On the shoulders of giants

Isaac Newton popularized the saying that we see further by standing on the shoulders of giants. As valid as this is, it has been my experience that how and in which directions we choose to look are most strongly influenced by mentors during our formative years. I had the privilege to be introduced to the scientific method and to experimental science during childhood by two formidable mentors. The first was my father (Ricardo Ferre-D'Amare), an engineer turned anthropologist, who starting with my curiosity about some seashells I found on a vacation at the beach, taught me about the Linnean system. From there, he deftly guided my growing interest in malacology to an early passion for all things mollusk, and eventually, to marine biology and ecology.