Peter J. Russell received his B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Sussex, U.K., in 1968 and his Ph.D. in Genetics from Cornell University in 1972. He then joined the Biology faculty of Reed College in 1972 where he is currently Professor of Biology. Russell teaches an upper-division genetics and molecular biology lecture/laboratory course, the genetics section of the introductory biology course, an advanced seminar course in molecular virology, and advises senior thesis research students. He is also the author of a number of successful biology and genetics textbooks, including iGenetics: A Molecular Approach.He is currently studying the molecular genetics of gene expression of a plant… pathogenic RNA virus, using the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as the model host. The research goals are to define the genes of the host that encode products required for the expression of a specific gene involved in aphid transmission of the virus. His earlier research involved studies of ribosome biosynthesis and the organization of and regulation of the number of ribosomal RNA genes in Neurospora.
For the past two decades, Cecie Starr has been known as one of the best-selling biology textbook authors. Her texts, appreciated for their clarity in both the written word and the visual representation of biological concepts, include multiple editions of Biology: the Unity and Diversity of Life, Biology: Concepts and Applications, and Biology today and Tomorrow. Her original dream was to become an architect. Instead of building houses, she now builds, with care and attention to detail, incredible texts based on this philosophy: "I invite students into a chapter through an intriguing story. Once inside, they get the great windows that biologists construct on the world of life. Biology is not… just another house. It is a conceptual mansion. I hope to do it justice."