Joel L. Schiff has a PhD in mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles. He spent his career at the University of Auckland and has written three books on mathematical subjects. His latest book is about the exotic nature of orchids. But astronomy has always remained a passion since receiving a small telescope as a young boy. He was the founder/publisher of the international journal Meteorite, and in 1999, he and his wife, discovered a new asteroid from their backyard observatory.