Barbarita Lara facts for kids

Barbarita Lara Martínez was born in Santiago, Chile, on January 27, 1986. She is a talented Chilean engineer. She is the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and co-founder of EMERCOM. This company creates technology to help people communicate.

Barbarita also leads the Emergency Information System project. This amazing system lets people send important messages during a natural disaster. It works even when there is no internet or phone signal.

Barbarita's Story

Barbarita Lara studied computer engineering in Chile. She went to the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María.

How Her Idea Started

Barbarita's big idea came after a huge earthquake hit Chile in 2010. The earthquake was very strong. After it, many phone and internet networks stopped working. This made it hard for people to communicate.

A tsunami also hit the coast. Many people were affected because they did not get warnings in time. Barbarita realized how important it was for people to get information during emergencies. She wanted to use technology to help.

Her Amazing Invention

Barbarita designed a special mobile phone app. This app helps people send and receive signals using their smartphones. It can reach people in places affected by disasters. The app gives them useful information, like where to go for safety.

This app uses a clever high-frequency system. It turns audio information into a special code. This code can then travel over radio waves. It creates a link between old-school radio and new digital phones. This means it works even without internet or mobile networks!

Support for Her Project

Barbarita's father worked in cryptography for the Chilean Navy. He inspired her. Chile often has earthquakes, which also motivated her. In 2015, she started the Emergency Information System (SiE). She got a patent for her invention in 2017.

She received financial help from different groups. These included CORFO (a development corporation) and the Royal Academy of Engineering. This support helped her show her app to the world. In 2019, she even went to Portugal to promote her work. She wanted to encourage more women to join technology events.

Education and Training

Barbarita Lara has a strong background in technology.

• Computer Engineering at Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, 2016
• Training Program "Leaders in Innovation Fellowships" from the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK, 2016
• Innovation Certificate and Technological Transmission Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María + ING2030, 2017
• Training Program "Leaders in Innovation Fellowships" from the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK, 2017

Awards and Recognition

Barbarita has received many awards for her innovative work.

• Recognized as an "Important technological Entrepreneur in the V region" by Girls in Tech Chile + Ing2030.
• Award for Innovation “Software Fair XXIII March 2016", IT Department USM (Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María).
• Winner of the “MIT Technology Review: Innovators under 35 LATAM” Award. This award is from the oldest technology magazine in the world.
• Named a Young Leader in 2017.
• Finalist for the "Chilean of the Year" Award. She won in the "Chilean Innovator" category in 2018.
• Finalist of the World Summit Award Global Congress in 2018. This award celebrates the best companies with digital content and innovation.