Issues in Earth Science
A Resource for Writers and Teachers
About Us
Russ Colson, Editor
Russ teaches planetary science, meteorology, and geology at Minnesota State University Moorhead. In 2010 he was selected by the Carnegie Foundation as US Professor of the Year. Before coming to Minnesota, he worked at the Johnson Space Center in Texas and at Washington University in St. Louis where, among other things, he studied how a lunar colony might mine oxygen from the local rock. Some of his fictional stories incorporating earth and space science can be read at NewMyths and Kaleidotrope. He's published non-fiction articles in Clarkesworld Magazine, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and others. He's published many technical papers on the topics of space resources and planetary geochemistry.
Mary Colson, Editor
Mary teaches 8th grade Earth Science at Horizon Middle School in Moorhead, MN, having taught previously in Texas and Tennessee. She was named Medtronic Minnesota Middle School Science Teacher of the year in 2008. She's served as president of the Minnesota Science Teacher's Association and as the District 9 director for the National Science Teacher's Association. Mary worked on the writing team for the Next Generation Science Standards. She has a Master's Degree in geology and has published technical papers on the Precambrian shoreline of the US East Coast and on the Hadrosaurs of South Dakota.
Laurie Ann Sand, Assistant Editor. 
Laurie is a quality assurance specialist with Epic in Madison Wisconsin. She holds a Bachelor's degree in biology, graduating summa cum laude, and a Master's degree in journalism. Her main hobby is learning new things. She loves crochet, having published some of her own designs and makes lots of gifts for her kids and other family members. Check out her sometimes-blog onbabiesandhobbies for mashups of all her passions, including crocheting for toddlers, and insights into life gleaned from watching Star Wars in Spanish.
Erin Colson, Assistant Editor
Erin completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2012 at the University of Utah, graduating magna cum laude. Although it would pain her art profs no end if they knew, her favorite drawings are inspired by the awesome series Yugi-oh! For fun, Erin writes and illustrates fanfiction, a hobby she began nine years ago, based at fanfiction.net. Her most recent project is Noble Heart, an Artemis Fowl story that grapples with truth and moral character. Erin loves drama and adventure in her books--and likes them to stay there, thank you! She has never once said, 'I wish something exciting would happen!'