Catherine Puckett is a public affairs specialist with the U.S. Geological Survey's national office; she covers climate change and ecosystems and thinks USGS conducts fascinating and relevant science. The issues she works on range from wildfires and climate change effects on wildlife to Burmese pythons, avian influenza, and sea-level rise. Puckett is also a natural history and science writer whose work has appeared in journals, magazines, and newspapers, including a recent essay, "Beauty and the Beast," on eastern diamondback rattlesnakes in the book Trash Animals: How We Live With Nature's Filthy, Feral, Invasive, and Unwanted Species.  She studied journalism and wildlife ecology at the University of Florida for her master's degree and has participated in past studies on crocodiles, alligators, snakes, and tortoises in Florida, Belize, and Venezuela.