Gerardo Franco

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT GERARDO FRANCO

Gerardo has conducted research at three different institutions on astronomy, solar energy, and maritime transport. He is a published co-author in the scientific journal New Astronomy, and his research on maritime transport was highlighted in a TEDxUCLA talk. Gerardo is also a two-time TEDx speaker. His first TEDx talk was on combining two unrelated disciplines to provide a competitive career advantage, while his second talk discussed lowering greenhouse emissions in shipping by reducing the water drag ships experience. Gerardo is a double Bruin, having earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from UCLA. He was selected to be the Commencement Student Speaker for UCLA’s engineering graduating class of 2018.In his role as president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) South Bay LA (SBLA) professional chapter, Gerardo selflessly elevated the Hispanic community in Los Angeles by providing STEM awareness, access, and support to students and professionals. A few ways he’s done this include being a guest speaker in K-12 classrooms, at SHPE college chapters, and by organizing SBLA’s events that welcome students and professionals to grow into better versions of themselves. Outside of SHPE, he’s an engineer at The Boeing Company with a role in the design, building, and testing of commercial satellites. Never one to idle, he also teaches engineering courses as an adjunct professor at a community college. With the majority of his students from Hispanic backgrounds his work with SBLA commonly surfaces in his classroom, influencing his students to become young leaders as they transfer to four-year institutions.