As an interdisciplinary exploration, middle-level students were reading The Cay (1969) by Theodore Taylor in their English classes, honing map skills in social studies, and learning the importance of making observations in science class. Then, inspired by the autobiography of Dr. Geerat Vermeij, the author decided to have her students make observations as he did—using only their sense of touch. Dr. Vermeij, a distinguished professor of geology at the University of California, has been blind since the age of three, but he has an extraordinary gift—he can identify shells using only his hands. Through the activities described here, students not only honed their science process skills, but also gained a deeper appreciation of science as a human endeavor.