Julian Blanco

Tell us about your work/research. What kinds of things do you do?

My work is in designing and troubleshooting deep sea robotic vehicles. Specifically I work on designing electrical subsystems and guidance/control. The intersection of how reliable systems can be designed and how cheaply something can be built is particularly exciting to me.

What sparked your initial interest in your career?

My interest for the ocean began growing up in Tampa FL, sailing and seeing the coral exhibits at the Florida Aquarium. That lead me to joining the Coast Guard and becoming an engineer and seeing how we can use technology for use at sea.

Who influenced you or encouraged ou the most?

Dr Richard Hartnett made me who I am today. Electrical engineering often gets a bad reputation because its not something you can hold in your hand or have physical intution for. His approach to teaching and breaking down problems took abstract signal processing / mathematical RF/ circuit concepts and turned them into manageable chunks of information that could be stacked together to build a big picture view.

What element of your work/study do you think is the most fascinating?

Using sound to localize robots in the ocean or to solve tomography problems to learn about ocean parameters like temp and salinity for large swaths of ocean is just darn cool and never gets old.

What other jobs led you to your current career?

Joining the Coast Guard lead me to becoming an engineer and having the appreciation of how to apply those skills at sea.

What are your degrees and certifications?

BS Electrical Engineering - US Coast Guard Academy 2017
MS Electrical Engineering - Univ of Rhode Island - Currently enrolled

What are your hobbies?

Spearfishing and sailing!

What advice would you give someone who wants to have a career like yours?

One of the coolest things i think about this field is how approachable its becoming to enter without needing formal education. Patience, a curious mind and some youtube will take you really far if you let it.