During late spring and summer of 2005, Editor Ernestina Snead talked with five scientists at Cornell about their work--their research and how they approach it; how and why they chose their fields; their passion for their work; frustrations and challenges; how they balance work and family; how they help to educate others about science and technology, whether undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctorate fellows, children, or the general public. Here are their stories--intriguing and inspiring--which put their research into the context of their lives.