Are you inspired by science? And if so, how?

I definitely am inspired by science, as a whole. The very human quality to want to learn more and explore is almost endearing. That’s what separates us from animals, for example. Animals don’t care about the temperature of the ocean if they never seen the ocean. Humans are interested in learning more about everything. That’s pretty inspiring.

Do you find hope in the work that you do with the Tick and Wildlife group, that marriage between hope and science?

Yes and there are different scales to it. Small-scale hope is when you are predicting what you are doing and you think, “Oh, I hope my hypothesis is correct.” Large-scale hope is when I’m reading research papers, I hope that they have a broader purpose; we hope this project will do more to protect birds in urban communities. What I see in science is hope for a greater impact beyond just specific projects.

Do you see your team’s work fitting into social change?

Science is the first step to social change in any context. I think about statistics on income inequality. People who can’t see that in their daily lives need those doing the science and research to figure it out, and to make the data accessible to everyone. That is an important step in starting social change. Likewise, people can believe that it’s better not to touch nature (don’t encounter these ticks!), when in reality a hands-on approach, working with it, can make it better.