As the Smithsonian Institution's twelfth Secretary, Dr. G. Wayne Clough traveled extensively to connect with researchers and gain a better understanding of the scope of the Institution's work. While the Smithsonian is comprised of nineteen museums and galleries, a National Zoological Park, and nine research facilities, it also has a research presence in more than one hundred countries.

During his six years as secretary, Dr. Clough kept a detailed journal of his experiences and discoveries while on his travels, ranging from anthropology in Antarctica to pre-Columbian history in Peru from astrophysics in the Andes and the mountains of Hawaii to coral reef ecosystems off the coast of Belize, and from climate change in Wyoming to preserving endangered species in Kenya and Panama. Seeing the Universe From Here offers a firsthand perspective of the Smithsonian's global relevance in these progressive fields.