The UPR-PENN PREM program celebrates the legacy of Dr. Luz J. Martínez-Miranda (1956-2026), a prominent Puerto Rican scientist specialized in the study of liquid crystals and their interactions with nanoparticles.
Martínez-Miranda earned physics degrees (B.S., M.S.) at the University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras while earning a piano degree at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, before completing her Ph.D. at MIT.
She was a professor of Materials Science and Engineerig at UMD College Park and a leader in professional organizations including the National Society of Hispanic Physics (NSHP), SACNAS, and the International Liquid Crystal Society. For her contributions she was elected fellow of the APS and AAAS.
For over two decades she served on PREM’s External Advisory Board, actively shaping program initiatives and mentoring generations of students.
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PENN-UPR Partnership for Research and Education in Materials
The PREM program at University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, a primarily undergraduate institution, involves a successful partnership between the Humacao, Cayey and Río Piedras campuses of the University of Puerto Rico and the MRSEC at University of Pennsylvania.