Dr. Edward Petuch is a professor in the Department of Geosciences at Florida Atlantic University. His research interests include: The geology, biostratigraphy, and invertebrate paleontology of the Floridian Peninsula and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Research of the systematics, ecology, and biogeography of the western Atlantic mollusks (both fossil and Recent) Additional interests include biotic catastrophe and extinction theory, paleoceanography, and paleoclimatology Dr. Petuch has written numerous articles and books on these subjects.