Robert Leo Smith, Professor Emeritus at West Virginia University, received his Ph.D. in wildlife ecology from Cornell University in 1956. For 39 years he has been involved in academic teaching and research in ecology and wildlife. He has taught undergraduate courses in general ecology and graduate courses in population ecology and wildlife management and is the author of numerous books, articles, papers, and reviews.



Thomas M. Smith, Associate Professor at the University of Virginia, received his Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Tennessee in 1982. Over the past 15 years, Thomas' work has taken him to over 50 countries and 6 continents. The main focus of his research has been to develop an individual-based theory of community and ecosystems of dynamics, mostly centering on the development and application of computer models that assess the response of terrestrial ecosystems to elevated atmospheric CO₂ and climate change.