Ryan Eichberger is a PhD candidate in Rhetoric and Scientific and Technical Communication in the Department of Writing Studies. His research centers on improving how scientists and public actors communicate science through visual media, primarily for public education, policy, and civic engagement. Currently, he is studying issues of water, petroleum, and heritage in the Great Lakes and Plains regions. He is a member of the Environmental Humanities Initiative, a transnational project designed to confront environmental issues by uniting humanities scholars, science researchers, and communities beyond the university. A lifelong Midwesterner, Ryan enjoys photography, hiking, and playing with other people’s cats whenever possible.