By: Juliana Sofía Suarez 10B
Back in 2002, the first Wild Cat was cloned, this was accomplished by the Colombian Martha Gomez, who now is one of the most respected scientists in the United States. Since she was little, she showed passion for animals and due to this, Martha studied to become a Veterinarian at La Salle University (Bogotá, Colombia), and after finishing her career she received a scholarship given by COLCIENCIAS to do a Ph.D. on Animal Reproduction at Sidney University, Australia. Thanks to the good development of her investigation in cloning sheep, she received another scholarship on Ph.D. post studies at Louisiana University, where she participated in a project of Technology of Reproduction in Wild Cats. Due to all her hard work and perseverance, Martha is the perfect role model for young girls and boys who dream to make a change in the world.
Years of studying, practicing her skills, and passion put Martha Gomez where she is now. Her first cloning of a wildcat, which is a species in danger of extinction was named Ditteaux, which means “copy” in French. Six years later she created Mr. Green, a cat who turns green under UV rays and is used to doing research on human diseases treatment; today she and her team have paid off to a DNA bank containing information of felines in danger of extinction. If this is not enough, Doctor Martha works with the production of programmed stem cells for studying regenerative medicine for wild animals and also, on the creation of a cloned cat which supports studies of Cystifibrosis and Alzheimer.
I think Martha Gomez is the perfect role model a young person should take. During her career she has made great contributions to the recovery of nature and wildlife; also, she uses her knowledge to support medicine and investigations for humans. She is the living proof of how limits do not exist when it comes to dreams and, from a very personal opinion, Martha Gomez is my role model for the scientist I want to become someday.
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