Bio
Nuyorican Roots
A blend of backgrounds
Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Justy Alicea was raised in Harlem, New York City. Demonstrating strong artistic talents at an early age, his mother began training him to hone this skill. He attended the prestigious Frederick Douglass Academy where he was quickly known for his artwork. It was here that he studied Japanese as a foreign language, developing a life long interest in Japanese culture. As a senior, he won an entrepreneurship contest that resulted in him opening his own airbrush kiosk in the schools mall.
During this time he was one of the small number of New York City high school students selected to attend the Cooper Union’s Saturday Art program.
Collegiate Years
Thats one way to do it
Justy began his undergraduate career at Long Island University’s CW Post campus, where he pledged for the Biaraku Chapter of Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity Incorporated. He later became part of their multi award winning step and stroll teams performing all over the east coast.
He graduated from Stony Brook University in 2008 with a degree in Biology with a concentration in Evolution.
Paleontology
A dream realized
No one has ever known a time where Justy wanted to be anything other than a paleontologist. During his years at Stony Brook University, Justy was fortunate to attend a lecture given by renowned paleontologist Dr. David Krause, which became a research offer and later an opportunity to work in the fossil preparation lab. This was the foot in the door Justy needed to break into the field of paleontology, a dream of his since he was 6 years old
After graduation, he landed a position as a Geological Society of America intern working in Utah’s Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument with Dr Alan Titus. At the end of that position, at the age of 25, he landed a job back home at New York’s American Museum of Natural History working on world famous fossils recovered by Dr Mark Norell and Dr John Flynn.
Japan
Culture Shock
Justy was accepted into the prestigious JET (Japanese Exchange and Teaching) Program and after 5 years, left the American Museum of Natural History to teach English in Japan. He lived outside of the picturesque city of Himeji for a year teaching at two high schools and traveling all over Asia.
This was an amazing cultural exchange opportunity and he learned much from this experience of a lifetime.
The Return Home
Reverse Culture Shock
Coming back from Asia was a huge shock to Justy’s system. Recalibrating to apply for graduate school in Paleontology, he took a research intense internship at the Florida Museum of Natural History working with Dr Nathan Jud and Dr Jon Bloch. This internship included the processing of 3D models for research. In the end, he was relieved to find out he did not get accepted into the programs he applied, as the internship showed him he was not interested in publishing research. But what now?
For the first time, he did not have a clear vision and began applying to jobs in the 3D printing industry. With the experience he gained at the Florida Museum in 3D modeling he was able to maneuver himself into a position at the world famous 3D printing company, Makerbot.
The Return to Paleontology
A Bittersweet win
While working in New York in 3D printing, Justy was offered a position in Denver to manage their fossil lab of over 150 volunteers after long time friend and Chief Preparator Mike Getty passed away.
Moving across the country again, Justy worked at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on Dr Tyler Lyson’s Corral Bluffs (“Rise of the Mammals”) material from the first million years after the asteroid that killed the non avian dinosaurs.
The New Mexico Era
The Culmination of a career
Leaving Denver for Albuquerque, Justy is now the Chief Preparator and Fossil Lab Manager at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. He works on the retrieval and preparation of vertebrate fossils that span the entire history of life from the state of New Mexico, managing and training a lab of over 30 people.
