An Experience from the Caribbean

Welcome to Garden Puerto Rico.
Here you will find a short introduction to our beloved home in the heart of the Caribbean.
Our partners, organizers and sponsors are thrilled to receive you with a warm welcome by sharing a glimpse of Puerto Rico’s natural beauty and charm.

As part of our approach to this year’s theme, A New Digital Deal, we want to showcase the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust’s mission to apply digital technology, innovation and research to resolve the social challenges that afflict Puerto Rican communities.
In addition to this, you will hear from Argentinian artist Joaquin Fargas, our co-mastermind and collaborator for the joint venture Pulsar la Tierra. This project was born from long conversations between Buenos Aires and San Juan about bio-art, earthquakes, technology and the fear humans have of these precipitous and destructive natural phenomena. The conversations eventually transformed into an exploration of tremors as the manifestation of our Mother Earth’s life force, her pulse.
Through Joaquin’s performance, we intend to send a message to the mythical Earth: Pachamama, according to the Quechuas in South America, and/or Atabey, life-giving goddess according to the Taínos in the Caribbean. We hope that this performance will help us better understand that our planet is a living thing, that earthquakes are simply a manifestation of her “being” and that we are all connected to the universe in ways we seldom imagine.

Lucy Crespo: Luz A. Crespo Valentín holds a BA in Industrial Engineering from the UPR, Mayagüez. She completed an Executive Development education at the Kellogg’s Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University and received an Honorary Doctor of Sciences from Universidad Central del Caribe (2008). She retired as General Manager of Hewlett-Packard Puerto Rico in 2013 and is now the Chief Executive Officer of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust.

Brad Dean: Brad holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Illinois and a Master’s degree from the Moody Bible Institute. With over 20+ years of experience in the travel & tourism industry, he was named Chamber of Commerce of the Year by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives in 2015. Dean assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer for Discover Puerto Rico, the island’s first Destination Marketing Organization promoting tourism to foster economic growth, in July 2018.

Johnny Lugo Vega: Mr. Lugo has a BS in Chemistry (1992); a M.S. in Environmental Health (2005) and a Ph.D. in the History of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean (2017) from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). He got a diploma in Painting Restoration from the Istituto Per L’Arte e il Restauro in Florence, Italy (1994-1997). He is a Fellow -NSF- IGERT in Environmental Sciences (2012) and a Fellow -Prince Claus Funds-Smithsonian (2019). He is the director of the Cultural Heritage Innovation Program at the PRSTRT (2018-to date).

Credits

Luz A. Crespo Valentin, CEO- PRSTRT-PR
Brad Dean, CEO- DMO-PR
Johnny Lugo Vega-PR
Dr. David Méndez Chancellor UAGM Gurabo-PR
Fideicomiso TV- PRSTRT-PR
Alitza Cardona-PR
Ricky Vázquez-PR
Joaquín Fargas-AR
Garden Buenos Aires-AR