Francis Molina, Technology Director
(202) 326-7002
Francis Molina is the technology director for AAAS Project 2061. Molina’s
primary responsibilities are the design, development, and testing
of new computer-based
products. He is also responsible for supervising Project 2061's computer/information
technology personnel.
Molina collaborates with several National Science Digital Library (NSDL) projects that are making use of the maps from Project 2061’s Atlas of Science Literacy as interfaces for browsing their collections. These projects introduced the Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format for the Science Literacy Maps. Molina is currently co-principal investigator on the National Science Foundation-funded NSDL project, “PRISMS: Phenomena and Representations for the Instruction of Science in Middle Schools” and is a regular presenter at the annual SVG conference.
Molina has a background in research, science education, and computing. Prior
to joining Project 2061, he was a research scientist at the American Type
Culture Collection where his responsibilities included managing the development
of science-oriented multimedia CD-ROM products and training staff in Web authoring,
graphics packages, presentation, digital video production, and database management.
He was also an assistant professor and a lecturer in the Philippines at the
University of Santo Tomas and the University of the Philippines, teaching
courses in cell and molecular biology. As a fellow of the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) in 1995 and 1996, he contributed towards teacher training
and professional development by conducting workshops in molecular biology
and the use of Internet computing tools.
Molina earned his B.S. and M.S. in
botany from the University of the Philippines, his Ph.D.
(botany) from the University of British Columbia—Vancouver,
Canada, and his Certificate in
Interactive Multimedia (a combined track in Web development
and multimedia authoring) from George Washington University.
He maintains strong ties with
the Washington-area multimedia community.
