Elaine N. Marieb received her Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and then joined the faculty of the Biological Science Division of Holyoke Community College. While teaching at Holyoke Community College, where many of her students were pursuing nursing degrees, she wanted to better understand the relationship between the scientific study of the human body and the clinical aspects of the nursing practice. To that end, while continuing to teach full time, Dr. Marieb pursued her nursing education, which culminated in a Master of Science degree with a clinical specialization in gerontology from the University of Massachusetts. It is this experience that has informed the development of the unique perspective and accessibility for which her textbooks and lab manuals are so well known.
Dr. Marieb passed away in 2018 after a lifetime of supporting numerous institutions and programs. Perhaps her favorite cause was helping students, especially nontraditional students, pursue their goals in science. She gave generously to provide opportunities for them to further their education by, to name just one example, funding the E. N. Marieb Science Research Awards at Mount Holyoke College. She also believed strongly in research: she underwrote the renovation of the biology labs in Clapp Laboratory at Mount Holyoke College and provided funding for reconstruction and instrumentation of a cutting-edge cytology research laboratory at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Her legacy of contributing to science education lives on through the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Foundation, which provides support to multiple causes and organizations. In 2021, the Foundation provided a generous donation to University of Massachusetts, Amherst, which is now home to the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing. Dr. Marieb has also provided philanthropic support to Florida Gulf Coast University, which is home to the Elaine Nicpon Marieb College of Health and Human Services.
Lori A. Smith received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California at Davis. Before discovering her passion for teaching, she worked as a research scientist and project leader in the medical diagnostics industry. In 1999, she joined the faculty at American River College in the Biology Department. Currently she teaches anatomy and physiology and microbiology to pre-nursing and mortuary science students at American River College. Starting in 2005, she began co-authoring Pearson's PhysioEx: Laboratory Simulations in Physiology and has continued to co-author several versions of the software and lab manual. Dr. Smith has been awarded "Instructor of the Year" by the American River College Associated Students for her commitment to serving students, and she is a member of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) and the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT).
