Jorge Jos?(c), UB vice president for research and professor of physics, has received a fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in recognition of his discoveries in physics and his efforts to educate the public about the field.
"The AAAS has a long history as a preeminent organization involved in the development and dissemination of scientific knowledge," Jos?(c) said. "To obtain this fellowship, you must not only do your research and get the results, but also help society understand the meaning of those discoveries."
Jos?(c) believes that his fellowship honors his work in an area of physics that involves superfluids - substances such as helium that undergo drastic changes in their fundamental properties under extremely low temperatures.
"I made what many consider to be a seminal contribution to physics with my work in superfluids," he said. "The article I wrote about this became a research classic, because it has been cited by people in many different fields."
According to Jos?(c), the fellowship also recognizes his efforts to help others comprehend his research. He coauthored Classical Dynamics: A Contemporary Approach, a graduate level textbook on the chaos theory that has been adopted by institutions in the United States and Europe.
"It took eight years to write, and it satisfied the other half of the requirements for the fellowship," he said.
His interests stretch from classical physics to neuroscience and cell biology. Throughout his career as a physics scientist, Jos?(c) has published over 150 research articles in a number of peer-reviewed journals.
"In life you have to change all the time," he said. "I have published about 40 articles in biophysics, changing fields keeps me challenged."
According to the official Web site for the office of vice president for research, Jos?(c) received his bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in theoretical physics. He has held postdoctoral positions at Rutgers, Brown and University of Chicago. In 1981, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Physics at Northeastern University (NU) in Boston. He eventually rose to chair the NU physics department in 2003.
Over his academic career he has established himself as a distinguished scientist. He has received numerous awards from NU, UNAM, American Physical Society, Mexican Academy of Sciences and other institutions in France, Mexico and the United States. He has also lectured widely.
Despite his lengthy list of accomplishments, Jos?(c) dismisses the suggestion that he may be overqualified for his position at UB.
"UB is a very good school. I came here because of the interdisciplinary research that is an integral part of the UB2020 vision. I think that it's an exciting time to be at UB with a president who has a vision for expansion," he said.
Jos?(c) believes that UB has already improved when compared with other research universities.
"Last year, out of the 200 publicly-funded top intensive research universities, UB has gone from 60 to 58," he said. "I want to be a part of a team that is moving in the right direction."
According to his official Web site, Jos?(c) oversees many aspects of research at UB. He is "responsible for university/industry relations, research funding and compliance, research communications and research support." He also manages "six campus research centers, the Office of Sponsored Program Services, the UB Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (STOR), the Division of Comparative Medicine/Laboratory Animal Facility (DCM/LAF), and Institutional Review Boards responsible for both Human and Animal subjects."
"I have to ensure that the science is consistent with regulations and rules set at the federal, state and university levels. I catalyze the formation of groups that will collaborate to solve 21st century interdisciplinary problems," he said. "Seventy percent of my job is administrative and 30 percent is forward, strategic thinking."
Jos?(c) hopes to bring to his job the same energy and commitment that his childhood teachers displayed.
"When I was young, I had a very good teacher for physics who not only taught me about Einstein but also inspired me," he said. "I decided to study physics at age nine and never changed my mind."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
