What many people do not realize or understand is that science is a process, a complex set of processes that shapes the world around us. Joshua Baptist is a small business owner, a researcher, and technologist, but considers himself first and foremost a scientist. We caught up with him about his passion and how he plans to change nanotechnology.
Tell us a little about your background.
This is a hard question! I think the first thing I can say is I have always loved and maintained a strong passion for science. I have lived my life around the concept of better understanding it and applying what I learn. I have been involved in research inside and outside of universities since I was 16. My first job was in the Physics Department at UCCS and have hands on experience in many fields of physics, chemistry and engineering.
So you’ve always loved science! When did you first develop an interest in science as a process and the scientific method?
I was quite young when when science enthralled me. I remember my Dad and I playing with an old Gilbert chemistry set when I was still probably 3. Really ever since then I have done everything I could to learn more and do science myself!
What scientific fields are you most passionate about?
That is a difficult question, as I am interested in more fields than I can really say! But in short I believe in nuclear engineering and micro/nano science as a whole are my passions.
Tell us about your experience at UCCS. What did your research focus on?
I started working at UCCS in the Center for Magnetism as an intern during my the summer of my Junior year of high school, and was asked to stay. Over the years I was there, I worked on nearly every project in the Physics department in someway or another. I got so involved in research that school was put on the back burner. In 2013 I was allowed to pursue nanoscience research of my own on a volunteer basis under the supervision of the Center for Nano-optics and Photonics. I personally funded my lab and had better equipped and stocked labs than the university owned labs. During this time I researched novel methods for fabricating and separating nanostructures, plasmonic biosensors, new types of solar cells using employing quantum dots among several other things. During my holding of these labs, I would work during the day in the Center for Magnetism, and by night in my labs. My whole experience at UCCS revolved around research and building things!
What are you doing now at UT-Arlington?
There is a lot currently happening at UTA, and am working in quite diverse fields. I am working primarily in Electrical Engineering were some of my work I do is heading design and fabrication of devices for acoustic control of microrobots, lab on chip devices, MEMS and prototyping new types of weapon attachments for a local company. I am also working with the physics department to build proton detectors for testing at Fermilab to be eventually employed at LHC.
What is Minerva Enterprises?
Minerva Enterprises is a company I founded dedicated to research and industrial nanomaterial manufacture, applied micro and nanotechnologies and prototyping.
If you weren’t pursuing science, what would you be doing?
Kind of a trick question, I don’t think I would ever see myself doing anything but science! No matter where it is, who its with, or in what field, I always see more to learn and explore and that is what drives me from within.
Why is science important?
Science is important because simply it is what builds the future and betters our understanding of how the universe works.
What is something few people know about you?
I have never placed in a science fair. The judges thought my projects were too advanced for me to have accomplished myself..
