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Introduction
This week, the Civic Tech Scholars had the opportunity to engage in an intellectually stimulating conversation with Guillermo Vela, the CEO of Neuscience. Scholars from diverse countries and with various interests in tech and STEM found the interaction both exciting and enriching. Vela not only imparted new knowledge but also sparked new questions and curiosities.
The conversation was particularly memorable because it truly felt like a dialogue. Vela showed genuine interest in our passions and concerns for the future of San Antonio and the world. We posed numerous questions to Vela, prompting discussions about the future of computer science and STEM research. It is inspiring for us to meet lifelong learners in this field, as it reassures us that the inspiration we feel as students can endure.
Background on the Expert
Guillermo Vela was born in Mexico and raised in Laredo. He attended Johns Hopkins University for both his undergraduate studies in Latin American studies on the premedical track and his Master of Science degree. He later decided to pursue a career in tech and moved to San Antonio, close to both his hometown and the burgeoning tech scene in Austin. There, he founded a company focused on organizing medical research data to make research more efficient. Eventually, he realized that his company needed to raise its prices, which necessitated developing a more advanced product.
This led to the creation of modern Neuscience. Vela's life philosophy emphasizes continually questioning whether one is asking the right questions. Neuscience is centered around cancer research but takes a unique perspective: instead of seeking a cure, they aim to treat cancer as a manageable condition, believing that conventional cancer research may be asking the wrong questions.
Key Insights and Takeaways
Guillermo Vela emphasized the importance of always questioning whether we are asking the right questions. This principle applies to prompting AI to perform tasks productively and sculpting useful results. He also applied it to his cancer research, suggesting that the most productive question might not be how to cure cancer but how to make it livable. Vela showed great interest in our concerns for the future and had high hopes for the scientific questions that our generation will tackle. He stressed the need to continually ask the right questions about the developments in research, technology, artificial intelligence, climate change, and more.
Another key takeaway is the development of medical research in South Texas. Although medical research is not new to the region, it is not a leading area in the field. Neuscience, however, is a leading company in the field. Vela, being from and based in South Texas, is committed to uplifting the region. He wants Neuscience's success to benefit South Texas. Despite being a virtual company, Neuscience's relationship with its environment is unique. Its employees can work from anywhere, and the company outsources labs to run their experiments. Vela hopes to grow the company to eventually buy and maintain their own lab equipment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Guillermo Vela's story is a wonderful example of using passion and creativity to solve problems. He demonstrated genuine curiosity and interest in various fields, showing us an example of a lifelong learner with a passion for tech, research, and community service. We thank Guillermo Vela for sharing his story.
Additional Resources
Vela gave us some exciting book recommendations:
Ellerbe is a Civic Tech Scholars Intern with Better Futures Institute with the 2024 Students + Startups Cohort. She is an undergraduate student-athlete at Swarthmore College double-majoring in Computer Science and Political Science.
