Erik Jensen is currently completing his final year as an undergraduate at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he studies biochemistry and molecular biology. Under the direction of Professor David Deamer, he is currently working on origins of life research, which includes developing a process that identifies catalytic RNA fragments within a solution of random RNA fragments. In addition, Erik independently pursues interests in cellular automata, complex systems, and bioinformatics.

Dr. Ron Rusay is a chemistry professor at Diablo Valley College, a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Science Education Fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. After completing Ph.D. studies in natural product chemistry and oceanography, he spent almost fifteen years in the chemical industry, where he held various research and management positions before returning to the classroom. A more detailed biography can be found at: ep.llnl.gov/msds/dvc/rusay.html