Federal government websites often end in. The site is secure. We apologize for any inconvenience. Rachel Carson was a marine biologist, environmentalist, conservationist, and writer during the Great Environmental Awakening She is known best for Silent Spring that challenged the use of chemical pesticides, including Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane DDT , and its impact on wildlife on the land and in the sea.
She would return to MBL for further work in research while in graduate school at Johns Hopkins University studying zoology. After graduation Carson wanted to complete a PhD, but due to the Great Depression she left the program to financially support her family.
In , Carson started working in the public education department of the U. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington D. For the next 15 years, she was a scientist, editor, and editor-in-chief of the publications of the bureau. She earned the title junior aquatic biologist in , where she was one of two women professionals in the organization.
The non-fiction books were highly praised and won numerous awards, including the National Book Award and captivated people about the ocean. It was Silent Spring that gave her mainstream fame and launched an environmental movement.
She was inspired to create this groundbreaking writing after seeing a pattern of wildlife loss in her Fish and Wildlife reports. It was a call for change in order to prevent the loss of the beauty and resources of the environment. Additionally, she wrote and promoted the book while battling breast cancer.
