Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cardenas -- Mexican Chemical Engineer
At age 25, he co-discovered the synthetic compound norethindrone, which formed the chemical basis for the first oral contraceptive, or birth control pill.
Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cardenas was just a 25-year-old undergraduate chemistry student when he began at Syntex Corporation, a fledgling biochemical company in Mexico City, where he joined the research team of senior chemists Carl Djerassi of Austria, and Hungarian-born George Rosenkranz. Luis would later make science history with them.
Other Achievements: For his role in the development of the birth control pill, Luis (who as a chemical engineer also made his mark in other areas of his field -- from organic chemistry to petrochemistry and atmospheric chemistry) was bestowed with numerous awards and honors. Among them: Receiving the Mexican Prize in Chemistry; being elected as one the world's most influential chemical engineers of all time by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), and named among the three most important Mexican chemists of all time.
Carl Djerassi, George Rosenkranz, and Luis Miramontes were granted US patent 2,744,122 for "oral contraceptives" on May 1, 1956. *
Education: He obtained his Degree in chemical engineering at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and was a founding researcher of the Institute of Chemistry of at UNAM. In addition, Luis served as professor on the Faculty of Chemistry at UNAM, director and professor of the School of Chemistry at the Universidad Iberoamericana, and deputy Director of Research at the Mexican Institute of Petroleum.
USA Science Festival: Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cardenas
*About.com: Top List of Mexican Inventors, Mary Bellis
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