Michelle Nijhuis writes about science and the environment for publications including National Geographic and The New York Times Magazine. Her reporting has won several national honors, including two AAAS/Kavli Science Journalism Awards, the Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism, and two finalist nods in the National Academies Communication Awards. Her writing has also been included in four Best American anthologies. After 15 years off the electrical grid in rural Colorado, she and her family now live in southwestern Washington.