Essentials of Environmental Science

Andrew Friedland is the Richard and Jane Pearl Professor Emeritus in Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College. He received a BA degree in both biology and environmental studies, and a PhD in earth and environmental science, from the University of Pennsylvania. He has authored or coauthored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and one other book, Writing Successful Science Proposals, Third Edition (Yale University Press). Andy is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was the founding chair of the AP® Test Development Committee (College Board®) for Environmental Science and served on the College Board AP® Environmental Science Curriculum Development and Assessment Committee. He has been a guest lecturer at various Advanced Placement® Institutes for Secondary Teachers and in high school AP Environmental Science classrooms. Andy has researched forested ecosystems in montane regions of New England and has taught introductory environmental science and energy courses at Dartmouth College as well as courses in forest ecosystems, global change, and soil science.

Rick Relyea is the William J. Rucker Professor in Fisheries and Wildlife at the University of Missouri–Columbia (Mizzou). He received a BS in environmental forest biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, an MS in wildlife management from Texas Tech University, and a PhD in ecology and evolution from the University of Michigan. He has authored more than 200 scientific articles, presented research seminars throughout the world, and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Rick was a professor at the University of Pittsburgh for 15 years, where he was named the Chancellor’s Distinguished Researcher and received the Tina and David Bellet Teaching Excellence Award. In 2014, he moved to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to direct the Darrin Fresh Water Institute. In 2025, Rick moved to Mizzou to be the founding director of the Johnny Morris Institute of Fisheries, Wetlands, and Aquatic Systems. Rick has a strong interest in high school education, including hosting high school science teachers who conduct research in his laboratory. He is the author of the college textbook Ecology: The Economy of Nature, and co-author of Biology for the AP® Course, which are also published by BFW and MacMillan Publishers.