Everyone was born, even scientists. This esoterically and quixotically named series of videos tracks the occasionally surprising journeys of people who work behind your pharmacy counter, power up the centrifuges and ignite the Bunsen burners, build race cars, and trouble shoot space probes. These origin stories are meant to highlight the fact that great science careers can come from everywhere and don’t always require a scorchingly unattainable level of genius or great access to the ivory tower.
The next time you're looking for a jolt of inspiration to make that science character more interesting, relatable, surprising, and distinctive (i.e., less stereotypical, boring, one-dimensional, and stale), click on an episode of I Was Born.
Scientists: They're just like us.
Tracy Drain
Ever wondered what it takes to become a flight systems engineer? In this video, Tracy Drain shares her journey from childhood fascination with space to working on groundbreaking missions like the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Kepler, and now on the exciting new Europe Clipper!
Morgan Belle
Morgan Belle grew up going to Disney and was obsessed with alligators (C’mon, who didn’t love Steve Irwin?). Now, she's a pollinator conservation scientist at Disney's Animal Kingdom where she works to protect bees and all pollinating insects. We talked to Morgan about the path that led to her dream job, the importance of women in STEM, and her favorite Florida butterflies.
Michael Mendez
From an early age, Michael Mendez was aware of the choices that shaped his neighborhoods and those around him. Now, he's an Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy and Planning at UC Irvine - so what brought him here?
Tshaka Cunningham
Despite never attending Howard University, Tshaka still sees himself as the product of HBCUs since he attended classes with his mom when he was as young as one year old. Growing up in church, Tshaka has always seen his work and faith intertwined - referencing Hosea 4:6's "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Watch our fourth episode of I Was Born to learn about Tshaka's journey in genomic science!
JR Houston
What's the actual engineering behind NASCAR racing? Meet JR Houston - an engineer from Miami and a member of the 23XI Racing team. JR found his way to a "creative thinking" role in racing through inspiration from his parents to find the right teammates. How did JR get here? Watch our fifth episode of I Was Born to find out!