Page 6 - BUZZ Magazine - Issue #5 Summer 2023 | University of Rochester

“

My goal—every day and in everything I do—

is to try to expand thinking, spur curiosity,

inspire action, and encourage others to never

give up their quest for knowledge.

“We study all kinds of creatures—from Russian HOW DID YOU GET INTERESTED
wolves to tuskless elephants to mountain mice— IN SCIENCE?
to learn about how various species adapt to Growing up in Sumter, South Carolina, I didn't
urbanization, climate change, invasive species, have easy access to nearby woods or tidal pools,
and natural as well as human-caused events and but I was captivated by science through television
disasters,” says Campbell-Staton. “Our work is like shows like those hosted by Steve Irwin and Jeff
putting together a puzzle—each piece is important Corwin. My neighborhood was home to many
and, when they are linked, we get a bigger, better small lizards, called anoles. So, TV and lizards
picture of our place in this world and our impact were what first sparked my interest in science.
on it.”
WHAT IMPORTANT LIFE LESSONS DID
This summer, Campbell-Staton will host Human YOU LEARN AT ROCHESTER?
Footprint, a six-part PBS documentary series in One of the most important lessons was how to fail
which he travels from farms to restaurants, high- successfully. During my first year, I struggled with
tech labs to street markets, and ancient forests to math, calculus, and chemistry classes, which left
the back alleys of big cities to gain insights into me feeling dejected after failing some of them. I
human nature, human impact, and what it means even considered leaving school. However, my
to be a human being. Audiences can also tune mother encouraged me to persevere and not quit
into Campbell-Staton on his ongoing Biology of because I was afraid to fail. Her support inspired
Superheroes podcast. Inspired by comic books, me to spend the summer devouring high school
graphic novels, movies, and television, each science books to prepare for my sophomore year.
episode tracks the boundaries of where science
meets fiction.
WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES A
In June 2023, Campbell-Staton gave the keynote GREAT SCIENTIST?
presentation at the University’s Juneteenth A great scientist is not someone who has all the
Celebration, where he delved into the challenges answers. In my personal statement to Harvard,
he overcame at Rochester and elsewhere, the I talked about how the giants of science are
opportunities he’s cultivated, and the life lessons those who persevere when they hit a wall. I have
he’s learned along the way. He also discussed experienced my share of failures and setbacks,
the connections between biology and human but I have never given up. I am tenacious and
history, science, politics, economics, culture, and curious, and I keep trying until I get it right. These
structural racism.
qualities have helped me to succeed and get
accepted into several graduate schools, including
Harvard, where I earned my PhD and focused my
dissertation on my favorite childhood lizard: anoles.

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