Adapted by

Laura Neser, PhD, is an instructor in the Department of Geosciences at Virginia Tech. Dr. Neser earned her BS in Geosciences at Virginia Tech in the spring of 2008 and completed her PhD in Geological Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in 2014. Her doctoral research focused on the structural geology, sedimentology, and stratigraphy of formations that were deposited along the flanks of the Beartooth Mountains as they rose during the late Paleocene-Eocene time period. Since earning her PhD, Dr. Neser has worked as an athletic tutor and online instructor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, held temporary positions as an adjunct instructor at Chowan University (Murfreesboro, NC) and as a full-time lecturer at Indiana State University (Terre Haute, IN), and worked as a professor at Seminole State College (Sanford, FL) before joining Virginia Tech as an instructor in the fall of 2021.

Although she is currently focused on teaching sections of Introduction to Earth Science, Earth Resources, Society and the Environment, and Climate History, her teaching background is significantly broader and includes Sedimentology-Stratigraphy, Environmental Science, Astronomy, Environmental Ethics, Earth History, Structural Geology, and Field Geology.

Incorporating Original Works by

Chris Johnson, Matthew D. Affolter, Paul Inkenbrandt, and Cam Mosher (2017). An Introduction to Geology, (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) Salt Lake City Community College. Retrieved from https://slcc.pressbooks.pub/introgeology.

An Introduction to Geology (2017) was edited and reviewed by

• Johnathan Barnes, Salt Lake Community College
• Jack Bloom, Rio Tinto Kennecott Copper (retired)
• Deanna Brandau, Utah Museum of Natural History
• Gereld Bryant, Dixie State University
• Gregg Beukelman, Utah Geological Survey
• Peter Davis, Pacific Lutheran University
• Renee Faatz, Snow College
• Gabriel Filippelli, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
• Michelle Cooper Fleck, Utah State University
• Colby Ford, Dixie State University
• Michael Hylland, Utah Geological Survey
• J. Lucy Jordan, Utah Geological Survey
• Mike Kass, Salt Lake Community College
• Ben Laabs, North Dakota State University
• Tom Lachmar, Utah State University
• Johnny MacLean, Southern Utah University
• Erich Peterson, University of Utah
• Tiffany Rivera, Westminster College
• Leif Tapanila, Idaho State University

With special thanks to:

• Jason Pickavance, Salt Lake Community College, Director of Educational Initiatives
• R. Adam Dastrup, Salt Lake Community College, Geoscience Dept. Chair, Director of Opengeography.org

Karla Panchuk (2019) “Starting with a Big Bang” in Steven Earle, ed., Physical Geology, 2nd edition. (CC BY 4.0) BC Campus. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/physicalgeology2ed/chapter/22-1-starting-with-a-big-bang.

“Climate Change” in Steven Earle (2019). Physical Geology, 2nd edition. (CC BY 4.0). BC Campus. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/physicalgeology2ed/part/chapter-19-climate-change.

Andrew Fraknoi, David Morrison, and Sidney C. Wolff (2016). Astronomy. (CC BY 4.0). OpenStax. Retrieved from https://openstax.org/details/books/astronomy.

Contributing authors to Astronomy (2016) included

• John Beck, Stanford University
• Susan D. Benecchi, Planetary Science Institute
• John Bochanski, Rider University
• Howard Bond, Pennsylvania State University, Emeritus, Space Telescope Science Institute
• Jennifer Carson, Occidental College
• Bryan Dunne, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Martin Elvis, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
• Debra Fischer, Yale University
• Heidi Hammel, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy
• Tori Hoehler, NASA Ames Research Center
• Douglas Ingram, Texas Christian University
• Steven Kawaler, Iowa State University
• Lloyd Knox, University of California, Davis
• Todd Young, Wayne State College
• Mark Krumholz, Australian National University
• James Lowenthal, Smith College
• Siobahn Morgan, University of Northern Iowa
• Daniel Perley, California Institute of Technology
• Claire Raftery, National Solar Observatory
• Deborah Scherrer, retired, Stanford University
• Phillip Scherrer, Stanford University
• Sanjoy Som, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, NASA Ames Research Center
• Wes Tobin, Indiana University East
• William H. Waller, retired, Tufts University, Rockport (MA) Public Schools

Caralyn Zehnder, Kalina Manoylov, Samuel Mutiti, Christine Mutiti, Allison VandeVoort, and Donna Bennett (2018). Introduction to Environmental Science: 2nd edition. (CC BY-NC-SA). University System of Georgia. Retrieved from https://alg.manifoldapp.org/projects/introduction-to-environmental-science.

Introduction to Environmental Science: 2nd Edition (2018) was developed for students taking the course Introduction to Environmental Science in collaboration between

• Caralyn Zehnder, formerly Georgia College and State University; currently University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Kalina Manoylov, Georgia College and State University
• Samuel Mutiti, Georgia College and State University
• Christine Mutiti, Georgia College and State University
• Allison VandeVoort, Georgia College and State University
• Donna Bennett, Georgia College and State University

Emily P. Harris (2023). Introduction to Environmental Sciences and Sustainability. (CC BY). University of West Florida. Retrieved from https://pressbooks.uwf.edu/envrioscience. Book is a cloned version of Environmental Biology by Matthew R. Fisher, published using Pressbooks by Open Oregon Educational Resources under a CC BY (Attribution) license (may differ from the original).

Introduction to Environmental Sciences and Sustainability (2023) was edited and co-authored by

• Emily P. Harris
• The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of West Florida

Features of This Book

• Example-rich narrative
• Graphic elements that illustrate and reinforce concepts
• Linked online glossary (glossary appears at the end for PDF)
• Embedded navigation and image alt-text for screen readers
• Online interactive self-test quiz questions
• Available free online and in PDF, and in-print at vendor cost of production
• Open license, Creative Commons BY NC-SA 4.0 permits customization and sharing
• Instructor community portal for sharing ancillary resources
• Interest form allows instructors to opt in to receiving book updates
• Errata and report-an-error/share-a-suggestion forms promote currentness