Ashley Steel, PhD, is a research scientist by day, specializing in rivers, statistics, and science education. She spent many summers teaching science to kids at a University of Washington academic summer program in which she led students on enriching adventures with activity pages and worksheets. And, she co-founded Science Inquiry and Research Council (SIRC), a nonprofit organization focused on improving science education. She also loves to travel and deeply believes in the educational value of family travel. Her travel bug was ignited in college during a semester in Denmark, and she has since been honored with a Luce Fellowship for a year in southern Thailand, and a Fulbright Fellowship to live and work in Austria.