Fellow:Brian Lorenzo
Life's Too Short for Just One Passion
Brian Lorenzo is a driven Electronics Engineer based in Montevideo, Uruguay. He is passionate about leveraging technology and innovation to make a positive impact, particularly in education.
Brian's career reflects his diverse skills and commitment to creating impactful solutions. He currently works at Ceibal, an organization dedicated to promoting digital inclusion in Uruguayan public education, where he leads research and development initiatives in educational technology. He is particularly interested in the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and is actively involved in researching and developing new approaches to teaching and learning with AI.
Prior to Ceibal, Brian excelled as an Innovation Manager at Innovation Lab (by 1950Labs), driving internal and external innovation projects. He also honed his teaching skills as an assistant professor at Universidad Católica del Uruguay (UCU), where he shared his expertise in assembler programming for CISC and RISC microprocessors.
A notable achievement in Brian's career is his work on "The Hy Project", a groundbreaking initiative that developed a system for electric and hybrid vehicles to emit specific sound frequencies that enhance plant growth. This project gained international recognition, earning a nomination for Fast Company's "World Changing Ideas" award and becoming a finalist in the Smart Cities, Transportation & Logistics category at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Brian is a lifelong learner with diverse interests. He enjoys playing guitar, crafting his own beer, and continually expanding his knowledge in areas like User Experience Research (UXR). Brian is also an avid board sport enthusiast, with over 20 years of experience (started skating at 7) riding skateboards, surfboards, and more recently, snowboards.
Brian The UIFellow
As a UIF Fellow, Brian has actively contributed to the organization of "LOOP: Semana de la Innovación", a Latin America Regional UIF Meetup, in 2018 (as a fellow trainee) and 2019, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange among local and international participants.
Brian's commitment to the program extended well beyond his own cohort. He has been actively involved in mentoring subsequent generations of UIF students at Universidad Católica del Uruguay, counseling them through the application process, helping them develop their project ideas, and sharing his own experiences to help them succeed. His ongoing involvement with the UIF program highlights Brian's commitment to nurturing a more innovative and student-centered approach to higher education. He is currently working in co-designing, alongside other fellows and Ithaka, the innovation center of the university, a pre-training course for the newest fall 2024 UCU cohort.
AI in Education
Brian is passionate about making AI accessible and beneficial in educational settings. He believes in the transformative potential of AI to create more engaging, personalized, and effective learning experiences. His current work in this field includes:
- Co-authoring the "Marco referencial para la enseñanza de la inteligencia artificial": This framework, developed in collaboration with other experts, provides guidance for integrating AI concepts and skills into K-12 education in Uruguay.
- Researching evaluation metrics for LLM-based solutions: Brian is currently researching how to effectively measure the impact and effectiveness of educational tools and platforms powered by large language models, focusing in security breaches, cognitive bias and toxicity prevention.
- Developing practical resources for educators: He is currently co-writing a follow-up book to the "Marco referencial" that will provide teachers and students with hands-on activities, lesson plans, and other resources to facilitate the integration of AI into various subjects and learning environments.
Related Links
Universidad Católica del Uruguay Campus Overview
Universidad Católica del Uruguay Strategic Priorities
Brian Lorenzo
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