Misha Gupta, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, loves her work, during and outside working hours. Every day, she takes her break at Harvard’s Museum of Natural History, strolling past the 42-foot-long kronosaurus to visit her favorite, the skull of the triceratops.
“I find it immensely calming to be surrounded by so many people interested in natural history. I often just observe people interacting with the exhibits, and the joy it brings to them,” she says. “I also love discovering new things in the museum. I have spent so much time there and I still find new things every time!”
Her ritual started by chance, a result of trying to keep out of the cold while getting to class by cutting through interconnected buildings. She passed through HMNH on the way to her classroom, and before long, she was hooked.
Gupta says her visits help her focus on her Ph.D. work. “I get to remember why I love science and natural history outside of my lab space. I am excited to see what else I can discover.”