Growing up in western North Dakota, any standing or running water was a big deal and worth playing in. The spring melt was an event, thunderstorms were glorious, we spent countless hours damming and diverting spring water in the local park. As a young adult, lakes and waterfalls on a hiking map were like a magnet. Today, I’ve transformed a PhD in chemical oceanography into a career in river biogeochemistry at the University of California – Davis, and I think about water and organic matter constantly. But to most people in Davis, I’m a soccer coach and they have no idea what I do for a living.