E. E. (Edward Elmer) "Doc" Smith (1890-1965) was an American science-fiction author who is credited with creating the Skylark series (1928–65) and the Lensmen series. He graduated in 1914 from the University of Idaho with two degrees in chemical engineering and in 1918 completed his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering with a focus in food engineering from George Washington University. During his educaiton he began writing his first science fiction work, Skylark of Space his neighbour, Lee Hawkins Garby. Though completed in 1919, his work wasn't published until 1928. Some of his most famous works include The Skylark of Space, and the Lensmen series, and they were published in the periodicals Amazing Stories" and Astounding Stories. He was one of the first science fiction writers to write about interstellar travel. He became the inspiration for those in the science fiction community.