Kuyayky START Labs
Mission/
Misión/
Chayana
1. To promote science, technology and the arts among youth of Indigenous Andean heritage,
2. To Foster a new dialogue between outstanding creators and innovators, renowned scientists, programmers, and artists from Andean regions (who work in the Andes and abroad) through conferences and workshops.
3. Providing a platform for original projects with an emphasis on indigenous identity and our environment
Hamutayta, sacri ruraykunata hinaspa kapchiykunata Antipi kaq maqtakunaman sipaskunaman riqsichinapaq, rimanakuyta apamuspa, amawtakunata , kamaqkunata hinaspa huk suyumanta kaq ancha riqsisqa kapchiqkunata tupanakaykachispa chaynallataq alli-allin musuq ruraykunata puririchiqkunapa yanapakuyninwan. Chaynallataq musuq ruraykunata kallpanchanapaq imaynam kasqanchikta hinaspa mama pachanchikta yupaychanapaq.
Promover la ciencia, tecnología y las artes entre los jóvenes de orígenes Andinos, fomentando un nuevo diálogo entre innovadores y creadores sobresalientes, científicos, programadores, académicos y artistas de renombre – que trabajan tanto en el extranjero como en las regiones andinas- a través de conferencias y talleres. También buscamos incentivar el desarrollo de proyectos originales con un enfoque desde nuestra identidad y medio ambiente
Kuyayky STARTLabs is a project of the Kuyayky Foundation. The project team is led by Engineer Yina Hurtado and overseen by Kuyayky Foundation Executive Director Dr. Candy Hurtado.
Celebrating Andean heritage with an emphasis on the reevaluation of its sciences and technologies
Kuyayky Foundation
The Kuyayky START Labs (KSTART) Conference initiative was launched in late 2022, with its kickoff event taking place in January 2023 in the Andean city of Jauja, Peru.
In July 2023, the first official conference was held, featuring speakers who led workshops and labs in Quechua, Spanish, and English. Topics covered ranged from biomedical engineering, cloud computing, robotics, and physics to short film production by participants.
The event brought together speakers from various parts of the world as well as multiple Andean cities, fostering a rich exchange of knowledge and creativity. Also, beginning on September, a project about regaining food self-sufficiency was launched, where youth and children participated in workshops and actual labor, learning indigenous farming practices and growing food.
The 2024 conference and laboratories were held in June and July, featuring a diverse range of themes, including neurobiology, artificial intelligence, performance art, pre-colonial agronomy, music production, theater, illustration, and filmmaking. Esteemed scholars, scientists, and artists from various Andean regions and the U.S. delivered presentations, emphasizing indigenous knowledge and artistic expressions.
In July, START Labs launched a contest encouraging submissions of short stories, myths, and biographies celebrating indigenous heritage. Two stories were selected, and during the last week of July, a series of workshops on theater, illustration, music composition, and filmmaking culminated in the production of two short films.
The first was a stop-motion adaptation of a myth from the Jauja highlands, presented in both Spanish and Xauxa-Quechua. The second film depicted a love story from the region, highlighting its rich cultural expressions. Both projects exemplified the power of collaboration and creativity.
Some of the speakers of the Kuyayky START Labs 2023 & 2024 Conferences
Adriana Céspedez
Bioengineer and Biomedical Engineer
Apolo Bautista
Cinematographer and co-founder of Ciaorosé a film-production house in Ayacucho, Peru.
Benjamin Ordoñez
Member of Kuyayky in Jauja. Farmer, scientist, and has developed a self-sufficient sustainable house.
Natalie Gil
MIT Sloan Fellow in Innovation and Global Leadership. CTO at Auna and Darshana, Inc.
Rubén Enriquez Condori
Creator and founder of Quechua Estudio, with a series of social media channels with thousands of followers. Innovator and educator, Ruben has researched and worked on different pedagogy alternatives to teach and learn languages
Carlos Arguelles
Physicist & Researcher. Professor at Harvard University
MIlagros Melgar
Short-film producer, specialized in script and stop motion animation. Co-founder of Rueca – Cultural Association. In 2020, she won the Short Film Projects award from the Ministry of Culture with the “Cora” project. Currently, she is in the development of the “Hilando Miradas” project, winner of the Cultural Management award of the Ministry of Culture 2022.
Anthony Fernandez
Engineering Lead @ Dell Technologies working on areas of Cloud Integration and Solutions.
Juan Carlos Toro
Cinematographer and co-founder of Ciaorose, a film-production house in Ayacucho, Peru.
Sofia Vega Zanca
Quechua FLTA Fulbright Scholar
Monica Cordero Bonilla
Software Engineer
Heidi Yupanqui Bonilla
Information Technology Consulting and Software Engineer
Liliana Rivera
Software Engineer with more than 18 years leading Process and Technology teams. Expert in the Management of Process and Technology Optimization Projects in private and banking companies.
Milagros Torres Vargas
Agricultural Engineer, MBA, M.Sc.
David Villegas
Software Developer. Ph.D. in Computer Science from Florida International University.
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