Rachel L. Carson

Rachel L. Carson (1907–64) wanted to be a writer for as long as she could remember. However, while at Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham College), she changed her major from literature to biology, graduating in 1929 at a time when there were few women in science. She completed an M. A. in marine zoology at Johns Hopkins University, taught at the University of Maryland, and published articles on natural history in the Baltimore Sun. From 1937 to 1952 she was an aquatic biologist for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, resigning from her position of editor-in-chief to devote herself to writing.

Carson’ s unique combination of lyrical prose and accurate science earned her international literary acclaim with the publication…