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I Was a Kid- Stories of How Scientists Got to Where They are Today

We watch other people in science careers and wonder, how did they get where they are? How did they get to do what they're doing? What did they overcome? How can I do what I want? (And what if I don't know what I want?) Here we show real professionals answering these tough questions. These are people across the sciences who come from various backgrounds, career stages, and positions in the science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) fields. They’re working to expand science’s point of view and perhaps inspire the next generation of scientists.

a cartoon of a scientist on a research vessel
a cartoon of a man with long hair in a hard helmet and an orange work suit
a cartoon of a woman on a ship deck
a cartoon of a man in a Hawaiian shirt next to a red vampire squid
a woman in a baseball cap, glasses, and tall boots runs an experiment on a tree
three women in hard hats carry a core sample
a woman stands with short black hair, glasses and bright orange pants
a woman in a red parka and yellow gloves sits on a boat bow
a cartoon man stands with a jar of specimens
a cartoon of a scientist on a research vessel

Chang Liu- Marine technician and Geochemist, Texas A&M University

Credit: Karen Romano Young

From Inner Mongolia to Texas: this shipboard laboratory technician assists scientists conducting researching for the International Ocean Discovery Program.

a cartoon of a man with long hair in a hard helmet and an orange work suit

Ian Cortez- Roughneck aboard the JOIDES Resolution

Credit: Karen Romano Young

He followed in his father’s footsteps to become part of a research drilling team, leaving his home and family in the Philippines.

a cartoon of a woman on a ship deck

Dawn Wright- Chief scientist, Environmental Research Systems Institute (ESRI)

Credit: Karen Romano Young

She mapped her route from Maryland to Hawaii — then learned to map the deep ocean, diving in submarines and traveling the seven seas.

a cartoon of a man in a Hawaiian shirt next to a red vampire squid

George Matsumoto- Senior researcher and education specialist, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Credit: Karen Romano Young

This California kid fell in love with the sea and the woods — and with introducing others to these environments. To research or teach — or both?

a woman in a baseball cap, glasses, and tall boots runs an experiment on a tree

Melinda Martinez- Ecologist, Ph.D. candidate, North Carolina State University

Credit: Karen Romano Young

This graduate student’s works to understand the “ghost forests” forming as sea levels rise. She learned fieldwork in Mexico — and isn’t scared of alligators.

three women in hard hats carry a core sample

Marta Torres- Marine geochemist, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University

Credit: Karen Romano Young

A Costa Rican kid with a “solid gold” head, she credits her father for helping her build the confidence to direct shipboard science. 

a woman stands with short black hair, glasses and bright orange pants

Lisa D. White- Micropaleontologist and director of education and outreach, University of California Museum of Paleontology

Credit: Karen Romano Young

She wanted to share her view of the natural world through her camera lens, but switched to research. Now she uses a different lens: a museum. Her audience? The next generation of people who have a science identity -- maybe you.

a woman in a red parka and yellow gloves sits on a boat bow

Keri Nelson- Research station administrator, United States Antarctic Program

Credit: Karen Romano Young

Keri was born in Korea and adopted by Americans. How far would you go to feel at home? How many professions would you try before you found your place?

a cartoon man stands with a jar of specimens

Pete Girguis- Professor of organismic and evolutionary biology, The Girguis Lab

Credit: Karen Romano Young

This son of Egyptian immigrants says he wasn't much of a student, but now he leads a laboratory at Harvard University.