Dr. Joanne Manaster is a Biology Professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She teaches cell biology, including the human genome, and is a well-known public speaker and supporter of science education. She is active in mentoring young people, especially young women, interested in a career in STEM. I first became aware of her on Twitter where she is @sciencegoddess. We chatted about her early life as a U.S. Air Force brat living on Guam where she first became interested in Nature and biology. Later she obtained her Ph.D. at age 23, went on to marry a research programmer and raise four children-all of whom have an emerging interest in science. Any young person who is interested in becoming a scientist will want to listen to this inspiring interview.