The 2013 Gordon Conference on Catchment Science is entitled "Catchments Through the Looking Glass: From Microscopes to Telescopes", and will explore the concept that research questions and thus research findings are influenced by the perceptions of the researcher and the particular techniques utilized to conduct field, laboratory and conceptual studies. As catchment scientists working in a highly multi-disciplinary field, we each have our own unique perspectives and vantage points from which we view our scientific approach and interpret our data. The goal of this Gordon Research Conference is to bring together leading experts in the field who will explain how their particular vision and research environment have shaped their cutting-edge research and how their approaches can be useful and applicable to other scientists and end-users working in the field. The conference will focus on four main themes: i) "Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes", where we will assess the rationale for conducting catchment science in polar, boreal, temperate and tropical settings as well as its societal implication and application; ii) "Doors of perception", which will consider how the scale of our scientific lens, from microscopic to telescopic and with different levels of stakeholder involvement, shapes our understanding of catchments; iii) "Tools you can use", which will showcase novel analytical techniques and conceptual approaches that have revolutionized the field; and iv) "Animal, vegetable, mineral", where we will explore the inextricable linkages between biota and the Earth’s surface that help to determine catchment function and sustainability, particularly under climate change concerns. The conference will bring together catchment scientists with a broad range of expertise from senior researchers working at the forefront of their field to exceptional graduate students who are already helping to shape the future of Catchment Science. As with previous Catchment Science GRCs, oral presentations will be by invitation, and all conference participants are urged to present their own research results and perspectives in poster format. The conference will be preceded by a two-day Gordon Research Seminar, in which graduate students and post-doctoral investigators will meet as a group to share and discuss their cutting-edge research, build new scientific collaborations and prepare for their interactions with more senior scientists during the GRC.