveta Glinka: 'Dr. Liza' heads a free clinic that helps Moscow's homeless and hopeless	Enrico Fermi was one of the 20th century's greatest physicists.	Envirofit retrofits engines to reduce pollution and enhance energy efficiency in developing countries.	Erich Jarvis observes song birds and uses his training with molecular biology to learn about brain behavior.
F. Sherwood Rowland discovered the 'greenhouse effect.'	Fati Kirakoya is a researcher committed to finding solutions to end HIV/AIDS.	Frederick Banting was the co-discoverer of Insulin.	Friends of the Sea Lion rescue, treat, and release these mammals back into the ocean.
Gail Kaaialii: Biologist investigates the origins of life and helps others value all life forms.	Galileo Galilei was the first to use a telescope to observe the stars and planets.	Garrett Morgan invented versions of the gas mask and the traffic signal.	George Washington Carver is famous for experimenting with plants.
Gertrude B. Elion developed the AIDS drug, AZT.	Gina Gallant is an inventor whose passion is protecting the environment.	Godspeed John Glenn: 50 years since first US orbit	Grace Murray Hopper was a computer visionary and naval officer.
Greenland's "Ice Queen Liz" Ventures Hundreds of Miles in Search of Data	Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor who won a Nobel Prize in Physics for wireless telegraphy.	Guion S. Bluford, Jr. became the first African-American in space.	Gwynne Rowley Shotwell is the president of SpaceX, the company that made the Dragon space craft.
Hazel Barton combines her passion for caving with researching microbes.	Hib Vaccine Team created an affordable, synthetic vaccine against the bacteria that can cause meningitis and pneumonia.	High schoolers use their tech skills to build a better world	High-tech Yacht to be first Solar-Powered Vehicle to Circumnavigate the Globe
Hole Punch Clouds: Airplanes May Cause Rain at Some Airports	Homeless New York Teen Has Bright Future After Acing Intel Science Contest	Hot New Planet Could be Habitable... Sweltering, but Habitable	Howard Florey shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine for extracting penicillin.
Hubble telescope zeroes in on green blob in space	In Vitro Pioneer Robert Edwards Wins Nobel Prize for Medicine	Internet-Connected Glasses Like Wearing Smartphone Shades	Inventions by British Engineers Solving Health Problems In 3rd World
Irene Ayako Uchida helped find the link between radiation and birth defects.	Irene Curie was the second woman in history to win the Nobel Prize in science; the first woman was her mother, Marie.	Is Zombie Parasite Causing Bee Die-Off?	Jack St. Clair Kilby invented the microchip.
James Burke developed a model of discovery called the Knowledge Web to connect information across space and time.	Jane Mt. Pleasant is an agricultural scientist who looks to the past to meet today's farming needs.	Jonas Salk discovered the polio vaccine.	Kathy Sullivan was the first American woman to walk in space.
Leon Lederman devotes much of his time and energy to improving science education in America.	Leonard Adleman improves lives with his work in DNA technology.	Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, scientist and inventor.	Leslie Thompson is a scientist devoted to finding a cure for Huntington's Disease.
Louis Pasteur advanced the practice of medicine with his discoveries.	Luz Maria Rodriguez-Fernandez conducts cancer research to help understand the disease process.	Madame Curie received the Nobel Prize for her discovery of Radium.	Mae Jemison dreamed of going to space since childhood.
Magdalena Hurtado is an anthropologist who studies the Ache people of Paraguay.	Margaret Mead was a renowned anthropologist who thought in terms of 'the interconnection of all aspects of human life.'	Marie Curie discovered radioactivity as an atomic property, opening the door to 20th century science.	Martha Mecartney is a scientist, engineer and professor committed to helping young women interested in the field of science.
Meenakshi Wadhwa studies meteorites and the processes involved in their formation.	Merieme Chadid is an astronomer from Morocco who did research at the South Pole.	Mohammed Bah Abba invented a refrigeration device that is not dependent on electricity.	NASA Discovers New Lifeform That Redefines Search For Life Beyond Earth
NASA's Latest Mars Rover Scrambles to Meet November Launch	Neil A. Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon.	New Planet Discovered In "Goldilocks Zone" ... Not too hot, Not too cold ...	Nicolaus Copernicus was the first astronomer to propose that the planets orbit around the sun.
Nikola Tesla was the father of many modern inventions.	Nobel Prize in Chemistry Goes to Trio for Carbon-bonding Techniques	Nobel Prize in Physics Goes to Creators of Revolutionary Atom-thin Material	Norman Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his success in increasing the world's food supply.
Obama Reveals "inner science geek" at White House Science Fair	Orville and Wilbur Wright were brothers determined to build a better flying machine.	Patrick Nagatani uses photography and colored lights to promote good health.	Paul Munsen Solar Oven Man manufactures sun ovens, which harness the sun's rays to provide an environmentally safe source of energy.
Paul Sipiera led an expedition into Antarctica to find meteorites for NASA.	Percy Julian was a groundbreaking African American chemist, inventor, and trailblazer.	Philo T. Farnsworth was the inventor of the television.	Physicists Close in on "God Particle"
Physics breakthrough? Speedy Neutrinos Challenge Einstein's E=mc2	Ramani Sankaranarayanan and Geeta Vaidyanathan founded CTxGrEn to show villagers how to turn native materials into fuel for electricity.	Ray Kurzweil is an inventor who uses technology to restore health.	Reef Ball Foundation restores damaged coral reef systems around the world.
Richard Feynman shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for work in the field of quantum electrodynamics.	Robert Koch was an important medical researcher of the 19th century.	Rokhaya Gueye treats malaria and raises awareness about women's health issues in Senegal.	Saeed Awan developed a new carpet loom that reduces child labor in Pakistan.
Sandra Begay-Campbell is a Native American engineer who brings solar-powered energy to the Navajo reservation.	Sanoussi Diakite invented the fonio husking machine.	Scientists from All Over the World Scour Iceland For Clues to Our Future	Scientists: Faster-than-light Finding Still Holds
Shannon Hackett studies the genetic diversity and evolution in tropical birds.	Singapore's "Supertrees" Bring National Gardens into City Center	Sir Alexander Fleming saved millions of lives with his discovery of penicillin.	Solar Sister Wants to Light Up Rural Africa
Srinivasa Ramanujan made groundbreaking contributions to mathematics.	Stephanie Jenouvrier is a population ecologist researching the effects of climate change on emperor penguins.	Stephen W. Hawking is a renowned theoretical physicist.	Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar is a Nobel Prize winning astrophysicist who contributed to our understanding of the stars.
Tania Ruiz is an astrophysicist committed to science education and helping women reach their goals.	Temple Grandin is a professor, doctor of animal science and an autism activist.	Thais Corral gives women a voice in their communities through access to communication technology.	The Space Shuttle's Legacy
Therese Koutnik is an inspiration to her sister and a role model for girls who would like to become engineers.	Thomas Alva Edison is considered one of the world's greatest inventors.	Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web.	Tom Chau Biomedical Engineer uses science and technology to maximize opportunities for people with disabilities.
Tom Dibblee was a legendary geologic mapper.	U.S. Scientists Testing Early Earthquake Warning System	Ursula Goellner-Scheiding has studied insects for over 60 years.	Usha Varanasi is the first woman to lead a Fisheries Science Center.
Vint Cerf is an Internet pioneer who passionately believes that all people should benefit from the information revolution.	Vladimir Kosma Zworykin is called 'The Father of Television'.	Wes Jackson was a professor who returned to the land to advance sustainable agriculture practices.	Wilson Bentley was the first person to photograph a single snowflake.
Women Making Slow But Sure Strides In Science and Math	XIV Argonauts broadcasted their explorations of the Channel Islands.	Yuri Gagarin was the first human being to journey into space.	Zohra Ben Lakhdar is a physicist from Africa who does research on atomic spectroscopy.