D. W. Caldwell was raised in rural Maine where, at the age of twelve, he decided to become a geologist when he earned a Boy Scout geology merit badge. He holds a Ph.D. in geology from Harvard University and has worked for both the United States and the Maine Geological Surveys. Caldwell is a consultant in construction materials, in bottled water sources, and in water pollution studies and serves as an expert witness in cases dealing with these issues. He has been a professor of geology at Boston University for more than thirty years.