R&D Ambassadors Begin Their Activities
12/08/2024
The LACNIC R&D Ambassadors selected this year began their activities this past June. The R&D Ambassadors Program seeks to formalize collaboration between technological leaders in the community and LACNIC to achieve our strategic objectives for advancing the development of Internet infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Through an open application process, the program identified five professionals interested in conducting R&D in line with LACNIC’s infrastructure development efforts. In this edition, these were the selected candidates:
Hernán Samaniego Armijos
Ecuador
Richard Huchani
Bolivia
The five ambassadors shared their interest in the program and their plans for the period from June 2024 to June 2025. These are some of their thoughts.
Who is Richard Huchani and what is his project about?
“I am an Electronic Engineer specializing in networking and data security. A lifelong technology enthusiast, I have always tried to contribute to bridging the digital divide in my country. Within the framework of LACNIC’s R&D Ambassadors Program, I am interested in meeting with various ISPs to discuss the implementation of BGP collectors and the installation of measurement probes. I would also like to promote RPKI and the creation of ROAs within organizations such as banks, universities, and government agencies.”
Celsa Sánchez and her program for Chile. What are her thoughts on this?
“I am a Telecommunications Engineer with ten years of hands-on experience in IT Infrastructure management and a background in —and knowledge of— BGP, RPKI, DNS, IPv4, and IPv6. The main goal of my project is to increase the number of measurement tools available in the country, such as RIPE Atlas probes, particularly in regions where there are currently none or very few. I also aim to encourage Internet providers to connect to route collectors and share their BGP tables. This will provide us with more information and resources for forensic analysis, research, and solving current issues. Additionally, training will be offered to the community on topics such as RPKI, DNSSEC, BGP, and IPv6.”
What challenges does Raitme Citterio seek to address through the R&D Ambassadors Program?
“I always look for challenges where I can apply my technical expertise and strategic thinking to promote capacity building. The initiative is a great opportunity to create technical collaboration with national and regional ISPs that are members of the Venezuelan Network Operators Group (VENOG) for the purpose of improving key aspects such as IPv6, RPKI, anti-spoofing, and regional and national BGP traffic management measurements. Additionally, to work together with RIPE Atlas and MANRS.”
Expectations of Andrés Cortés for the R&D Ambassadors Program. What is his focus?
“I have been Head of the ICT Department of the Municipality of Carrillo, located in the district of Filadelfia in the province of Guanacaste, for 18 years, and I have also been a university professor for many years. My expectation for the Ambassadors Program is to raise awareness about the importance of LACNIC’s role within the Internet ecosystem among state universities and local governments throughout Costa Rica. I would also like to promote initiatives on DNS infrastructure, measurement probes, DNS root servers, and other efforts to improve the governance and management of Internet services in the region. Additionally, I will work with operators in the Guanacaste province and in Costa Rica in general to promote the deployment of infrastructure, measurement probes, and the adoption of new technologies.”
What plans and objectives does Hernán Samaniego have for Ecuador?
“I have a degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering by the National Polytechnic School of Ecuador. As a professional who is passionate about advancing and disseminating information technologies in Latin America, I am convinced that collaboration and the exchange of knowledge will allow us to overcome barriers and promote a stable, sustainable digital ecosystem. My idea is to work closely with local communities, academia, and private companies in the provinces of Ecuador to increase the number of deployed IPv6 probes to contribute measurements and promote IPv6 adoption in our country. We also plan to promote at least three events to highlight the advantages of using IPv6.”
We will continue to update you on the activities of the R&D Ambassadors in the coming months and share the results of their work. At LACNIC, we hope that R&D Ambassadors will become leaders not only within the regional technical community but also within each of their own local communities.
We also hope this will inspire new applicants to respond to the 2025 call for applications, which will open at the beginning of next year.