UCSB College of Engineering features Arturo Juan during the National Hispanic Heritage Month

ARTURO JUAN, UCSB PhD Student
Arturo Juan is a second-year materials PhD student at UCSB. The first-generation college student earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Southern California, and his master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from UCSB. He worked in industry prior to entering the Materials PhD Program last fall. Juan is advised by Steven DenBaars, a distinguished professor of materials and electrical and computer engineering, and the focus of his research is the epitaxial growth of semiconductor materials via Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) to make light-emitting materials that can be fabricated into laser diodes. These lasers can be used for fiber-optic communication systems, display technology, meteorology, spectroscopy, sensing applications, and medical use. During his academic career, Juan has been involved with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and Queers in Engineering, Science and Technology (QuEST), and the Materials Student Association (MSA). He says that these supportive groups build a community for people having shared experiences and cultural values, which he has found extremely helpfule. Juan believes it is important to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month to raise awareness that, while Hispanics are united by a common tongue, they have many different cultures, all beautiful in their own way. He supports DEI initiatives in the engineering field, which he says lacks diversity, because they provide an opportunity for qualified, diverse, and underrepresented applicants to succeed and advance areas of research.