When I was in third grade, we students were asked to draw a picture of what we wanted to be when we grew up. After mulling it over for a few seconds, I drew a picture of an explorer: In one hand, I held a rope (to tame wild animals) and in the other, a sharp machete (I made sure to put a little star along the edge of the machete to show its sharpness). On my head was an Indiana Jones hat, and the background was a lush and green rainforest, teeming with life. This rainforest was rife with discovery - I imagined a frontier of animals and plants not yet discovered in all of human history.

​

Twenty some odd years later, things haven't changed that much, and I daresay I've achieved my third grade goal. I am an explorer: In one hand, I hold an expensive set of analytical and statistical tools (to tame new truths of nature and increase experimental reproducibility) and in the other, a sharp nanoelectrode. On my head is a pair of goggles, and the background is a laboratory equipped with the tools to creatively pursue new knowledge. The nanoscale is rife with discovery, a frontier where you can be the first person in all of human history to make an observation. I believe that frontier is where disciplines meet, particularly electrochemistry and biology.