Biography

Was born in Los Angeles, CA, and spent much of his weekends as a child at the North American Rockwell Factory, where they had a mock-up of the Apollo rockets and space shuttles.

Went to UCLA, where he intended to study to be an eye doctor. Ironically, his own vision kept him from pursuing that career.

Cambridge, MA: began a professorship at Harvard University in the department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology.

Has been to the ocean floor in the famed Alvin submersible. Girguis also had the "privilege" of being (temporarily) lost on the sea floor, a mile and half below the surface.

If it's worth doing, it's probably worth overdoing.

Sometimes, in life, you only get it right on the sixth or seventh try. My friends wanted me to open an auto shop with that in the title...."There's no better time to fix it than the sixth or seventh time". That often flies in science, but an auto shop...I don't think so.

I've always believed that everyone -everyone- has a special talent or interest. It almost doesn't matter what it is. What matters is that you pursue it with all your vigor. Do your best to be great at what you do.