Tushar Varma traveled across 35 states, visiting 85 independent bookstores to learn why they’re so vital to the communities they reside in.

Anderson Al Wazni strives to help communities hit by climate change.

Adam Dameron uses artificial intelligence to prevent human trafficking.

Upon watching her brother grow up and struggle with cystic fibrosis, Rhianna Lee has dedicated her life to studying the disease.

Childhood lessons about identity and self-worth inspire Ganga Bey to address how inequitable social environments affect our health — and how to change that.

Nazanin Knudsen uses writing, filmmaking, and small moments in time to reflect on larger cultural discrepancies.

Marc Emerson’s experiences growing up in Navajo Nation guide his research on health equity in American Indian and Alaskan Native communities.

Marcia Edwina Herman-Giddens has spent her career researching hard-hitting issues in children’s health care and has changed the way doctors think about puberty.

Wayana Dolan researches water mazes in Arctic deltas.

Daniel Gonzalez works to improve medication dosing in children.

Frank Leibfarth tests molecules to turn plastic waste into useful materials, diversifying options for recycling.

The mathematical puzzles that arise when modeling neurodegenerative diseases fascinate Tanya Garcia, who hopes to solve them to speed treatment development.