Growing up, I've always had an inclination towards multiple fields of knowledge. And although I didn't understand what that meant, I now believe its what Araki describes as "Polymathic Orientation", something that probably has its origins in what my mother did a few decades ago - see "On Naming and Destiny". My formal scholarship is in materials science and engineering - an interdisciplinary field that combines principles of physics, chemistry and mathematics to address fundamental technological problems in various engineering fields. I loved physics, and was good at chemistry, so this made a sweet spot, with just the right degree of breadth and depth. My undergraduate university had no double major programs, so I spent most of my leisure pursuing other intellectual interests in the arts, humanities and social sciences. I tried to build connections between all these different things I was learning, oftentimes studying beyond school assessments. I had understood that at the highest level, all truths are connected, and so tried as much as possible to break down all disciplinary boundaries, following without hesitation wherever profitable curiosity led. This extracurricular learning did not only put my formal scholarship in perspective, but also integrated my worldview to nurture a much more holistic and meaningful way of living. If I had to choose a single word that best describes my personality, it would have to be "Universal".

• MSc. Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, 2021-2024

• BEng. Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, BIUST, 2015-2020 

• Founder, The Barutwa Institute, 2024-current

• Graduate Teaching Assistant, BIUST, 2020-2021

• Student Attaché, BITRI, 2019 (industrial training)

• Residence Assistant and Peer Educator, BIUST, 2016-2019 (part-time) 

• Tuning the Electro-Optic Properties of Barium Titanate Epitaxial Thin Films via Buffer Layer-Controlled Polarization Rotation Paths, Advanced Functional Materials, 2024 read

• Artificial Domain Patterning in Ultrathin Ferroelectric Films via Modifying the Surface Electrostatic Boundary Conditions, Nano Letters, 2024 read

• Particulate-Reinforced Polylactic Composites: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications, In the Book: Hybrid Polymeric Nanocomposites from Agricultural Waste, CRC Press, 2022 read

• Effects of Deposition Time and RF Power on the Film Characteristics of Magnetron Sputtered Silicon Carbide Thin Films, Materials Today: Proceedings, 2022 read

• High-Temperature Properties of Metal Matrix Composites, In the Book: Encyclopedia of Materials: Composites, Elsevier, 2021 read

• Correlation between Residual Stresses and the Tribological Behaviour of Inconel 625 Coatings, Journal of Thermal Spray Technology, 2021 read

• Corrosion and Mechanical Behaviour of Alumina-Titania Composites produced by Spark Plasma Sintering, South African Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2020 read

• Effect of Heat Treatment Hardening on the Dry Sliding Wear Behaviour of Mild Steel, MRS Advances, 2020 read

• Chinese Government Scholarship Recipient, 2021

• Best Student, Department of Chemical, Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, BIUST, Graduating Class of 2020 (sponsored by Debswana Diamond Company)

• Best Student, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, BIUST, Graduating Class of 2020 (sponsored by Botswana Telecommunications Corporation)

• Chancellor's Award, Best Overall Student, BIUST, Graduating Class of 2020 (sponsored by the BIUST Chancellor Festus G. Mogae)

Beyond my formal scholarship, I study and write on topics ranging from education, society, nature, faith and humanity. I have kept several notebooks of personal readings and reflections on these topics for the past decade. Many of the notes have philosophical and theological undertones. Some notes are short, others quite extensive, some are written in plain language, others allegorical. These notes are simply a humble exercise to better understand the human condition - my condition, your condition - and hopefully work for its betterment. I invite you to read through my Notebook. I hope its contents inspire you to seek more truth, wisdom, virtue and goodness in your life, as they have and continue to inspire me.