The son of Don Francis and Dorothy Ellen, Robert Miller Hazen was born in Rockville Centre, N.Y. on November 1, 1948. Hazen received his Bachelor of Science Degree at MIT in 1971 and earned his Ph.D. at Harvard University. A research scientist as well as a part-time musician, Hazen has used his vast background in both fields to write a number of books and articles over the years. Some of those books include Music Men, The Poetry of Geology, Keepers of the Flame, and Sciences: An Integrated Approach. Hazen's book, Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy, written with James S. Trefil, was heralded by Kirkus Review as "easily one of the finest available single-volume introductions to… science."