Rachel Carson

Born: May 27, 1907; Springdale, USA
Died: April 14, 1892; Silver Spring, USA
Fields of study: Marine biology, ecology, zoology
Best known for her books about the sea and pesticides, Carson, an American biologist and environmentalist who was born in Pennsylvania, gained renown with the publication of The Sea Around Us (1951) and The Silent Spring (1962), both of which warn about the effects of pesticides on the environment. Trained at The Johns Hopkins University and Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, Carson became an aquatic biologist for the United States Bureau of Fisheries in 1936. In this position she learned a great deal about the environmental fragility of the sea.