Many of you wrote to comment on the recent column about
20-year-old Josh Arribere, the young man who parlayed his
experience with Gilroy High’s wind ensemble
Many of you wrote to comment on the recent column about 20-year-old Josh Arribere, the young man who parlayed his experience with Gilroy High’s wind ensemble and award-winning marching band into becoming the youngest drum major ever elected to head the 231-member Marching Band at University of California, Berkeley. Currently, the band leads the team spirit for the No. 3 ranked college football team in the nation.
“My grandpere (grandfather) was drum major of his Marine Corps Band,” Josh says of his musical roots. But music is not Arribere’s only love; he shows promise in outstanding scientific scholarship as well.
Arribere was one of only 20 students selected this year from all disciplines and departments across the university to become a Haas Scholar. He was awarded the funding necessary to pursue his own research project. The goal of Arribere’s Haas Project, “Alternative Splicing and Fox Proteins in Zebrafish,” is to provide insight into the mechanism of genetic diseases caused by aberrant splicing. The ultimate goal of such research is to discover breakthroughs that will help cure or prevent diseases.
Here, Arribere answers your questions:
n What subject are you enjoying most this Fall semester?
“If there is one course I am most excited about, it would be Molecular and Cell Biology: Advanced Genetics, Genomics, and Development. This course is my first graduate course attempted, and involves learning directly from a faculty member, Jasper Rine. He is one of the most respected and renowned geneticists in the world; it is an honor to be able to listen to him lecture and interact with him. The classroom is also full of some of the brightest minds of my generation from all over the world, and learning from my peers, their queries and investigations, will undoubtedly prove as invaluable a resource as the professor himself.”
n When you look back on your time at Gilroy High, is there a particular teacher who inspired you?
“One teacher who changed the course of my life was Mr. Kuwada. I took AP Environmental Sciences with Mr. Kuwada, which gave me a good appreciation of the breadth of biology, and a brief look at some of the issues that need to be addressed by our generation. These issues range from our fundamental understanding of molecules to whole watershed problems, as well as policy, economic, and societal considerations. Most of all, he helped me begin to comprehend the impact that biological systems have on the world, especially on mankind.”
n What do you like most about working at the Berkeley extension of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory?
“I love the openness of LBL. There I’m a part of a research community, one which has no qualms about sharing its results for the betterment of mankind and the world. Everyone is extremely friendly, as well as understanding, knowledgeable, and approachable. That kind of an atmosphere has sparked my desire to make research my lifelong career. Research is a curvy road that involves a great amount of troubleshooting and thought, and can lead you somewhere completely different from your initial direction.
