director educator mathematician
She continued her studies at the University of Havana where she earned her Doctor of Philosophy in mathematics in 1960 with a dissertation on the application of differential equations to astronomy entitled "Determination of Orbits Using Talcott"s Method".
She was the first Black woman to earn a doctorate in mathematics in Cuba. Born in 1936 in Havana, Cuba, Velez-Rodriguez obtained her bachelor"s degree at the Marianao Institute in 1955. She was the first black woman to earn a Doctor of Philosophy in mathematics from the University of Havana.
In 1962 Velez-Rodriguez began teaching mathematics and physics in several schools for Black students.
She became in 1970 involved with the science education programs of the National Science Foundation before joining the mathematics faculty at Bishop College in Dallas, Texas in 1972. She eventually became chairwoman of the Department of Mathematical Science from 1975 to 1978.
In 1979 she decided to take a leave of absence to become a program manager for the Minority Institutions Science Improvement Program (MISIP) at the National Science Foundation in Washington, District of Columbia In 1980 she became the Director of the Minority Science Improvement Program at the United States. Department of Education.
