Professor Eric Chaisson is an astrophysicist who has written a dozen books and more than a hundred papers in the research journals. He is director of the Wright Center for Science Education at Tufts University, where he holds professorships in physics, astronomy, and education. He also teaches cosmic evolution at the Harvard College Observatory. His latest book is Cosmic Evolution: The Rise of Complexity in Nature (Harvard University Press, 2001). His other books include Cosmic Dawn, The Life Era, and The Hubble Wars, all of which have won numerous literary awards. He is also co-author of Astronomy Today, the most widely used college-level astronomy textbook in the United States.