María Isabel Rueda

Colombian engineer who revolutionized disaster response through innovative infrastructure solutions

María Isabel Rueda (b. 1972) pioneered earthquake-resistant construction techniques that have saved thousands of lives across Latin America. Her breakthrough came in 1999 when her Flexible Foundation System was implemented in Colombia's earthquake-prone regions. This cost-effective technology uses recycled materials to create base isolators that reduce building collapse risk by 80%. As founder of the Construyendo Vida NGO, she has trained over 5,000 engineers in disaster-prone countries.

Rueda's 2003 invention of the Modular Emergency Shelter Kit became a UNICEF standard for post-disaster housing. Her research contributed to the Global Earthquake Model, adopted by 40 nations for risk assessment. In 2010, she established the Rueda Foundation to promote STEM education for girls in conflict zones. Her TED Talk Building Hope, Not Rubble (2016) has been viewed over 5 million times. Rueda's work is detailed in the technical manual Resilient Architecture for Vulnerable Regions (2018) and featured in the BBC documentary series Engineering the Impossible.