Roger M. McCoy earned a BS degree in petroleum geology from the University of Oklahoma, and worked for an oil company for several years before starting graduate school. He obtained a master’s degree in geography from the University of Colorado, followed by a PhD in geography with an emphasis in remote sensing at the University of Kansas. After short periods of teaching at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Kentucky, Dr. McCoy taught at the University of Utah until his retirement in 1998. During that time he taught remote sensing and physical geography and conducted research in remote sensing of vegetation, soils, and hydrocarbons. He lives near Tucson with his wife, Sue, and continues his interests in research and writing.