Josiah Townsend
Since he was a child, Josiah Townsend has been curious about anything that lives and breathes. He took that curiosity and made a career for himself. Learn more about him in this week’s Meet Our Faculty feature.
What is it about the biology field that initially drew you in—and ultimately keeps you interested?
As a biologist, I am empowered by the pursuit of a greater understanding of life and the world around us. In this field, I am able to pursue a breadth of questions that crosses disciplines, themes, and scales of study. I have been fascinated by the natural world for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I always wanted to be outside looking for insects and other animals or I was begging my parents to take me to the Pittsburgh Zoo or Carnegie Museum of Natural History. It was a trip to the museum in first grade that introduced me to the idea that biologists were still working to uncover new species and to use that knowledge to help save them from extinction. As an undergraduate in community college, I was introduced to remote tropical field biology in Honduras by a professor who gave me an opportunity one summer, and that was really the turning point that led me down the path on which I continue today. I love being a biologist. There is always something new to learn, and every question answered just leads to new questions and lines of research.
Why do you enjoy teaching in this discipline?
It gives me a platform to emulate the professors who had a big impact on my own life and professional development by sharing the enthusiasm and excitement I derive from my research. I want my students to find their passion, and I feel a great sense of responsibility in helping to guide them toward careers that allow them to make a positive impact on the world around them. The opportunity to study abroad and experience other countries and cultures was incredibly impactful for me as a student, and I have come to dedicate a lot of my time and energy to providing those same sorts of opportunities for life-changing experiences to my students through my own study-abroad program in Honduras. There is no single experience that can have a larger influence on a student’s life and career path than studying or participating in research abroad.
What advice would you give students about how to succeed in college?
First and foremost, you should recognize that you are given a unique opportunity to receive an advanced education and to use that opportunity to seek the field or profession that truly engages you and your interests and passions. The old adage that “if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life” may not be exactly accurate, but the difference between building a career centered around your passions and simply finding a job that pays the bills is really the difference between a life that is fulfilling and exciting and one that simply tries to get you to retirement. Try to focus as much on enjoying the journey as aspiring to the goal; treat every aspect of your life as deserving of your attention and dedication, not just as a road toward some far-off goal.
What’s something most of your students may not know about you?
Students who find out are often surprised by my taste in music. As a ’90s city kid with my backpack and headphones and a family that moved around a lot, I spent significant parts of my childhood in New York and Miami and developed a deep love for classic hip-hop from that era. In my office, I am usually playing tracks from artists such as Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, O.G.C., De La Soul, Black Star, J Dilla, and many others. I have a secret desire to host a radio show on the golden era of hip-hop, or maybe even to help develop a class on the topic to explore the complex poetry of those pioneering lyricists.