"The whole idea I try to get across is that everybody can be a scientist. I think it's important to be giving students access and showing them that science is more than just reading a book. You’re getting outside and you're digging things and measuring things and getting involved physically. There are so many different ways to be a scientist."

Nerding out for nature! Dr. Jessie Rack is an ecologist, environmental educator, and naturalist, and is currently the Program Director at the Natural History Institute in Prescott, AZ. Her mission is to help people fall in love with nature. In this role she leads field experiences, teaches workshops, and coordinates a speaker series, working to forge connections between people of all ages and the natural world. With a background in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, she loves catching critters as much as sharing knowledge. She's excited that she's found a career that combines all the things she loves, and is pretty sure you can never be too much of a nerd.