Dr. Rojo Jiménez: I have associates that tell me, I planned what I wanted to do step by step.” I didn’t, things just happened, opportunities arose and I said, yes we’ll go.. other opportunities came up and I said, yes we’ll take it. This, however, means you’ll have to put some effort into it, these opportunities come with responsibilities. But if one is willing to invest the effort, they can become good options.
Erika Montero: You are listening to the EarthSky podcast La Clara Voz.
When he was young, Dr. Javier Rojo Jiménez dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. However destiny took him in a different path and guided him towards science. Today he feels great satisfaction for the academic achievements obtained by those Hispanic student whom he has encouraged. We spoke with him during the SACNAS Annual Conference.
Erika Montero: Dr. Rojo, first, we would like to know, why is what you do important to you?
Dr. Rojo Jiménez: Well, first of all I like to do it very much. Academics is an area that keeps you at the vanguard of scientific development in the subjects of statistics and biostatistics, and it also provides you with a great opportunity to work with young people. Working with young people and guiding them is an opportunity you can’t experience in any other career.
Erika Montero: And, is there a particular moment that made you decide to study statistics, that made you feel you wanted to become a scientist?
Dr. Rojo Jiménez: Well, I always had the aptitude, the ambition necessary to become a scientist. Even though, I must confess, that I was more interested in baseball. I did good in elementary, middle school and high school, but I wanted to be a professional baseball player. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, in 1972 while sliding into second base in a state championship I broke my ankle and in that moment my dream of becoming a professional baseball player vanished. Coincidentally, at that time, I was taking a probability class at the University of Texas at El Paso. Since I had to walk with crutches, I was always late for class. As soon as I sat down the teacher would make me a question. So I’m not sure if that’s what pushed me, I was always prepared for the teacher’s questions which I knew would come as soon as I sat down. So I began liking probability and statistics. What followed, graduate school and later seeking my the doctorate degree, were things that just happened. I was just trying to reach the highest possible level, but I never planned to do so. I have associates that tell me, “I planned what I wanted to do step by step.”
Erika Montero: Doctor… now a days there is so much information available, how do you decide what information to believe and what information not to believe?
Dr. Rojo Jiménez: Well, that’s a very good question, because now with the accessibility of the Internet there is so much information available and one needs to be cautious, right? Just yesterday or the day before yesterday, I was listening to a National Public Radio story about how people frequently search for remedies to their ailments in the Internet instead of visiting the doctor. In the Internet there is a lot of good information, but there is also a lot of bad information. So it’s really difficult. Fortunately, the information that I need for my work is information published in professional magazines written by knowledgeable people and which has been reviewed, so it has gone through some filters. But in the Internet it is difficult to know what information is correct and how trustworthy it can be.
Erika Montero: Now, as a scientist, how has work as a scientist affected your daily decision making process in your personal life?
Dr. Rojo Jiménez: Fortunately, for statistics and for me as a statistician, statistics have a great impact on what happens in society. It is used in the economy, for example it is used to decide whether or not to raise interest rates at a national level. The treatment given to patients with cancer, such as radiation and chemotherapy, is also based on statistics. In molecular biology, in public health, for example we are all aware of the health problems facing the Hispanic community such as obesity. The measurement associated with the risk of obesity and the development of diabetes is directly related to body mass, and all the studies in this area are based in statistics. Being able to help and contribute to projects in other fields that have long range impact on the decisions made at the local level, the national level or even at the international is very rewarding. So statistics and what I do have an impact, maybe it’s not immediate, but eventually it has an impact on society.
Erika Montero: And now that we are here at SACNAS with all these young people, in your own words, what would you tell a young student about the importance of being academically prepared?
Dr. Rojo Jiménez: Well, before answering your question, I would first like to tell about the Summer program I have. Every Summer, I take 17 students to the Rice University for 10 weeks and make them work on a research project solving problems related to public health, cancer survival, diabetes, and similar issues. Just as I would reiterate to all young Hispanics about the importance of continuing their studies. The purpose of the program is to encourage all these young Hispanic students currently seeking their bachelors degree in science to continue their studies until they receive their doctorates degree. Sometimes I’ve been criticized for pushing too hard, but now a days the level is such that a bachelor’s degree in science or mathematics does provide opportunities, however the number of these is shrinking. There are more opportunities if you are better prepared. And this is not the only reason, earlier we were talking about the impact our work and our decisions have within society. So obviously, if one is better prepared one can participate in the decision process at the local, national and even international level. Now taking a more pragmatic point of view, the population projections in the United States show that there will be a a large number of Hispanics here in 25 years and the country is interested in developing the human resources in all areas, particularly in science. All of the job openings will have to be filled by young Hispanics because it will be one of the largest populations in the U.S. This is the reason federal agencies such as NSF, NIH and others are interested in coming and providing support to SACNAS, whose efforts in the last few years have been outstanding.
Erika Montero: Thank you very much Dr. Rojo, very interesting information.
Dr. Rojo Jiménez: My pleasure, thank you.
Erika Montero: Our thanks to Dr. Javier Rojo Jimenez. I am Erika Montero and this was La Clara Voz podcast, produced by EarthSky Communications.