Featuring José Méndez-Andino: A Puerto Rican Ohio State Graduate Alumnus

Dr. José Méndez-Andino

Dr. José Méndez-Andino is an Ohio State University alumnus who loves science, bikes, and music. He has a background in Industrial Chemistry (University of Puerto Rico), synthetic organic chemistry (OSU), post-doctoral studies at UPenn, and a master’s in Applied Anthropology (University of North Texas). Currently, Méndez-Andino is an Executive Vice President, Chief Research and Development Officer, and member of the Executive Committee at Owens Corning. This company, which allows Méndez-Andino to work on innovation and development, is a global leader in insulation, roofing, and fiberglass composites.

ACO: What led you to an academic career in STEM?

JMA: I’ve always been curious about how things work. So, for me, science has always been the pursuit of knowledge about things that are complex, difficult to understand, or that I don’t understand how exactly they work. Plus, there are some realities: I grew up in Puerto Rico, and at the time, it was encouraged to have a profession that could allow you to achieve social mobility, and chemistry could provide that.

ACO: What about anthropology?

JMA: It’s no different. It’s like, why do groups of people do the things they do? How do I better understand how culture comes to be? How can I swap one team member and change the team dynamic completely? After I learned the patterns, I applied them to get my job done.

ACO: Could you share your experience as a person of color at OSU?

JMA: It was an experience, that’s for sure. I spent five years at The Ohio State University, and it was the best time. It was one of personal growth and transformation. Moving from a Spanish-speaking territory to an English-speaking city was the first cultural shock. You know, you’re in a new place, new people, different culture, different food, different everything. However, 28 years after I first came, I’m still in Columbus, and many things today, even the job at Owen Corning and the role that I can play today, Ohio State University is the starting point for many of those things.

ACO: How was building community important while at OSU and in your professional career?

JMA: Similar to how you can have two atoms come together and perform a new function, you can have a lot of diverse people coming together to create a more complex structure. Ohio State provides a place for people with shared interests to come together in that way, and that’s part of education. It’s where multidisciplinary collaborations, innovation, and creation can happen. For example, at Owens Corning, we come together and build community by sharing our products and science with our employees, customers, and other stakeholders in pursuit of innovation.

ACO: How has your heritage encouraged your academic and professional careers?

JMA: Culture’s influences don’t determine how we do things, but they can shape our preferences. I joke around with a couple of other Puerto Rican friends when we do certain things in a certain way, you know, and we say, “Are you gonna do this the Ohio way or the Puerto Rican way?” The point is that in the same problem or situation, different people from different cultures may go about it differently.

ACO: How do we co-create our future as Latinxs?

JMA: I think it is important for OSU to continue on its journey to attract more diverse talent and what we learn from the Latinx community to apply it to other diverse communities. It is important to continue this journey of recognizing the unique contribution people of Hispanic or Latino ancestry give to US society. Thus, I believe that we have to continue on this journey where the unique perspectives, tools, skills, and knowledge that Latino-Hispanic cultural backgrounds provide us can enhance, in an innovative way, what we consider mainstream society.

ACO: How do you prevent burnout?

JMA: Like everything, there are aspects of work and aspects of society that are draining, but I find plenty of things in life that help me replenish my energy bucket. I love music, my bass, and riding my bike. Some people might say, “Oh, I’m tired,” but I find that investing a little bit more energy in those things replenishes me. My culture and maybe throwing a few jokes in Spanish occasionally, and my Latino family, provide the extra boost or the extra laugh that gives me the energy to continue.

Qué Pasa, OSU Features Editor 23′-24′

by Adrielys Calderon Ortiz                                                                       M.A. Graduate Student, Comparative Studies