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Life, 4/e

Ricki Lewis, University of New York at Albany
Mariëlle Hoefnagels, University of Oklahoma
Douglas Gaffin, University of Oklahoma
Bruce Parker, Utah Valley State College

Meet the Authors!

The new author team for the fourth edition of Life has been carefully selected to blend the best of their talents and strengths. What does this mean for you? It means you and your students will benefit from contributors with overlapping and complementary expertise. They are instructors, like you, who are committed to bringing accurate and current biology to students, in an interesting and engaging manner.

As one of biology's most gifted writers, Ricki Lewis applies her doctorate in genetics and her training as a science writer to guide your students through an accurately written and easy-to-understand text.

She leads the team of the fourth edition into the future of biology. With more than twenty years of combined experience in teaching, writing and research, Ricki Lewis is the heart of this text:

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"Hi, I'm Ricki Lewis. Thanks for taking the time to review this information about the upcoming fourth edition of Life. I've been writing college level biology textbooks for two decades, and never has the experience been more exhilarating than it is right now. Entire genomes are being revealed on a near-weekly basis, including that of Homo sapiens. Systematics and classification are undergoing a total overhaul. And the world is responding to new infectious diseases and environmental change. The life sciences are in transition as they never have been before. These events are evident in the pages of Life. This complete revision embraces all that is new, while retaining and improving the clear and compelling explanations of basic concepts that have been the hallmark of editions past.

As for my background, I hold a Ph.D. in genetics from Indiana University. I am an adjunct professor at Miami University and the University at Albany where I have taught a variety of life science courses. I've also taught at Empire State and several community colleges. I have published more than 3,000 articles in both scientific and popular publications such as The Scientist, Genetic Engineering News, BioScience and Discover. I have also co-authored two best-selling human anatomy and physiology textbooks for McGraw-Hill, as well as a human genetics text."

<a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg::doug gaffin::/sites/dl/free/0070271348/1/doug.jpg','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif">doug gaffin (5.0K)</a>doug gaffin

"Hi, I'm Douglas Gaffin. There's nothing more exciting than sharing the world of biology with students and colleagues just like you. As the current director of Introductory Zoology at the University of Oklahoma, I teach introductory biology to thousands of students each year. Like many of you, I am 'in the trenches' and am therefore very sensitive to the needs of instructors.

As a team, we paid a great deal of attention to creating pedagogy that made the text even more clear, readable and thematically integrated. For example, in the unit on animal life, my area of expertise, I incorporated instructional icons that serve as guideposts for students' learning and understanding. As for my credentials, I hold a Ph.D. from Oregon State University."

<a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg::marielle hoefnagels::/sites/dl/free/0070271348/1/marielle.jpg','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif">marielle hoefnagels (5.0K)</a>marielle hoefnagels

"Hello, I'm Mariëlle Hoefnagels. If I had to pick a word to describe my teaching and writing style, it would be "diverse". As a lecturer in the Botany, Microbiology and Zoology Departments at the University of Oklahoma, I primarily teach a concepts course to one semester non-majors and an introductory microbiology course for health profession majors. I hold a Ph.D. in Botany and Plant Pathology from Oregon State University. My passion is in creating diverse and interesting ways for teachers to provide positive learning experiences for students. I know how rewarding it is when students remark that they actually enjoyed and understood their biology class. In the sections I contributed to the fourth edition of Life, I strived to constantly put myself in the position of the motivated student and asked, 'Would this be interesting and make sense to me?'

<a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg::bruce parker::/sites/dl/free/0070271348/1/bruce.jpg','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif">bruce parker (8.0K)</a>bruce parker

"Hello, I'm Bruce Parker. I echo the other team members' sentiments in thanking you for taking the time to learn more about the new fourth edition of Life.

In joining with Ricki, Doug and Mariëlle, I feel that I bring to the project a unique background in cutting-edge cancer and virus research, which I did in London at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research -- and in Memphis at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. I bring a strong emphasis in molecular biology and biochemistry to the text.

Also, I have taught literally thousands of students in non-majors and majors general biology. In contributing to this text, I have worked very hard to anticipate where students will have the most difficulty with this material and have tried to make it meaningful to them.

In my teaching, I have used a wide variety of techniques to reach students. I was one of the first in the country to develop a biology course that is entirely web-based and have used those experiences to integrate newer technologies in teaching on campus. I am very passionate about helping students to have the best experience in learning about biology.

As a professor, I hold a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Utah State University and I currently serve as a department chairperson at Utah Valley State College."

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