Wonderful Women Wednesday: Ida Lopez

Each week, the Archives features a woman who has been a groundbreaker at the Smithsonian, past or present, in a series titled Wonderful Women Wednesday.

Ida Lopez joined the National Museum of Natural History’s botany department in 1998 to assist in developing the Zingiberales and Monocot Research Program. In addition to her research, Lopez helped develop the Museum’s ​ living and preserved specimen collections and ran the day-to-day operations of the lab. She managed funds for the department’s research grants and provided resources for the scholars, interns, and fellows who researched in the lab. Lopez also mentored young scientists through the Youth Engagement Through Science (YES!) Program at the Museum and through local high schools.

Lopez retired in January 2019 after 20 years of service. 

Lopez stands in a line of three men and one woman. She and four other people are holding up a folder

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