Today we’d like to introduce you to Walter Martinez.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am an immigrant from Honduras who dreamed of working on creating robots for the movie industry after my mom took me to the movies in 1977 to see Star Wars. I came to the US in 1990 after graduating high school in 1989. I was 17 years old and spoke very little English. I learned English by taking regular classes at El Camino College in Torrance where I met someone who is now my wife and also helped me learn English. I completed an associate’s degree from El Camino and some electronic certificates. I worked there as a computer tutor. I transferred to California State University where I completed a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. I was offered a job on campus as a systems analyst and have been working full-time there since 1997. In 2001, I completed a master’s degree in technical education as I wanted to become a professor one day. I started teaching robotics since then so now is 22 years of teaching at CSULB part-time and I am also an IT Manager for the campus full-time. I’ve also had the robotics hobby since I was a kid so became very involved in robotics by joining the Robotics Society of Southern California in 1992! Throughout the years I’ve built many robots of all kinds including a robotics kit used by many schools worldwide. I also became president of that society for three years.
From 2001 to 2009, I was involved in Battlebots and Robot Wars a show about fighting robots to the death shown on various television channels. From this experience, I got a chance to build robots for TV shows like Taina, various pilot shows, The Neighborhood, a movie called Breaking, 911 Lonestar, The Rookie, consultant in Transformers and The Creator (non-paid), Amazon Prime show, Pacific Rim, CSI Las Vegas, and others. Over the years I’ve become a philanthropist donating computers and other technologies to high schools in Honduras and Cape Verde where computer labs are set up with that equipment to teach computers and robotics. I was honored to be a recipient of the Kindness Award this year (2023) by the Global Society of Female Engineers; I was just nominated (graduation is in 2024) for a humanitarian honorary doctorate. I am also heavily involved with the 502st and Rebel Legion Star Wars costuming clubs where we create Star Wars character costumes and wear them to non-profit charity events, hospitals, and schools to motivate people with our costumes. Lastly, I am an avid cyclist and have cycled in various countries. The costuming club activities have been a very rewarding experience as well as my teaching experiences. So, my dreams did come true!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like many people who come to this country, my struggle was with the language. I had to spend a lot of time learning English, and I did not even know there were ESL English as a Second Language classes! I took the standard classes throughout college. I failed all my classes in my first semester at El Camino College. I learned English so well that when I went to Californian State University, Long Beach I had to take an English Proficiency Exam before completing a bachelor’s degree, but the tester did not believe I wrote the answers to the test! The test was in person, and the tester made me take another test in front of her because she thought I had cheated! I’ve always worked hard and believe in putting in 120% of you and what you do. My mentality has always been if they are paying me to do a job I signed up for then I must do it and do it correctly. Same with any project I am involved in. My wife calls me Forrest Gump because a lot of opportunities have fallen on me and I have taken advantage of them, but I believe in preparing for what you want, treating everyone the same no matter who they are, and being kind – it goes a long way! You reap what you sow.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have several careers that involve from analytical to artistic.
1. I am a professor of robotics at CSULB. I teach basic robotics hardware and software, plus help students get jobs.
2. I am an IT Manager for CSULB. I manage people, analysts, tech, GIS specialists, budgets, and many systems as it relates to campus infrastructure such as construction management, energy management, and maintenance for a university with 37,000 students, 100 buildings, over 6000 employees, and 50 acres of land.
3. I build robots for television commercials and movies, I’ve built several Star Wars droids (robots).
4. I am also a YouTuber where I review some robotics kits and post about the various projects I’ve worked on. I have about 7000 followers on YouTube and 5000 on Facebook.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Apps: Notepad ++ just for note-taking.
Books – so many, but I love to read all sorts of biographies, financial and books that talk about human habits.
Blogs – mostly related to AI technologies.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.socalrobots.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martinezmarconi
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walter-martinez-marconi-331513158/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SoCalRobots
