Think about the childhood aspirations every scientist had growing up: I want to work with dinosaurs; I want to be a marine biologist; I want to save the world. There are a select few individuals who get to be everything they dreamed of, and who are making the world a better place. Believe it or not, these folks are making a huge difference in our own backyard, at the University of Rhode Island. Here are a few scientists who kept their dreams alive, and who make our lives better by doing the good work they do.