I'm a journalist with nearly two decades of experience who specializes in telling stories about science and the environment. As the editor of OnEarth.org, the award-winning website of OnEarth magazine, I commission in-depth stories, columns, blog posts, and multimedia features about some of the most critical issues of our time.

My reporting career started at a small newspaper in Pennsylvania, where I rose from night cops reporter to covering the statehouse. After joining The Charlotte Observer in 1998, I wrote about everything from political scandals to the Super Bowl and was part of a team that reported on Hurricane Katrina for the Sun Herald. Our coverage was awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for public service. Charlotte’s alt-weekly named me the city’s best newspaper reporter in 2005 and wrote: “When The Charlotte Observer wants to make a good story a great one, it sends out Scott Dodd.”

I have a journalism degree from Penn State and studied science writing at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where I'm now an adjunct professor. I joined the staff of OnEarth magazine in 2009 and relaunched OnEarth.org the following year. In 2011, our site was named a finalist for general excellence in the Online Journalism Awards and received its first Eddie Award, which recognizes editorial excellence in the magazine industry. 

When I have the time, I write stories, essays, and reviews for OnEarth's print edition and have also contributed to Scientific American, The New York Times, Oceanus, and several other publications. I have received reporting fellowships from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism, and the Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea. But my favorite accomplishment is my garden.