Instructors

Failure is a big part of success…. If you’re not failing all the time, you’re not creating a situation where you can get super lucky.… You have to go into (a story) knowing that you’ve got to get rid of a lot of crap before you’re going to get to anything that’s special. And you don’t want to be making mediocre stuff.                            —Ira Glass, This American Life (PRI)

Expectations
More than anything, we want you to enjoy this class, to learn and to be inspired. If you have a question or concern, please let us know. This course is designed to be a rich learning experience, and we value your input.

Ask lots of questions. If you’re having trouble grasping something, let us know. Office hours are set aside for you. If you have other commitments during office hours, please email Carol or call to arrange an appointment to meet at another time.

Email
Please feel free to email Carol about anything at any time. I check my email all too frequently and will get back to you ASAP. I want you to be successful in this class. I will do my best to help you succeed.

Carol Schwalbe
In 2002 I migrated west from Washington, D.C., after a long career at National Geographic. Over the years I edited and rewrote many articles and book chapters on subjects ranging from geology and natural history to anthropology and archaeology. I was a senior text editor for National Geographic magazine, a senior producer for nationalgeographic.com, a senior articles editor for National Geographic Traveler and an editor-writer in the National Geographic book division, where I wrote chapters for five books. I was also the assistant editor of two books and the editor of three—The Adventure of Archaeology, Our World’s Heritage and Discover America. I have a B.A. in American Studies from Smith College and an M.A. in Anthropology from George Washington University.

For eight years—from 2002 until 2010—I commuted between Tucson and Tempe/Phoenix, where I taught at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. My courses ranged from editing and advanced editing to magazine writing and advanced online media.

The great teachers I’ve known have had three things in common: deep knowledge of a subject, passion for that subject and an intense desire to communicate that knowledge and passion to others. My goal is to emulate those masters. I encourage you to think in terms of possibilities, both in school and on the job. Believe that you can do what you want to do.

Cecil Schwalbe
I’m a research ecologist for the USGS Sonoran Desert Research Station and a faculty member with UA’s Wildlife and Fisheries Resources program in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. For more than two decades I’ve been involved in research on and conservation of amphibians and reptiles in the southwestern U. S. and northwestern Mexico. My graduate students and I have been working on a variety of research projects, including the causes of recent declines in native ranid frogs in the Southwest, dispersal of invasive bullfrogs, estimating population sizes of desert-breeding amphibians, and the ecology and conservation genetics of desert tortoises. Before coming on board with USGS, I served as the state herpetologist for Arizona. I received a B.A. from Rice University in Mechanical Engineering, an M.S. from Washington State University in Environmental Science and Ecology, and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UA.

Carol and Cecil live near Saguaro National Park East. Our front yard is home to desert tortoises and box turtles, and part of our garage is full of snakes and Gila monsters (in cages). We also have two rambunctious Siamese cats.