Natural Disasters

Stephen Marshak is a Professor Emeritus of Geology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he taught for 35 years. During this time, he also served as Head of the Department of Geology and as Director of the School of Earth, Society, & Environment. Steve holds an A.B. from Cornell University, an M.S. from the University of Arizona, and a Ph.D. from Columbia University, all in geology. His research interests in structural geology and tectonics have taken him in the field on several continents. Steve, a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, has won the highest teaching awards at both the college and campus levels at the University of Illinois, and has also received a Neil Miner Award from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers for “exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the Earth Sciences.” His other books include Essentials of Geology, Earth Science, Natural Disasters, Laboratory Manual for Introductory Geology, Laboratory Manual for Earth Science, Earth Structure: An Introduction to Structural Geology and Tectonics, and Basic Methods of Structural Geology.

Robert Rauber is a Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he was Department Head for twelve years, and now serves as Director of the School of Earth, Society, & Environment. He holds a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in English from the Pennsylvania State University, as well as an M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from Colorado State University. He oversees a research program that focuses on the development and behavior of storms, which takes him on some rather exciting flights into the midst of severe weather. Bob has won campus teaching awards, is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and serves as the publication commissioner for the AMS. In addition to authoring many research papers, Bob has co-authored Earth Science, Laboratory Manual for Earth Science, Severe and Hazardous Weather: An Introduction to High Impact Meteorology, and a new book, Radar Meteorology, A First Course.

Neil Johnson is a Senior Instructor and Minerals Curator at Virginia Tech University. He holds a B.S. from the Ohio State University, as well as an M.S. and Ph.D. from Virginia Tech University. He regularly teaches the introductory course on Earth’s Natural Hazards, and his research focuses on mineral characterization, ore geology, and economic geology, utilizing x-ray powder refraction.