T. Josek (right) and their wife Hannah pose on their wedding day with assorted furry friends.Meet T. Josek, who joined the Beckman Institute as a microscopist in June 2022.
Describe your role at the Beckman Institute.
I am a microscopist in the Microscopy Suite. One of my main responsibilities is to train individuals who want to use different pieces of equipment we have down here, like the environmental scanning electron microscope, or ESEM. I am also one of the individuals who is in charge of our outreach program, Bugscope, where we have K-12 classrooms send in insects and virtually view them on our ESEM.
What is something that people might not know about your position?
No two workdays are ever the same for me. Throughout the week, I have new users with different types of research who need me to train them, users who need me teach them different ways to use the microscopes, or different type of problems to solve or fix with the equipment. Even when I have multiple Bugscope sessions, there are always new classrooms, new students, and new things to discover while looking at the insects classes send in.
What are you proudest of?
One of the things that I am proudest of is a class I redesigned and taught during my postdoc. Although I did not get to do all of the things I had wanted to do for the class, I was able to design a course that encompassed a lot of my core principles of teaching. My goal was to teach this upper-level class in which I actively engaged with students, challenged my students, and kept the class student-centered. In the end, I felt that I was able to connect with my students in a way where they told me they felt valued and heard but still found the course challenging and relevant. I worked hard on this class and even though it was far from perfect, I am very proud of myself for teaching a class with my heart on my sleeve.
Outside of your professional experience, what are you an expert in? Prove it!
I’m not really an expert in anything, but more of a jack of all trades. Outside of work I rock climb, do stand-up comedy, work on various art projects (drawing, sewing, crocheting), work woodshop projects, work on resin projects, fix things around my house, occasionally play guitar, and a lot of other things. I cannot express how much I love learning. Like Shakespeare said: “Jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one."
When and where are you happiest?
Probably when I’m curled up on the couch with my wife and our three dogs.
Who is your hero of fiction? Who is your hero in real life?
My hero of fiction is Garnet from the show Steven Universe. Garnet is an amazingly strong, kind, understanding character who has brought me to tears many times. I appreciate her words of wisdom that she shares, that she can be vulnerable, and that she tries approach problems with an open mind.
I have to list two people as my heroes in real life: Cameron Esposito and Dr. Rae Olsson. Both Rae and Cameron played integral roles in giving me the strength to come out “late” in life. Cameron is a stand-up comedian from Chicago who has their own podcast called Queery. In one of the podcast episodes, they interview Rebecca Sugar and the conversation Cameron and Rebecca had really hit me because they were discussing some of the same internal issues I was working through. Cameron has been a very out and open member of the LGBTQ+ community, speaks up for others when they can, and tries hard to use the platform they have as a celebrity to bring awareness to the needs of women, BIPOC, and the LGBTQ+ communities. Rae is a close friend of mine and without them, I don’t think I would have been able to talk through a lot of what I was going through emotionally before I came out. At that time they encouraged me to ask someone I was interested in, Hannah, out on a date, and I’m glad I listened to their advice because Hannah and I are now happily married. Rae has and continues to encourage me to be my truest self and grow as a person, and I hope one day I can be as amazing as they are.
What is your personal motto?
Everyone has something to teach you.
What is your favorite winter activity?
Probably hiking with my wife and dogs. I like hiking during the summer and fall too but spring is nice because you get to see the world come back to life after winter. Spring also means that it is morel mushroom hunting time!