Features August 2019

That salmon you had for dinner last week—or that you have in your fridge or freezer? Odds are it wasn’t just plucked out of the ocean or freshwater stream. State-of-the-art technologies were involved in every aspect of its life cycle—from hatching to the final packaging as a food product. As Rodrigo Ignacio Rodríguez explains, during […]

In 2012, when a workman unplugged a patch cord in the core switch at Prisma Medios de Pago, shutting down Argentina’s largest payment system for two hours, it created plenty of problems for the Buenos Aires-based company. For Pablo Cattolica—then the international operations manager—it created a once-in-a-career opportunity. When the company’s executive team clamored for […]

After years of hard work, you’re finally earning enough to purchase your dream car: a brand new Mercedes-Benz S-Class. And a hefty insurance policy to go with it. But despite paying the premiums, you notice that the materials the insurance company is sending—policy updates, special offers for insuring a second car—aren’t exactly speaking to you. […]

Say you’re the CIO at a fast-growing company. There are a few hundred employees, earnings solidly in the eight figures, with operations in a handful of states—and more on the way. With a number of your competitors falling victim to data breaches, it’s time to redouble your cybersecurity efforts. But with so many options available […]

Some students are using 3D printers to retrofit vehicles for disabled individuals—installing brake and gas pedals on steering wheels, for example, or ensuring that seats are molded in such a way that occupants can safely remain upright. Others students are working with local businesses to develop their online marketing, or they’re helping fellow students when […]

Think of it as a sort of “Shark Tank” for the primary and secondary education set. Teachers and staff come before a board, pitch their product and if the “investors” are excited about it, receive $1,000 to implement it. Down the road, if they meet stated goals, they receive another $500 stipend. And if their […]

He may not get out of the data center as much as he’d like, but when seeing firsthand the effects of his role during occasional classroom visits, Scott Pierce can further vindicate his long-ago decision to shift careers from teaching to technology. “It’s very rewarding to see an economically disadvantaged child who has never traveled […]

In an age when giant tech companies like Upwork and Uber pop up in rapid succession and employees hop from one job to the next, William Zauner is frequently asked what’s kept him working at JAMS for 29 years. His response? “It isn’t one company, it has been many different companies over the years,” Zauner, […]

Belting out Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” in front of thousands of people was a liberating moment for Claudio Zavala. Being a shy guy—and by his own admission not the greatest singer—it was a bold move for this drummer-educator to take center stage with wild abandon—a moment that he says changed his career path forever. […]

Dan Zalacain thinks back to his early days in IT at Macy’s a decade ago. Back then, a technology crisis could erupt into a 4 a.m. conference call with a hundred programmers scratching their heads to understand what’s wrong and the fastest way to fix it. Work-life balance? It didn’t exist. But Zalacain, who joined […]