Instead of pursuing an internship during the summer of 2021, Columbia University M.S. in Data Science student Brian Hernandez launched a YouTube channel.

BrainBrewing is a place where “we can all learn and grow together,” according to Hernandez. The platform allows him to share insights gained through projects, experiments, and research in an accessible, understandable, and entertaining way. 

“For the longest time, I’ve been looking for ways to combine some of my greatest passions: digital media, technology, and storytelling,” Hernandez said. “Growing up, I wasn’t a huge reader, but I was always into media. I really love video essays. It’s the content I grew up with.”

The idea for BrainBrewing germinated during the Fall 2020 semester in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hernandez found himself doing a lot of self-directed reading and learning; he researched motivation, behavioral science, cognitive science, and behavioral economics. As he learned, he considered ways to share the information with others. 

Hernandez’s first video—Can we teach an AI to make Lofi HipHop???— was posted on July 17. The 7.5-minute video is an overview of his process, from researching and replicating other YouTubers’ processes, to identifying problems, fixing them, and iterating until the final result was actually listenable. 

The next video (in progress) will focus on becoming a less defensive Super Smash Brothers player. Hernandez programmed a wrist band to deliver a shock whenever he activated his shield in defense. “The experience was painful and surprisingly successful,” he mused. “Using the shock band made me more mindful of my playing, and it showed me different possibilities and options for gameplay.”

A born-and-raised New Yorker, Hernandez majored in computer science at Hunter College and spent two years as a software engineer at JPMorgan Chase. When he decided to return to school for a graduate degree in data science, Columbia was his first choice.

“Columbia has always been my dream school, and data science has so many cool applications. It’s particularly exciting to apply these algorithms to fields that have not used computational power before, like health care or education.”

Returning to school with a few years of work experience in the “real world” allowed Hernandez to visualize how his new learnings may be applied, and he plans to continue making project-based, educational content.

“I’d like these videos to help make data science and computer science more accessible, to make it fun and tangible for young people.”

— Karina Alexanyan, Ph.D.