The Faces That Make Us: Joshua Slee
What makes Joshua Slee excited to come to work every day? The people.
“I work with great colleagues and students who make my job enjoyable,” says Slee, head of the division of sciences and mathematics. “My legacy lives in all the students that I have taught and mentored.”
Having earned his Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology, Slee is fascinated by the complexity of the things we can only see with a microscope. Outside of the classroom, he enjoys partaking in campus traditions and exploring the Lehigh Valley.
You’ve studied a lot of interesting things. What has been the most fascinating and why?
The common theme to my research is inflammation. I have investigated asthma, cardiovascular disease, and biomaterial rejection. However, the most fascinating is determining how the immune system reacts to biomaterials and implantable medical devices. Normally, you want the immune system to recognize foreign entities in the body. However, this is not the case with implantable medical devices. It has been fun and challenging trying to find ways to help the devices hide from the immune system.
Do you have any favorite traditions in the division of sciences and mathematics?
Each April, we take all our seniors out for a fun event. In the past, we have gone to restaurants for a nice dinner, and, more recently, we have gone to local wineries for wine tastings. It is one last celebration with our graduating students before they depart DeSales for the next step in their careers.
Where is your favorite place to go for a day trip and why?
If we are not at a DeSales event or athletic competition, we are probably at Dorney Park. Most of my students know that my family and I are theme park aficionados.
We also enjoy heading to Philadelphia if we are in the mood for the fast pace of a big city, or if we are in the mood for a slower pace, we tend to head to Lancaster to enjoy fresh produce and the homestyle PA Dutch cooking that I grew up eating.
What’s your favorite lunch spot in the Lehigh Valley and why?
The best lunch spot close to campus has to be the Coop (Coopersburg Diner), because who doesn’t love all day breakfast?
Your favorite spot on campus?
The University Mall. I love the shade of the trees covering the Adirondack chairs and the view of the athletic fields in the distance and South Mountain. It’s a beautiful place to get a quick walk in over your break.
