The dreaded “brain drain” affecting the island, precipitated by Hurricane Maria, has seen the population drop drastically, with over 70% of graduates leaving the island. Is there an antidote for this?
Shirley McPhaul-Castro thinks it is. McPhaul-Castro is the director of CryptoCurious, an educational initiative of the Puerto Rico Blockchain Trade Association (PRBTA) that aims to bring Web 3 technology to the island in an accessible way.
November 11 marks the start of the Web 3 Hackathon 2.0, held by PRBTA and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Blockchain Initiative, where participants will design and develop products to solve pressing problems – all using blockchain technology. Puerto Rico’s crypto and blockchain community has grown steadily and is seen by many as the island’s golden ticket to improving its global position in technology and bringing high-paying jobs.
“Since Hurricane Maria, more than 90% of my friends have left. The island has become a lonely place,” said McPhaul-Castro in an interview with THE WEEKLY JOURNAL. “We can seize this opportunity to create high-paying jobs so that our artists and engineers can stay and so that the diaspora can return. No one leaves home because they want to, [you] migrate because you have no choice. As Puerto Ricans, we want to change that, get our hands dirty and get the job done. Hopefully more will join us.”
Last August, PRBTA and IEEE held the first Web 3 Hackathon, which hosted over 30 participants in 13 teams. In November, they collaborate with The Opportunity Project (TOP). TOP is an initiative led by the US Census Bureau that brings together technologists, government agencies and communities to rapidly prototype digital products using federal open data.
PRBTA and IEEE selected three problem statements for participants to focus on: “Building Community and Individual Climate Resilience”, “Helping Communities Access Infrastructure Grant Funding” and “Enhancing Children’s Resilience to Adversity in Puerto Rico”. As part of the partnership with TOP, experts from relevant federal agencies will advise participants in the development of their prototypes.
“By using data-driven solutions directly from the federal government, we would be able to create solutions that are more valuable, focused and applicable to us here. With these challenges, there is ample opportunity to apply the data sets. The way they are used is up to the creativity of each team,” commented McPhaul-Castro.
The Hackathon invites professionals from all backgrounds, not just those in technology sectors. They want to see teachers, artists, marketing experts and others in addition to developers. It’s a reminder that blockchain technology and Web 3 offer opportunities far beyond investing in cryptocurrency.
“Crypto and NFT are only 10% of the use cases that blockchain can solve. Over the past few months, we have seen more companies bring blockchain technology to their organizations,” explained Christian Meléndez, Blockchain Initiative Coordinator for IEEE.
Blockchain technology can be used to solve large-scale problems. For example, NFTs can be used to track manufacturing projects, trailers and vehicles, and even call posts. “In the future, NFTs will be used for everything. Call records, SSN, all of those things will be tied to an NFT or a blockchain technology,” Melendez said.
Winners of the Web 3 Hackathon 2.0 will be presented during Blockchain Week, which will take place from December 5 to 10. They will have the opportunity to present in front of potential investors and other industry experts, giving the projects the visibility they need to continue to innovate.
“At the end of the day, what we want to do is give Puerto Ricans the ability to create blockchain solutions to positively impact the island. I really think this technology is a way for us to empower ourselves on the island because it’s open source, just coming underway. There is a huge opportunity for knowledge transfer on the island. I have high hopes to create these places and these events tailored for Puerto Ricans to work together,” highlighted McPhaul-Castro.
