Hilda Cid facts for kids

Hilda Cid Araneda (born February 20, 1933) is a Chilean scientist. She was very good at studying crystals. She was the first Chilean woman to get a PhD in science subjects like math and physics. Hilda made important discoveries as a professor of math and physics. She was also a key researcher in structural biology, especially in using X-rays to study proteins.

Her Life and Career

Hilda Cid Araneda was born on February 20, 1933. She was born in Talcahuano, a port city in Chile. She finished her early schooling there. Her parents were both teachers. They knew how important education was for their children.

In 1951, Hilda started studying to become a physics and math teacher. She went to the University of Concepción. In 1955, she won a special university award. This award was for the best student in her year.

She then moved to the Pedagogical Institute of the University of Chile in Santiago, Chile. There, she joined a lab that studied crystals. She also did research in physics. At the same time, she was an assistant professor in the Optics lab. Her research helped her write her main paper. It was called “Some optical methods in determining the crystal structures by X-ray.” Later, she published one of her first science papers on this topic. In 1958, she became a certified Physics and Mathematics Teacher. She earned this with the highest honors.

In 1960, Hilda moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She went with her husband and two sons. MIT is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. She continued her studies in crystallography there. She worked with Professor Martin J. Buerger. In 1962, she wrote her Master's thesis. It was about figuring out the structure of hexatitanate potassium. She used X-ray crystallography for this. During these years, she became very skilled at using X-rays. She used them to find the crystal structure of large, complex molecules. She also helped figure out the structure of terramycin (oxytetracycline). In 1964, she earned her PhD in science. Her PhD was about the "Crystal structure of the turquoise group minerals." Only four women had earned a PhD in that department at MIT before her.

After her PhD, she went back to Chile. She started a new team of scientists and researchers. They worked in the new field of crystallography at the University of Chile. Later, she became a full professor of Biophysics. She taught at the Austral University of Chile in Valdivia.

In 1974, after the military took over the government, Hilda and her family had to leave Chile. They went to Uppsala, Sweden. She joined the Wallenberg Protein Laboratory. This lab was at the University of Uppsala. There, she used X-ray diffraction to study large biological molecules. Her team was able to find the 3D shape of carbonic anhydrase. They also found a special shape of G-actin when it joined with DNase I.

In 1979, she returned from Sweden. She brought some science equipment from Uppsala University with her. She took it to the Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics. This lab was at the University of Concepción, her old university. She continued to work there until she retired in 1996.

Her Lasting Impact

Hilda made great discoveries in science. But she is also known for other things. She was an excellent professor. She strongly supported science education. She saw early on how different science fields could work together. She also cared a lot about fairness and people having a say in their government.

In 1965, she helped start the Chilean Physical Society. It is called Sociedad Chilena de Física, or SOCHIFI. She was the only woman on its leadership team until 2013.

In 1972, she took part in the First National Congress of Scientists. At this meeting, scientists agreed they had a duty to help society progress.

In the 1980s, she was very important in organizing the Association of Academics. This was at the University of Concepción. She was chosen as its president. She also supported students who protested against the military taking control of universities.

In 2018, an auditorium at the University of Concepción was named after her.

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