Could we enable social change with technology and science? An interview with Alex Alemany
The possibility of changing a society’s future for the better with the help of technology is a matter that bugs all the brightest minds. Lately I’ve had an inspiring chat with Alex Alemany, GDG and STEM Talks Menorca organizer and an active member of local developer community at Balearic Islands. Alex told me all about his engagement in the Google communities and the impact even a single action can have on the future of the region.
Q: Alex, tell us a bit about yourself: what do you do, how did you become interested in technologies and why did you decide to join the GDG as an organizer?
A: I’m a student of computer science at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. I also work as a junior data engineer at APSL. I’ve been a part of Google communities, precisely GDG Menorca from 2015. I’ve started my adventure by attending DevFest Barcelona 2015. I’ve met some very inspiring people there who encouraged me to establish a community in Menorca. At first it seemed almost impossible, but with time — our plan materialized. After a few months of working hard side by side with other organizers we were able to launch our first event in November 2015 and present a newly-founded community. Since then I’ve been engaged in GDG as well as GDSC — me and my friends started a small chapter at our University. It has been a journey, and each year has been special — we’ve seen how important a community can be to the people who are a part of it. Watching them grow, discover new things and learn is really incredible.
Q: How did you come up with the idea of organizing STEM Talks Menorca?
A: It all started in 2017 with a Women Techmakers event — it was the first official and broadly-announced meeting I’ve worked on organizing. Since then I’ve been thinking of organizing a DevFest in 2017, but I intended to have it in January and with a slightly broader vision. That’s when we came up with an idea of putting together a STEM Talks (S = Science, T = Technology, E = Engineering, M = Mathematics). During a two-day event, we welcome both local students and the general audience. Our main goal is to promote new technologies and science among those who want to learn and eventually make a change in the world. We cover all the topics indicated by the “STEM” letters, but our main focus is technology and its application in the modern world.
Q: Technology-wise, what is your main focus? How do you approach the topics?
A: Most talks are on the introductory level. We want to make sure that anyone who pops by our event can understand what’s going on, learn something new and then deepen the knowledge on their own. We cover a wide range of topics: Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, quantum computing, supercomputing, video games industry etc. We’re also discussing various topics related to science — we’ve talked about the ALBA Synchrotron, the only construction of this kind in Spain. We’ve also tackled pandemics and vaccination from a scientific point of view.
Each year the hot topics are AI, RV and video games industry. Besides that, each edition of the event contains a more social kind of talks, covering diversity in the world of technology or the impact of newest inventions on society and the environment.
Some great institutions are collaborating with us each year to organize a unique event of great importance for the local community. We have the pleasure of working with the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology, Secretary of State for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence, ALBA Synchrotron, Barcelona Supercomputing Center and different universities. Some big international companies — including Google, Microsoft, IBM or HP — also support our events. However, we make sure that our talks are not an excuse for branding or advertising, we’re not selling anything here — it’s simply about getting to know the technologies used or developed by some of the most influential companies in the world. This way attendees can learn what suits them best.
Q: What about the organization process itself? Did you face any obstacles while putting the event together? How did you overcome it?
A: Thanks to collaboration with BIT Foundation (a public non-profit located in the Balearic Islands), the event is widely advertised and recognized among local tech enthusiasts. We also use the foundation’s venue as our headquarters. Local government — Consell Insular de Menorca — also helps us with the organizational part.
And as for obstacles and difficulties — I feel that each time you organize any kind of event, the most difficult thing is inviting the right people — in our case experts and knowledgeable developers — and making sure they’re gonna be available to deliver the talk. It’s slightly more difficult for us, since Menorca is a small island — we need to coordinate the flights, schedules, and adhere to people’s needs in that matter. This takes the majority of organizers’ time.
Apart from this, advertising is also time-consuming and a bit challenging at times. We want to reach as many developers, students and tech aficionados as possible. At the moment, Menorca is not the technology hub in the region, so we’re doing our best to make the talks accessible and easy to understand for anyone. We’re always happy to see students and young people joining us, but the audience is usually much broader than that.
So, to sum up: the two main challenges are — attract young people and invite the right guests.
Q: How many people attended the 2021 virtual event, given the pandemic restrictions?
A: We’ve decided to just go online in 2021 — local safety guidelines were pretty restrictive at that time and we needed to make sure everyone stayed healthy. This year we’ve had around 120 attendees overall, but in 2020 more than 400 people came to listen to the talks.
Q: Why was the event important to the local community? Not just for developers, but for Menorca’s residents in general?
A: The most important outcome of the event was the increased visibility of technological endeavors in the region. We wanted to show to the local community that a potent and dynamic industry can be created here, in Menorca. Technology offers many different opportunities that could help the inhabitants grow and develop. The Balearic Islands live off of summer tourism — and with all the picturesque beaches, local attractions and amazing climate that we have — this place can be more than just a holiday destination. This October, during our STEM Talks we tried to find a solution that could diversify the local economy and propose a kind of activity that would stimulate the market not only during the peak of summer season, but all year round.
I’m also happy to see that GDGs Menorca activity influences local developers and other tech professionals. It’s a small island — we usually know each other, work with each other or at least heard of each other. STEM Talks turns into a hub where we can meet, talk, dispute even. It’s great that people ask questions and start inspiring discussions. During the coffee or lunch breaks we have time to get to know each other and establish a network.
And for all the young people who join us each year — events like this are a great opportunity to see that technology is not really that complicated, distant and intimidating, that they can, too, learn all the cool things we’re talking about. We’re trying to encourage young people to choose tech careers, to study software engineering or development. And — of course — to join our local community. Everyone is welcome to join.
Q: What does it mean for you to be a part of a community? What are the benefits of joining a GDG?
A: I personally love the fact that you get to meet so many amazing people — not only community members, but also guests, speakers, experts etc. We’re meeting people from all over Spain (and even the world), amazing speakers, GDG organizers from different chapters. It’s a great source of inspiration; after all, that’s how GDG Menorca started — thanks to a group of tech aficionados who showed me that dreams can come true. It was Andreu Ibàñez, GDG Spain organizer, who invited me to some events and encouraged me to establish a group like this and organize events. I’ve met many people like Andreu since then — and it’s been great.
Last November during DevFest Spain, I had an opportunity to deliver my first tech speech ever — it was an extraordinary experience. Also, it was the first event I attended as an adult, which made traveling so much easier. And even though I’m still a student, I’ve already met so many great developers and organizers and had a chance to learn from them. That is the greatest benefit of being a part of the GDG community.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: I want to keep organizing events for the developers’ community in Menorca — that’s for sure. If possible, I’d like to enhance my skills as a speaker and deliver more tech talks in a way that’ll be easy to follow and understand. Some of them are ready, waiting for the upcoming community events. I’d also like to maintain partnerships with the local institutions that help us with our endeavors. I hope our events will still be a place where talented people meet each other as well as get to know the companies who offer career opportunities. Menorca needs that fresh energy, networking, great ideas and some inspiration. That’s why we’ll keep on building the STEM Talks Menorca brand. We’re also planning on organizing a couple of smaller events around the year.
Besides that, I’m very interested in quantum computing and theoretical computer science — I’d like to be an expert in that field one day. Before that, I’m planning on graduating and then getting a master’s degree, possibly abroad. I want to keep learning, traveling and meeting new people.
Q: Do you have any advice for someone who’s just starting as a software developer?
A: That kind of advice is usually a bit pompous, overly grandiloquent, so I’ll try to keep it simple and down to earth. My primary advice would be: do not get frustrated. Although you may be really fascinated by something, it doesn’t necessarily have to go smoothly at the first try. It does not mean that you’re bad at it — some things just take time. If you really like something, be patient. Trying out new things and learning is always a good investment, and you’ll see results soon enough. Give the thing a good try! Try to also stay in touch with the community. You’ll get to learn from really skilled people who’ll be there to help you when you’re stuck. And remember — learning is not always about classes, courses and universities. Sometimes you’ll get a grasp on machine learning while having a beer with your friends.
Another edition of STEM Talks Menorca is just around the corner! Mark your calendar and join the organizers on January 27–28: register for the event.
