Stories of Science

Behind every scientific finding, data point, or graph, there’s a human story. The story might be about a scientist who has a "Eureka!" moment in the laboratory or field. It could be about a team of archeologists who build camaraderie as they struggle with bad weather, mosquitoes, and equipment failure on the way to a successful field season. Perhaps it's about a teenaged citizen science volunteer who falls in love with ponds and aquatic insects and decides to attend college and major in biology. Regardless of the particulars, science is always a human adventure.

To be sure, science is a way of knowing about our world. It's motivated by curiosity and wonder and steered by skepticism and critical thinking. Because of that, science is also a way of being human, and even a way of caring about our world. Here we highlight some of the human stories behind the research taking place in national parks.