Daniel Bachtold (“Echoes from the Core”) has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. During his studies he characterized single neurons in the medical leech and looked at spatial behavior of humans. He now works as a freelance science writer based in Zurich. When not sitting behind his computer he can be found sailing on Swiss alpine lakes.

Genevieve Bookwalter (“The Seafood Dilemma”) graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1999 with a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in rhetoric. She moved to California after graduation to pursue marine biology, which she studied for a year in Australia as a junior in college. Like most students in the program, however, she was less than enthusiastic about spending her future in a lab analyzing water samples, so in 2001 she entered the Science Writing program to combine her passions for biology and writing.

Kristin Cobb (“Mind Meld”) graduated from Dartmouth College in 1995 with degrees in biology and philosphy. She finished her Ph.D. in epidemiology at Stanford University after starting the UCSC science writing program. She spent spring quarter as the official science writer on a NSF-sponsored research vessel in the Southern Ocean. Her summer internship is at Science News.

Sean Griffing (“A Hot Bet on Ice”) is a graduate of Oberlin College. He's most interested in the biosciences. But that's not much of a limitation since biology has exploded into almost every other scientific endeavor. He has interned at NPR's Science Friday, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, and the Stanford Medical Center News Office. This summer, Sean will be the web writer for the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Linley Erin Hall (“Make This (and Maybe You Have a Cure for Cancer)”, “Scientific Corners”) received her B.S. in chemistry with an emphasis on biochemistry from Harvey Mudd College. Between classes and internships, she has written about lizards, oil drilling technology, yoga, the Olympic torch relay, space debris, and, yes, chemistry. Linley hopes to work for a magazine, then launch a wildly successful freelance career.

Christian Heuss (“Sniff. Sniff. How Does a Lobster’s Nose Know?”) graduated with a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. His interest in the brain led him to the Brain Research Institute in Zurich, the Marine Biological Institute in Woods Hole, MA, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, NY. As a science journalist, Christian is aiming to communicate science to a broad public through print, radio and multimedia. In his spare time, Christian passionately explores other lands and cultures around the world.

Kendall Morgan (“Listening to the Bones”) graduated from Earlham College with a degree in biology. She then went on to complete her doctorate in Ecology and Evolution at the University of Oregon. She has written for Stanford Medicine magazine and AAAS's Science of Aging Knowledge Environment (SAGE KE) and will intern at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory this summer.

Kendall Powell (“Alone in the Deep”, “The Thought Collector”) has a B.S. in Biology from William and Mary and a M.S. in Biomedical Sciences from University of California, San Diego. Kendall's career goal is to become a science journalist or freelance science writer and she looks forward to her removal from student life.

Desiree Scorcia (“The Big View on Tiny Algae”) graduated from Boston College in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in physics. When she graduates from the UCSC science communication program, Desiree will pursue a career in physics writing and public information. In her spare time, Desiree likes to travel, sail, and knit. She hopes to one day retire to Maine.

Cameron Walker (“How to Speed-Read a Gene”, “Into the Woods”) has finally been released by the notorious UC Regents from UC Berkeley after five years, with degrees in bioresource science and creative writing. Since then, she's created small avalanches in the Sierra, been bludgeoned by a wayward surfboard, and been the victim of early-morning attacks by a truly wild beast — an 83-pound puppy.