Eyes to the sky—the Perseid meteor shower peaks this month in the predawn hours of Thursday, August 12. With good visibility and a little luck, you might see nearly 50 to 100 meteors per hour radiating from the constellation Perseus. There is something so satisfying about seeing a bright streak across the sky in between long stretches of waiting. In that way, watching a meteor shower is a bit like research. But boy do those moments of excitement make the waiting worth it.
I’ll keep my remaining words brief, because I’m eager for you to read the rest of this issue. We are upon our annual retreat recap, made available thanks to the generous writing contributions from several NICHD fellows. Check out their 16th Annual Fellows Meeting talk summaries! On our front page, you’ll find a Q&A with the new NICHD Office of Education Director, Dr. Erin Walsh. Learn about her journey from a young girl reading books about the solar system to her current position as Director—and a few life lessons in between.
Enjoy the rest of your summer. Stay cool, stay safe, and we’ll see you next month (it’ll be worth the wait)!
Your Editor in Chief,
Shana R. Spindler, PhD
Please send questions, comments, and ideas to our editor at shana.spindler@nih.gov.