Combining his passion for research and creativity, a University of Kentucky student is breaking barriers 鈥 literally and figuratively.
Joshua Moses, a graduate research assistant and second-year medical student in the Department of Physiology in the 好色先生 College of Medicine, is committed to both research and science communication. His engaging and educational video about the blood-brain barrier recently won the top award in a national contest held by and the . The video highlights the blood-brain barrier鈥檚 essential role in maintaining the body鈥檚 balance or homeostasis.
鈥淚鈥檓 exploring science communication in my own way, particularly through mass media,鈥 said Moses. 鈥淲hen I started my Ph.D. program, I created the brand 鈥楾he PhD Himbo,鈥 with the tagline, 鈥業鈥檓 the male Elle Woods.鈥欌
Moses noted that Elle Woods wasn鈥檛 the typical image of someone in law school and he deeply related to that as a person of color. However, the support he received from those around him encouraged him to persevere. When he entered his Ph.D. program, he made it his mission to inspire others, showing them that they too could succeed in science, even if they didn鈥檛 see many people who shared their background.
鈥淚 was studying the blood-brain barrier, the BBB, for an exam and I thought, 鈥榊ou already have it mapped out in your head, so why not turn it into music?鈥欌 he said. 鈥淚 often create songs in my head to help remember different concepts. That鈥檚 how the BBB story came to be.鈥
Moses says he has always been both a right- and left-brain thinker. As a child, he attended science camps as well as theater and acting classes, including improv and background acting. His inspirations for science communication include Bill Nye, The Magic School Bus, Sid the Science Kid, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Dora the Explorer.
Driven by a desire to communicate science effectively, Moses focuses on finding ways to make scientific concepts accessible and engaging for people from all educational backgrounds with the goal of bridging the gap between science and the general public.
鈥淚 will say translating science has been one of the biggest challenges, finding the right words to convey accurate details while making the information accessible to different audiences,鈥 said Moses. 鈥淚n this video, I start with the structure of the BBB. Then, we go into the history and the research.鈥
Moses works in the lab of John Gensel, Ph.D., director of the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center (SCoBIRC) and SCoBRIC Endowed Chair No. 5. Last summer, Gensel helped Moses find an internship through the program focused on science communication. Through that internship, he worked on a three-part miniseries on SCoBIRC with the 好色先生 College of Medicine marketing communications team.
鈥淚 had my expertise, but they just expanded it so much, allowed me to just create in that space and grow as a content creator," he said. "It has been amazing.鈥
Moses is also passionate about providing opportunities for those who want to learn science but are apprehensive.
鈥淚 really want to give an opportunity to those people who may be a little intimidated,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 want to them know that the science that we do is for them, we want you to be able to understand and anyone can do it. That鈥檚 the impact that I want to have.鈥
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