Remo joined CORE at the end of 2007 with the eXe project and development team. Over the year prior to joining us Remo worked with and helped develop eXe - the eLearning XHTML editor, a content authoring tool. As Remo is a software engineer with a longstanding interest in education, developing eXe has been an exciting prospect for him as it is freely available open source software, bringing in a world-wide user base of teachers and tutors interested in creating high-quality educational content.
Prior to his work on eXe, he has designed and developed software for:
- NASA spacecraft studying the planet Mars
- Hollywood computer graphics and special effects
- Law enforcement data mining systems
- Industrial-strength scheduling software
- Artificial intelligence and simulation research
- A neural systems laboratory that researched how the brain stores new information
- and the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Remo assures us he is definitely not a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon, but has had a great time writing code for those who are!
Remo is interested in making a positive impact in the arena of education. He has more than two decades of technical experience designing, architecting, and implementing ICT tools and systems in various academic and research environments, and has also been inspired by his own experiences teaching in a wide variety of contexts from computer programming at the University of Arizona to safe skateboarding for youth of all ages. He has also participated in teacher education programmes, including the semester-long "Teaching Teachers Workshop" and the "Beginners Guide to Adult Learning and Teaching" at Tairawhiti Polytechnic.
A native of the United States, Remo grew up near the Southern California oceans of Los Angeles, skied and snowboarded through the Colorado mountains during University (earning his B.S. in Electrical Engineering in the process), and skateboarded through the blistering heat of the Tucson, Arizona desert’s summers (surviving another round of University with his M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering).
While still in Arizona, he played music with a few bands, made a few films, met his lovely wife (also a filmmaker), and learned the ancient art of “lost wax” bronze casting to create bronze sculptures. He founded a skateboarding class (which continues today thanks to fellow volunteer skateboarders) and has had the amazingly profound honour of teaching literally hundreds of kids how to skateboard over the last few years.
He began working on the eXe project in late 2006, then moved to Gisborne, New Zealand in January 2007 for the surfing, the laid back coastal vibe, and an overall better way of life. His wife and veritable zoo of four-legged family members followed soon thereafter. Here in New Zealand they both miss good Mexican food but will always find time for a margarita!
