Environment: The Science Behind the Stories (6th Edition) – eBook

About The Author

Jay H. Withgott

Dr. Jay H. Withgott has authored Environment: The Science behind the Stories, and Essential Environment since their inception. In dedicating himself to these ebooks, he works to keep abreast of a rapidly changing field and continually seeks to develop better ways to help today’s college students learn environmental science.

As a researcher, Dr. Withgott has published many papers in evolution, animal behavior, ecology, and conservation biology in journals ranging from Evolution to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As an instructor, he has taught university lab courses in ecology and other related disciplines. As a science writer, Professor Jay has authored numerous articles for magazines and journals including Science, BioScience, Smithsonian, New Scientist, and Natural History. By combining his scientific training with prior experience as a newspaper reporter and editor, he strives to make science accessible and engaging for general audiences. He holds degrees from the University of Arkansas, Yale University, and the University of Arizona.

Matthew Laposata

Dr. Matthew M. Laposata is a lecturer in environmental science at Kennesaw State University (KSU). Matt holds a bachelor's degree in biology education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a master's in biology from Bowling Green State University, and a doctorate in ecology from Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Laposata is the coordinator of KSU's 2-semester, general education science sequence Science, Society, and the Environment which enrolls approx 6,000 students a year. Matt focuses exclusively on introductory environmental science courses and has enjoyed interacting with thousands of non-science majors during his long career. He is an active scholar in environmental science education and has received grants from federal, state, and private sources to develop and evaluate innovative curricular materials. Dr. Laposata's work has received numerous awards, including the Georgia Board of Regents' highest award for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.