Brian T. Hazlett serves as Professor of Biology and Environmental Science at Briar Cliff University (Sioux City, IA), where he’s been since 1992.  He has directed the Center for Prairie Studies since its inception in 2009 and was named Briar Cliff’s Distinguished Scholar in 2015.  He enjoys leading student trips throughout the US (Everglades, Great Smoky Mountains, Black Hills, south and west Texas, Ozarks, Flint Hills, Pacific Northwest, Southern California, and Hawaii) and beyond (Ireland, Costa Rica, and Galapagos).  Local research projects have included floristic inventories of Stone State Park, Adams Nature Preserve, and two Nature Conservancy preserves (the Sioux City Prairie and Broken Kettle Grasslands).  He is a regular facilitator at the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar and has presented at the Iowa and North American prairie conferences.  His next endeavor, coordinating a multidisciplinary engagement among the Sciences and Humanities in Iowa’s northern Loess Hills, was inspired by In the Blast Zone, a book compiled from the collective experiences of writers and scientists while camping and hiking together on the slopes of Mount St. Helens.