Nicole Hernandez Hammer

Nicole Hernández Hammer ( Hernández Estrada; born 1975) is an American sea-level researcher, climate scientist, and environmental-justice advocate, known for her work on the disproportionate impact of climate change on low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.

Early life and education Nicole Hernández Estrada was born in Guatemala to a Guatemalan mother, María Eugenia Estrada Nicolle, and a Cuban-American father, Óscar Gonzalo Hernández-Cano, a pulmonologist. Hernández has two younger brothers, the actor Oscar Isaac and Mike, a journalist. The family later moved to the El Quiché Highlands as part of Hernández's father medical training. In 1979, the family migrated to the United States so that Hernández's father could complete medical residency. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew destroyed the family's Miami home.

Hernández attended the University of South Florida and earned a bachelor's degree in integrated natural sciences. Hernández then studied for a M.S. in biology at Florida Atlantic University, and a MBA in finance at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Hernández taught at both the Florida Atlantic University and University of Southern Florida, and was the deputy director of the Florida Center for Environmental Studies at Florida Atlantic University. Hernández's advocacy focuses on how climate change disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income communities, and how sea level rise disproportionately affects Latino populations.

In 2012, Hernández was appointed the Florida Coastal Expert for the Union of Concerned Scientists, and later the Southeast Climate Science and Community Advocate. Hernández worked to make climate science more accessible to Latino communities.

Hernánde was the Florida field manager for Moms Clean Air Force, and advocated for pollution regulation and children's health. In 2015, Hernández was invited to the State of the Union Address by First Lady Michelle Obama to spread awareness about climate change and its effects on communities of color. The same year, Hammer presented Governor Rick Scott a report on climate change's effects in Florida, yet she was allegedly instructed by his administration to remove all mention of climate change (which he denies). In 2016, Hammer attended the Climate March and spoke to several news networks on how important research funding from the government is for tracking the changes of the earth from climate change. In 2017, Hernández was on the panel for Amy Poehler's Smart Girls, and spoke about the disproportionate impacts of climate change on communities of color.

In 2020, Hernández became an environmental scientist at UPROSE, a Latino community-based organization in Brooklyn. The same year Hernández was a guest lecturer at Yale University, Harvard University and Brown University.

Honors and awards

In 2022, Hernández was awarded the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Great Immigrant Award.

Personal life Hernández lives in Rhode Island with her husband and son.