How are you inspired by science?

I'm not particularly religious, so recognizing the interconnectedness of all these living things I'm studying is about as spiritual as I get. It's like finding my sense of place in a greater picture. I'm studying trees who are our distant cousins, many millions of years back, and I just think it's inspiring to learn more about the stuff around us.

Do you see your team’s work playing a role in social change?

We're in the Tyson research center plot, but there are dozens and dozens [of ForestGEO plots] all around the world that connect researchers from all walks of life. I think in that way, it humbles us a bit and reminds us of the bigger picture. We're not just some isolated field station. We're part of a larger whole. On a day-to-day scale, I think the work we do is kind of equalizing. We've got grad students, we've got graduates, we've got undergrads, high schoolers. We have our boss who has a PhD. And when we're out here, we're all on the same footing. We're all equally sweaty and dirty and tired.

As Paul partakes in his fourth summer at Tyson, he brings a valuable combination of experience, wit, and optimism to the forest team. After a year of working remotely, he’s delighted to be back out in the forest enjoying miscellaneous nature encounters with his team.

There was one Friday last month where we were working hard, ready for the weekend, and we saw the smallest frog any of us had ever seen, about the size of the fingernail on my pinkie, and work just grinded to a halt. We all just stopped what we were doing and we watched that frog. We took pictures with it, we picked it up, we even named it. It's moments like that where the work is worth it because I'm with like-minded people who love being here, and love the things that are around us. Those are the little nuggets of hope.