Harvey Leifert turned to freelance science writing after retiring from both the U.S. Foreign Service and the American Geophysical Union (AGU). He holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in political science and international relations. He was AGU's first full time public information officer. In that capacity, he organized press conferences and other media-related events at meetings that consistently drew (and still draw) between 150 and 200 reporters, editors, public information officers, and TV crews every December to San Francisco. At more specialized meetings, he also set up small-scale press rooms that attracted as few as five reporters. Now, as a freelancer, he is a consumer of press rooms at a range of scientific society meetings. Harvey writes for such publications as EARTH magazine, StarDate magazine, Environmental Research Web, and Natural History magazine.