Florida State University physics alumnus Jesus Perello Izaguirre would love to tell you about his work, but he can’t say much — it’s a matter of national security.

Dr. Andrea Friall has known some of her patients their entire lives. That’s because as a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, Friall actually helped bring some of them into the world herself. Now, this Florida State University biology alumna is helping patients and fellow physicians alike in her role as chief medical officer for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.

There’s an old joke that quips “Science can tell you how to clone a dinosaur. Humanities can tell you why that’s probably a bad idea.” For some people, the idea of studying both the sciences and humanities is baffling, with advocates on each side fiercely defending their respective fields. Yet, there are others, like two-time Florida State University alumnus Michael Baiamonte, who capitalize on the competitive advantage that arises by combining precision STEM analysis with the humanities’ ability to see the larger picture.

They call it the lightning capital of the U.S. The corridor from Tampa to Titusville in Florida, known as “Lightning Alley,” experiences almost 60 lightning strikes each year for every square mile.

Drug and alcohol misuse and addiction are not unique to any one person — many people know someone who has overdosed or they may have a person who has battled dependency in their friend group or family.

For Department of English alumna Jessica Washington, working in the payments industry is more than securely processing the transfer of money.

Laura Guidry-Grimes’ job might not be the easiest to understand, but the difference her work makes for patients and families going through some of the toughest times of their lives is crystal clear.

Brightly colored tourist shops and national monuments compete for visitors’ attention in travel destinations across the globe, but it’s often said that only the locals know the best spots. That is, unless you’re Sheree M. Mitchell. “You don’t really know a country until you truly understand its soul,” Mitchell said.

Joshua Tyler has always had vision. As he watched hotshot fighter jet pilots screaming across the big screen in the 1980s, Tyler knew he had a future in the military. Those dreams continued as he worked his way through the Boy Scouts, reaching the rank of Eagle Scout in his late teens, a natural entry point to military service.

The wild unpredictability of weather can be terrifying to some. For meteorology alumnus and graduate student Harrison Prieto, affectionally known to scholars and teammates alike as “The Weatherman,” the unknown is the most exciting part.

Sometimes, the small moments that alter the course of one’s life pass unnoticed and only in retrospect is all revealed. Florida State University alumnus Jorge Zamanillo, the newly appointed founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino, was 19 when he visited Washington, D.C., at the invitation of a friend going for a work trip.

While we’re often encouraged to look at the big picture, Elise Chávez thinks small. Chávez, a Florida State Department of Physics alumna, is a particle physicist, working at the nano level to examine and experiment with subatomic particles — electrons, protons, neutrons — the smallest building blocks of the universe.