Dr. Anthony G. Coates is former Director for Scientific Research Programs of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, and former Deputy Director of the Panama-based Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Dr. Coates is an eminent authority on the geology of the tropics and was a key player in developing STRI into one of the world’s leading centers of research on the tropics. He has championed a broader outreach of science through public lectures and science programs, including those seen on public television (PBS) and heard on National Public Radio.