John P. Rafferty
John is a science communicator who has spent more than 18 years as a Britannica editor, where he writes about Earth processes (including weather and climate, geology and geomorphology, and oceanography), terrestrial and aquatic ecology, zoology, and conservation. He also handles Britannica's articles on natural disasters.
Prior to joining Encyclopaedia Britannica in 2006, he developed mapping products for C.B. Commercial Real Estate, he was a database administrator at U.S. Cellular, and he served as an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at Lewis University.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Meteorological Society
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Geography | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
M.S., Environmental Science & Policy | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
B.S., Environmental Science | St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin
IN JOHN’S OWN WORDS …
I have always been amazed at how Earth’s processes work—from the complexities that drive different ecosystems and the changes in continents and landforms over time to the forces that work together in different ways to generate weather. The challenge that comes with writing about these natural phenomena at Encyclopaedia Britannica is finding just the right method to communicate the wonder of discovery with our readers.
When I started at Britannica in 2006, there were fewer tools available to help readers understand some of the complex and technical aspects of climate, plate tectonics, and other not-quite-straightforward topics in my area. Where words fall short, visuals (such as diagrams, videos, infographics, animations, and other media) can go a long way to help make these topics more understandable and make some of the abstract topics we write about a lot less intimidating.
