William E. Marks

In the early 1970s, as a student at Fairleigh Dickinson University - he researched fish kills and industrial pollution. As a result, he was honored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) “Citizen Activist Of The Year” award. After college - he worked as Senior Environmental Analyst for the City of Newark developing programs for storm water runoff; public water supply, and derelict barge and pier removal.

In the mid-1970s he lived outside for two years while traversing 7,000 miles across the United States from San Diego to Maine on a horse with a packhorse in tow. He called this project, RIDE FOR NATURE.

Founder/President (14 years) of Martha’s Vineyard’s first State-Certified water testing laboratory; Founder/President (15 years) of Vineyard Environmental Research, Institute, where he researched acid rain and groundwater mobilization of metals with grants from USEPA and the American Waterworks Association; responsible for saving 3 of Martha’s Vineyard’s lighthouses from being torn down so they could be preserved for maritime history, and for protection of surrounding ecosystems; served as Chair of the Greenlands Committee - which saved 400 acres from dense housing development over Martha’s Vineyard’s only drinking water aquifer.

Was the first and only official from Martha’s Vineyard elected to the Board of the Massachusetts’ Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC), for the protection of wetlands in over 300 communities statewide. Received the “Groundwater Guardian” award from the Groundwater Foundation, and the “Water Hero” award from the World Water Rescue Foundation.

Mr. Marks founded and published Martha’s Vineyard Magazine and Nantucket Magazine. Both magazines had an environmental emphasis. He is author of books, The History of Wind Power on Martha’s Vineyard; The Holy Order of Water, Healing Earth’s Waters and Ourselves; and publisher of Water Voices from Around The World. Mr. Marks’ water articles and poetry have appeared in regional; national, and international publications, including 5 articles in the Water Encyclopedia published by John Wiley & Sons.

Liz Miller

Liz Miller is a documentary filmmaker, community media artist, and professor with an MFA in Electronic Arts from Renssellaer Polytechnic Insitute and an BA in Social Thought and Political Economics from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. For the last fifteen years, Miller has developed documentary and community media projects with youth, senior citizens and a wide range of human rights organizations.

Neil Patterson

Neil Patterson discusses his film Darwin's Natural Heir. Patterson has managed several leading publishing houses in the U.S., including W.H. Freeman, and Scientific American Books. He is currently Chairman and CEO of Redwing Media (Neil Patterson Productions), which produces multiple-media projects focusing on science education. The company's most recent production is DNA: The Secret of Life. made in 2003 in collaboration with Windfall Films and James D.Watson, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Watson and Crick's discovery of the double-helical structure of DNA. This multi-media project includes a five-part PBS documentary series that won an Emmy Award in 2005. Patterson is currently developing the project Immortal Longings, about the biology of aging, in collaboration with Pulitzer Prize winner Jonathan Weiner and Nobel Laureates Sir Paul Nurse, Harold Varmus, and Eric Kandel. Both this project and Darwin's Natural Heir include a TV series, museum movie, interactive DVD and website, and related books. In addition to these projects, Patterson is working on an introductory college-level biology textbook with related media, based on the new life sciences curriculum at Harvard University.