Kathrin Barboza Márquez facts for kids

Kathrin Barboza Márquez (born in 1983) is a Bolivian biologist. She is a leading expert in studying bats. In 2006, Kathrin and another researcher found a type of bat that people thought had disappeared. Later, in 2010, she received a special award called the "Young Explorer Grant" from National Geographic.

Kathrin made history in 2012. She became the first Bolivian scientist to win a L'Oréal-UNESCO Fellowship for Women in Science. In 2013, the BBC recognized her as one of the top ten women scientists in Latin America.

Kathrin's Early Life and Bat Discovery

Kathrin Barboza Márquez was born in 1983 in Cochabamba, Bolivia. She is the only child of Mario Pablo Barboza Céspedes and María Alcira Márquez Zurita. She went to the Universidad Mayor de San Simón (UMSS) to study biology. She focused on how to protect nature and its living things.

How Kathrin Started Studying Bats

In 2003, Kathrin was studying biology. She had to attend a talk about bats because she lost a bet with her friends. The talk was given by Dr. Luis Aguirre, a bat expert. Kathrin was surprised by how much she learned.

She realized how important bats are to nature. She also learned that there are many different kinds of bats. Kathrin says that people often think bats are scary or bad. But she explains that this is not true. After the talk, she decided to focus her studies on bats.

Finding the Lost Sword-Nosed Bat

Kathrin took a course on bat sounds. A German scientist named Elisabeth Kalko became one of her teachers. For her university project, Kathrin studied how fruit bats reproduce. She also worked with her mentor, Aideé Vargas. They went on a year-long trip to find the Nariz de Espada, or sword-nosed bat. People believed this bat had been extinct in Bolivia since the 1930s.

The trip was very difficult for Kathrin. She remembers feeling tired and unsure if it was worth it. But all her doubts disappeared when she finally saw the sword-nosed bat. Finding it meant the bat was not extinct in Bolivia. This discovery allowed them to start working on protecting the species.

In 2006, Kathrin and Aideé Vargas rediscovered the Bolivian sword-nosed bat (Lonchorhina aurita). This bat had not been seen in Bolivia for 72 years. Now, this bat is protected in a special area. This area is called the Ecological Sanctuary of the Town of San Juan de Corralito. It is located in the Santa Cruz Department. This was the first place in Latin America made just to protect a bat species.

Kathrin's Work and Education

After her discovery, Kathrin continued her education. She earned a Master's degree in Biology and Conservation of Tropical Areas. She studied at the Menéndez Pelayo International University. Her classes were held in Quito, Ecuador.

Teaching About Bats and Their Benefits

Since 2010, Kathrin has traveled to many countries. She teaches people about bat sounds and why bats are helpful. Bats are important because they eat insects and help pollinate plants. Insect-eating bats help control pests. Pollinating bats help plants like agave (used for tequila), mangoes, bananas, and guavas grow.

For her PhD research, Kathrin studied bats in Madrid, Spain. She worked with the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. Many of the 27 native bat species there are endangered. After her research, Kathrin returned to Cochabamba. She finished her PhD and joined projects to protect bats in Bolivia. She also worked with the Latin American Network for the Conservation of Bats.

Being a Woman in Science

Kathrin feels it is a special honor to be a woman in science, especially in Bolivia. She has faced unfair treatment because she is a young woman scientist. She says her hard work and value were sometimes questioned. Kathrin believes it is important to speak up against such unfairness.

To encourage more young women in conservation, Kathrin suggests that schools should create opportunities. These opportunities would allow young girls to talk with women who work in science. For girls interested in protecting nature, Kathrin advises studying biology at university.

Helping Bolivia's Forests

In 2019, large fires burned over 4.2 million acres of land in Bolivia. This included the Chiquitano forest, where Kathrin had worked for six years. From her home in La Paz, Kathrin helped by teaching people about the fires. She explained how they affected Bolivia's nature and wildlife. She worked to gather information and share it. Her goal was to unite people to save what was left of the forests.

Kathrin knows there is much work to do to protect Bolivia's amazing variety of life and its bats. But through her research and efforts, she is making progress every day. She helps protect the country's natural homes and its mammals, especially her "two-taloned friends."

Current Roles

Kathrin has over ten years of experience. She has taught bat sound courses in Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Peru, Spain, and Uruguay. She now works as a researcher at the Natural History Museum Alcide d'Orbigny. There, she studies mammalogy, which is the study of mammals. She also teaches courses on fieldwork and biodiversity at Natural Zone, an environmental education group.

Kathrin's Accomplishments and Awards

Kathrin Barboza Márquez has received many important awards and grants for her work.

Research Grants and Discoveries

In 2007, Kathrin won a grant from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. This allowed her to do research on Barro Colorado Island in Panama. She studied how forest edges affected the bats living on the island.

After her work in Panama, Kathrin won the 2009 National Geographic Young Explorer Scholarship Grant. She used the money to study bat sounds in the Beni Savanna in northern Bolivia. She created one of the first libraries of bat sounds for insect-eating bats in Bolivia. These sounds are called echolocation frequencies. Kathrin says listening to bats is an amazing feeling. It helps her hear something that no one else can.

Kathrin and other scientists also studied tiny creatures called ectoparasites on bats in the savanna. These are parasites that live on the outside of an animal's body. No one had ever done a full study on parasites of bat groups before. The scientists used special nets to catch and release bats over five months. They found and listed more than 20 types of mites and ticks. Studies are still ongoing to identify the rest of the samples.

Prestigious Awards

In 2012, Kathrin received a L'Oréal-UNESCO Fellowship for Women in Science. She was the first Bolivian to win this award. She was very happy and proud to represent Bolivia. She knew that science is not always valued in Latin America. This award made her even more determined to support girls and women in science in her country.

She used her award to study the ultrasound sounds of bats. These sounds are too high for humans to hear. Scientists record the way bats call, how often they call, and how long their calls last. This helps them figure out if bats are talking to each other or looking for food. The recordings also help identify which bat species live in certain areas.

In 2013, the BBC named Kathrin as one of the ten leading women scientists in Latin America.

Kathrin's Hobbies

Besides biology, Kathrin Barboza Márquez enjoys pilates. She spends several hours a day practicing it. Pilates started as a way to heal a back injury she got during a trip. But it became another one of her passions. She is now an instructor and a board member at Mundo Pilates, a center in Cochabamba. Kathrin says Pilates helps her clear her mind. She also likes baking and watching good movies at home on her days off.

See also

In Spanish: Kathrin Barboza Márquez para niños