Rebecca Olien is the author of over 50 books for children and educators. She was a lead science teacher and curriculum developer during her 20 years teaching kindergarten, grade 4, grade 5, and middle school. Her degrees include a master's in educational technology, an undergraduate major in environmental science, a minor in Earth science, and elementary education certification. She works now as a freelance science education developer, STEM designer, and curriculum specialist and teaches for the READ Oregon program. Her work includes designing lessons that use real world data, global connections, and project-based learning.

Sean Musselman is a K-8 science specialist for the Burlington, Massachusetts Public Schools and a science methods instructor for Cambridge College. He volunteers his time with the National Science Teaching Association as a curator of classroom resources for the NGSS@NSTA Hub and as the coordinator of the Burlington K-8 robotics programs.

Sean also supports facilitation of NSTA's "Discover the NGSS" professional development workshop. A 2006 graduate of the University of Massachusetts - Amherst with a Geology: Earth systems degree, he has been focused on uncovering the mysteries and wonder of our Earth with his students ever since.

Mark Eastburn has taught Spanish and science (biology, chemistry, and research) at the elementary and high school levels in Princeton, NJ over the past two decades. Prior to his career as a teacher, he served in the U.S. Peace Corps as an agroforestry volunteer in Panama, and conducted his graduate research on plant-eating spiders throughout Central America. When not teaching (or grading), Mark enjoys writing, photography, and taking care of his "bug" collection, which includes insects, spiders, and isopods. While working as an elementary school science teacher, Mark coordinated a statewide student effort to recognize the bog turtle as New Jersey's state reptile, which gained official status in June 2018. In addition to his enhanced e-Books, Mark has also written a children's novel, Earning My Spots, which was published in 2016.

Laura Chambless, Assistant Director of K-5 Math and Science at St. Clair County RESA in Marysville, MI, has spent the last thirteen years working with twenty-six K-5 buildings on improving their math and science teaching. Laura spends most of her time in classrooms either coaching, modeling or presenting professional development to teachers and administrators. Laura loves to talk about K-5 math/science teaching strategies and content; her husband tells everyone it's her hobby! Laura was also a first and fifth grade classroom teacher of sixteen years in Manistique, MI. Writing for NSTA has been a highlight and another interesting avenue to helping teachers learn about the NGSS and its shift teachers must make.

Jennifer Evans comes from a strong family of educators, including her husband, and has two wonderful children: Thomas and Lexi. Jennifer graduated from The University of Michigan and currently works at St. Clair County RESA as the Assistant Director of English Language Arts. She joined the Regional Education Service Agency in 2011 after teaching in Michigan and Las Vegas, Nevada the previous 26 years. She's worked as a classroom teacher, reading specialists, instructional mentor, literacy district trainer, coach, consultant, and adjunct college instructor. She serves on multiple Michigan statewide teams and has presented literacy strategies at state and national conferences. Literacy is her passion, and she is helping to create a literate community serving as president for the Blue Water Reading Council.

Mary Hanson is an elementary teacher with a passion for science and elementary education. She recently accomplished one of her lifelong goals, to publish educational children's literature. In 2019, her interactive children's ebook, Fish Out of Water, was published by NSTA, and she is working on the second story, about plate tectonics in Iceland. She hopes these are two in a series of ebooks based on the elementary Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and our amazing planet, Earth. She's had many fascinating and enlightening travel experiences, including climbing a glacier in Iceland, and would like to eventually visit every continent. Her travels, combined with her interest in science, give added relevance to the ebooks she creates.

In his first life, Tim worked for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a member of technical staff, and for the National Park Service (NPS) as a quantitative ecologist. Frustrated by the growing gap between science and society, and being both a trained scientist and a lifelong gamer, he found himself well-equipped to leverage the power of games for good. In 2013, he left the NPS to found Mindful Mammoth, where he works to promote the understanding and appreciation of science, nature, and life through play.

Tim's games have twice been featured at the International Festival of Independent Games (IndieCade), and he has been a speaker at a number of professional edutainment gatherings. He also teaches game design and production at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA.

Lara Blom is an elementary science teacher at Hillbrook School near San Jose, California, where she lives with her husband and two children. Her great delight is cultivating the natural sense of wonder in young children in the outdoors. Her passions include gardening, rock hounding, travelling and scuba diving.

Morris holds a B.A. in Film & Video Production from the Picker Institute of Film, at the City College of New York, where he was also the student ambassador to the University of Nigeria. He attained his teaching credential and M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction at Cal State Northridge, and since has become a National Board Certified (Middle Childhood Generalist), Level 2 Google Educator, and trainer for the Boston Museum's Engineering is Elementary curriculum. He is currently working on a micro-credential in STEAM Education. He currently teaches The Lab @19 at Arminta Street Elementary (LAUSD). Other projects include authoring STEM interactive eBooks for Press, and facilitating professional development and teacher coaching for UCLA's Center X Math & Science Projects.

Lara Blom is an elementary science teacher at Hillbrook School near San Jose, California, where she lives with her husband and two children. Her great delight is cultivating the natural sense of wonder in young children in the outdoors. Her passions include gardening, rock hounding, travelling and scuba diving.

Katie Dunbar is passionate about ecology and learning about how ecological systems work. Her love of nature started with learning about botany at a local native plant preserve. Through travel, reading, and workshops her scientific interests have slowly expanded to an appreciation of how all the branches of science interact. She has been a school librarian and teacher of the gifted in her home state of Pennsylvania where she has tried to infuse her students with the belief that there is always something new and exciting to learn. When not at work she spends her time reading, gardening, traveling, hiking, and kayaking.