Welcome: Hernan Lopez

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Welcome, Hernan Lopez

At Brilliant Labs we encourage you to be inspired to create with technology rather an consumers of it. grew up in Bogotá - Colombia, then I move to Canada three years ago with my family.

You’ve studied here: Yes, I moved to Saint John to study a 2-year program at NBCC, I studied Energy Systems Technology to complement my studies in Colombia where I studied Electronic Engineering and Project Management under the PMI and Scrum methodologies.

Your favorite making story is: Definitively Apple, I am a fan of all Apple products, its history of creation and evolution, how they found the perfect niche for its product and how they manage to have faithful consumers like me, I find it fascinating.

My first inspiration was my father, an innovative man, entrepreneur and excellent salesman, who gave me my first computer in 1986 when this was a totally strange item unknown to most in my country. With this first computer I learned to program by myself, I opened it with much fear of damaging it but quite curious and eager to learn how it worked, I managed to understand and learn to assemble computers, all this allowed me to find my passion for technology and communications that I maintain with the same enthusiasm, every time I see or program a new device I remember my first computer.

This past fall Brilliant Labs had the pleasure of welcoming Hernan Lopez to our team as Technology Development Project Manager.

Where did you grow up and how did you come to work for Brilliant Labs? I grew up in Bogotá - Colombia and three years ago we decided with my wife and daughter to migrate to Canada, so I chose the Energy Systems Technology study program from NBCC, one day we were at with my daughter in Market Square visiting a fair and suddenly my daughter saw some robots that were in the stand of Brilliant Labs and immediately wanted to go to play with robots, the truth is that she did not want to release them and almost did not let play other children, at that time I met Jeff and while talking I realized that in Brilliant Labs they did everything I liked and passionate about, then I started volunteering to fix a 3D printer, then I did my NBCC degree work with the support of Jeff and Brilliant Labs, the work was a "Prototype of Energy Management System using b.Board Device", finally in June 2020 I received my degree from NBCC and then I started working with Brilliant Labs, which has been very rewarding for me and a unique experience.

In your lifetime has anyone inspired you to change your mind, for the better, to overcome an obstacle?

My daughter is definitely my greatest inspiration, she has allowed me to see things differently and change myself. When you are a parent you work every day knowing your responsibility to society and your child. I want to be an example and guide for her. This inspires me makes to work hard and overcome any obstacle no matter how high it is. “My daughter is definitely my greatest inspiration, she has allowed me to see things differently and change myself.

What is your passion?

My passion is without a doubt my profession, I am passionate about technology, communications, building my own hardware or software and project management. I could spend days, weeks, full months immersed in my software or hardware development projects, until I achieve the final result.

Tell us about your favourite project.

My favorite project was the construction of a mobile radar tower for aircraft landing in emergencies, it was very interesting because it involved all kinds of technical, mechanical and logistical challenges. This project enabled me to acquire new knowledge on the purchase, installation and commissioning of control tower components, travel to the production plants to personally supervise the manufacture of the main equipment and it was very exciting to see how this was finally transported and raised automatically to go into operation and then moved to another track.

What goals do you have as you work with Brilliant Labs?

My goals are to make the bBoard and the Brilliant Labs Learning Kits reach many more children around the world and make it easier for everyone to learn about new technologies, different programming languages and systems used in the industry.

What project challenge would you give to students who want to someday work in the Information Communication Technology field?

I would recommend programming challenges that involve communication between multiple devices and collaborative work between multiple machines. The ways to solve these challenges are varied, interesting and expand the possibilities of learning and help to prepare for the field of ICT.

What advice would you give teachers or parents who are interested in exposing youth to electronics, coding or electrical engineering fields?

The best advice I can give you is to break paradigms and give every child the opportunity to explore, disarm and have contact with the fields of electronics, coding or electrical engineering, regardless of age or gender, as the father of a 7- year-old girl I have been able to observe that there is still a tendency in society to exclude girls from this

field, in my particular case I have exposed her from a very young age and I have noticed her growing interest in these fields, she generates ideas, she wants to make robots, she builds her prototypes in cardboard and I’m sure that just like her there are thousands of children who would want to develop their ideas. I am happy to be working on the b.Board project to help support youth, teachers and parents - as together, we can help inspire dreams into reality.

If you have questions about the b.Board and how this rapid prototyping tool can help youth and innovators, let’s connet you with Hernan or visit brilliantlabs.ca/bboard for information.

Email: hernanl@brilliantlabs.ca