Geek of the Week: Josh Brown, Junior, Mining

Walking around the Mines campus during this time of the year, it is easy to spot geeks who are overstressed, overcommitted, and losing their minds to their workloads. Yet despite this hectic season, it is still possible to comes across geeks like junior Josh Brown, who manage to be involved in several different organizations, have a social life, enjoy some free time, and somehow maintain a reputation as a hard worker. Luckily, he managed to find some time in his busy schedule to talk to the Oredigger.

[Oredigger]: Why did you choose Mining Engineering?
[Brown]: I kinda fell into it. [I guess you could say] God put me there. Basically, I didn’t like Petroleum… but when I took an Intro to Mining class, I said to myself, “I can see myself doing this for a career.” I feel kinda drawn to it.

What’s been your favorite class?
Believe it or not, I actually did enjoy Physics II and call me a masochist, but I actually do enjoy Statics. Intro to Mining was fun also.

Are you a geek and why?
Yes. I do get obsessed with a lot of things [like] video games, lifting, wrestling, online comics, current science discoveries… I tend to browse a lot of tedious articles and [say things like] “Hey, that’s cool, they’re building a water jetpack!”

What are some of your greatest accomplishments thus far?
As far as school goes, I’d say making the Dean’s List. As far as wrestling, I got the “Dupont” hustle award two times in a row. It goes to the hardest working wrestler.

How do you spend your free time?
I lift, play video games, hang with friends, or just try to find something to do. If I’m not doing any of those things, I’m not alive! I also enjoy listening to music. Lots of music.

How would you handle an encounter with a small army of possibly aggressive leprechauns?
First, I’d probably kick most of them in the face. I’d find the nearest lawn mower and just run rampant. If they start overwhelming me, I’d just toss them off and swat them away.

If you could be dropped into any fictional universe, what would it be and why?
I tend to make my own [universes], but if I had to pick specifically one, it’d be a combination between “Skyrim,” “Call of Duty,” “Mass Effect,” “Star Wars”… a lot of that kind of stuff. I find that kind of stuff really cool, so if I could combine those into one universe, that’d be awesome! So many laws of physics would be broken.

What’s your favorite thing about Mines?
I’d probably have to say the people. When I was in high school, the level of maturity was so low. Here, whatever you’re doing, there’s people willing to accept it, whether you’re a jock or a geek or whatever. People are just so accepting and mature here.

What’s your favorite animal?
Giraffe because it is tall, unlike me. I’ve always had an obsession [with giraffes] for some reason. They look like a horse with a really long neck and they can kill a lion with a shot of their back kick. I always thought that was very interesting.

What’s the best nerd moment you’ve seen or been a part of?
I was getting up for 6 AM running for wrestling and I was way tired and I was walking across Kafadar and what I saw was… a group of ninjas all gathered together. All I could think was, “I’m way too tired for this, but this is awesome!”

Which would you rather have: a guaranteed “A” in the class of your choice, or a guaranteed on-campus parking spot for the rest of your time at Mines?
I’d have to go with the parking spot if I had a car, but since I don’t, I’ll go with the “A.”

Do you have any plans for the future?
I try not to think about the future, although I do too much. I dunno; we’ll just see where I end up, where things take me, where God places me.