At the age of four, Nicole Hernandez Hammer and her family immigrated to the United States from Guatemala. She was then raised in Florida and began a lifelong journey into combating climate change. She received a BS in Integrated Natural Sciences from the University of South Florida (USF), a MS in Biology from Florida Atlantic University (FAU), and MBA from Palm Beach Atlantic University. At FAU she showed how climate change disproportionately affects minority communities. This is not due to simply the direct effect rising water levels have on the land but how they affect local infrastructure and cripple utilities, even though technologies and infrastructure projects could prevent this inevitable catastrophe.
Since leaving her position as assistant director for the Florida Center for Environmental Studies at FAU, Nicole has dedicated her career to warning communities of color and fighting climate change. She has also been involved with non-profit organizations on climate change including Moms Clean Air Force and the Union of Concerned Scientists. In 2015, Nicole attended the State of the Union address to continue fighting for communities of color and combating climate change. She was also honored with a 2022 Great Immigrants Award by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Source:
- https://esearch.sc4.edu/famouslatinxscientists/Hammer
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269953247_How_Climate_Change_Will_Affect_Water_Utilities
- https://www.vanalen.org/person/nicole-hernandez-hammer/
- https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/01/19/meet-nicole-hernandez-hammer-guest-first-lady-state-union
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0FFzjIc0j8
- https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/01/19/meet-nicole-hernandez-hammer-guest-first-lady-state-union
Featured image source: Van Alen Institute
