Justin Ruths

A little bit of bio

I am a PhD graduate student at Washington University in Saint Louis studying Systems Science. My forming years can be characterized by lots of travel going from place to place in search of oil. Ok, well I didn't do much of the oil searching, but I still came along. My full educational pedigree:

Heritage Elementary School - Denver, CO
Sunset Lane Elementary - Fullerton, CA
Caltex American School - Rumbia, Indonesia
Macario Garcia Middle School - Houston, TX
Stephen F. Austin High School - Houston, TX
Rice University - Houston, TX
Columbia University - New York, NY
Washington University - Saint Louis, MO

Before I started school, we had already moved three times! Traveling while abroad allowed our family to travel far and wide across Europe, Asia, and the islands around us (including Australia and New Zealand). I have to admit that most of it seems foggy - like a dream halfway through the next day. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it all really did happen. Memories that seem like forever ago (and yet less than 15 years) give me confidence that I'm not too old just yet.

I received a Physics BS from Rice University in 2004 and without breaking stride moved straight into what I thought would be a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University. In an experience though which I gained much insight into the workings of an academic environment, I found it necessary to leave Columbia after finishing a Masters degree a year and a half into the program. It was at Columbia that I discovered the area of Systems Science. Degree in hand - and a few extra credits to sprinkle into my new program - I joined Washington University to continue my studies in this area.

My current goal after graduation is to become part of a prototype design team (such as IDEO, etc). While at WashU, I hope to take several art and architecture courses to build up my design portfolio. I am also pursuing several projects on my own. Hopefully, these will start appearing in the "Portfolio" section. I am also interested in think tanks, corporate research labs, and possibly staying in academic research if I enjoy the atmosphere in the coming years.