The Writer

Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson was born in 1907, in the state of Pennsylvania. In 1929, Rachel graduated from the Pennsylvania College for Women. Shortly after, Carson saw the ocean for the first time. Carson was also educated at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory. In 1932, Carson received her M.A. in zoology from John Hopkins University. During the Great Depression, Carson worked as a radio scripter for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries. In addition to this, Carson wrote newspaper articles for the Baltimore Sun on natural history. In 1936, Carson landed a job as a federal scientist and editor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. This job eventually allowed her to become Editor-in Chief. Carson spent her free time writing about her research and constantly had her work published. In 1952, Carson quit her job as editor, so she could spend more time writing. In 1962, Carson switched her focus from marine life to the damage caused by misusing pesticides. In 1963, Carson went before Congress to urge them to create new policies to protect the environment and human health. Carson passed away in 1964. 

Links

http://www.eiu.edu/~wow/carstimes.html

http://online-study-guide.com/history/women-womens/rachel-carson/timeline.html

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/carsonrachel/Rachel_Carson.htm

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nattrans/ntwilderness/wildernesslinkscar.htm

http://www.rachelcarson.org/

http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/cars-rac.htm

 

Found a Find of a Lifetime

Marjorie Courtenay

Marjorie Eileen Doris Courtenay-Latimer was born in 1907, in East London, South Africa. Latimer expressed an interest in nature from an early age. However, because of the lack of opportunities in that field, after completing school, Latimer trained to become a nurse. After completing her training, Latimer received the opportunity she had been waiting for and became the curator of the East London Museum. As curator, Latimer began collecting specimens for the museum. In 1938, the find of a lifetime came her way, when a fisherman caught a coelacanth and took it to a fish market. Latimer got the fish and later identified it as a coelacanth. Latimer spent the rest of her career working at the museum. After she retired, Latimer wrote a book on flowers. Latimer died in 2004, at the age of 97. She remained active until the time of her death.

Links

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9406E0D61131F934A35755C0A9629C8B63

http://www.prominentpeople.co.za/courtenay-latimer-marjorie.aspx

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article427581.ece

http://www.nndb.com/people/816/000047675/ 

The Herpetologist

Helen Gaige

Helen Beulah Thompson Gaige was born in 1890, in Michigan. Gaige attended the University of Michigan and obtained a Masters of Arts in 1910. Gaige, with the help of AG Ruthven, obtained a job as assistant with the museum of zoology of the University of Michigan in 1910. In 1913, Gaige married Frederick McMahon Gaige. Gaige was promoted to assistant curator and put in charge of Herpetology research in 1918. Eventually Gaige became the curator of Amphibians. Gaige and Ruthven co-authored “The Herpetology of Michigan” in 1928. In 1937, Gaige became the editor in chief of Copeia. Gaige conducted reptile and amphibian research across the United States, and was a key part of organizing American Society off Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Gaige died in 1976 mere days after her husband.

Links

http://ebeltz.net/herps/biogappx.html#G

http://books.google.com/books?id=cXwSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=helen+thompson+gaige&source=bl&ots=I8ISddttJ8&sig=pDyDE_Lrtnzg3l2kJ-5nscbfhZk&hl=en&ei=co6VSaj3CIS4MfCjyYoM&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result#PPA13,M1

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Helen%20Thompson%22

http://animals.jrank.org/pages/155/Ruthven-s-Frog-Allophrynidae-PHYSICAL-CHARACTERISTICS.html

http://www.speedylook.com/Helen_Gaige.html

The Shark Lady

Eugenie Clark

Eugenie Clark was born in 1922 and grew up in New York. Clark, more commonly known as the “shark lady”, received her Master’s degree in Zoology in 1946; shortly after, she learned to dive. In 1950, she received her Doctorate in Zoology from New York University. Upon graduation she received the Fulbright Scholarship to study fish in the Red Sea. In 1953, “Lady with a Spear”, her first book, was published. In 1955, Clark opened the Cape Haze Marine Laboratory in Placida. The opening of the laboratory started her shark research. In 1967, Clark left the laboratory after it changed into Mote Marine Laboratory with the financial help of William Mote. Clark became a professor in the zoology department of University of Maryland in 1968. Clark continued to be published, writing books of her own and writing for the National Geographic.  Clark has made many submersible dives. In 1992, Clark retired from the University of Maryland. In 1999, Clark returned to the Mote Marine Laboratory. Clark has been married multiple times and has four children.

Links

http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/womenshall/html/clark.html

http://www.sharklady.com/

http://www.pocanticohills.org/womenenc/clark.htm

http://www.sharkmans-world.com/eclark.html

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070504/NEWS/705040838/-1/RSS01

http://www.runet.edu/~wkovarik/envhist/8sixties.html

http://www.mote.org/

Leakey's Angels

Biruté Galdikas

In 1946, Biruté Marija Filomena Galdikas was born in Wiesbaden, Germany. Galdikas was raised in Canada. She received her Ph. D in anthropology from UCLA. In 1971, at the urging of Dr. Leakey, Galdikas arrived on the Indonesian island of Borneo to study the orangutan. Galdikas is especially interested in the parent offspring relationship the orangutans exhibit and the light it sheds on the origins of humans. Galdikas is the co-creator of Orangutan Foundation International. Galdikas married a native Indonesian and has three children. Galdikas is currently working to preserve the environment of the endangered orangutan.    

Links

http://www.science.ca/scientists/scientistprofile.php?pID=7

http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/galdikas.htm

http://www.orangutan.org/

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Birute_Galdikas

Dian Fossey

Dian Fossey was born in San Francisco on January 16, 1932. In 1949, Fossey graduated from high school and went to Marin Junior College to study business. Shortly after, in 1950, Fossey transferred to the University of California as a Pre-Vet major. However, Fossey didn’t stay there, instead going to San Jose State College and graduating with a B.A. in occupational therapy in 1954. Fossey worked as a Director of Occupational Therapy for several years, but in 1963 was able to realize her dream of visiting Africa. On this visit she met Dr. Leakey and was introduced to what would become her life work, the study of mountain gorillas. In 1966, Fossey began researching the behavior of the gorillas. She became quite close to them as a result and fought avidly for their protection against poachers. In 1974, Fossey received her Ph.D. in zoology. Fossey’s life was cut short however, in 1985, Fossey was  murdered by a poacher.

Links

http://www.gorillafund.org/

http://www.gorillas.org/

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/environment/a/dian_fossey.htm

http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/fossey.htm

http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/dianfossey.html

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/fghij/fossey_dian.html

http://www.informatics.org/gorilla/

http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/fossey.htm

Jane Goodall

Valerie Jane Morris Goodall, more commonly known as Jane Goodall, was born on April 3, 1934 in London, England. Her fascination with animals first began with the gift of a lifelike chimpanzee toy named Jubilee, given to her by her father. Goodall’s parents divorced when she was twelve, and Goodall moved to Bournemouth, England with her mother. After graduating from primary school, Goodall started working to save money for her first trip to Africa. Her dream was realized in 1957, when she accompanied Louis Leakey and his wife to Mombasa, on the east African coast. Leakey chose Goodall to research chimpanzees. In 1960, Goodall began her study into the behavior  of chimpanzees at the Gombe National Park in southeastern Africa. This research has spanned into a lifetime of discoveries. In 1965, Goodall received her Doctorate from Cambridge University, although she hadn’t completed an undergraduate. Although Goodall currently travels the world giving speeches, her work continues through the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education, and Conservation in Ridgefeild, Connecticut.

Links

http://www.janegoodall.org/

http://www.rootsandshoots.org/

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/janegoodall/p/jane_goodall.htm

http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/janegoodall.html

http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/janegoodall/heroes/jane/jane.html

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/explorers/jane-goodall.html

http://www.janegoodall-italia.org/html/jgi_english.html

http://www.tanzaniaparks.com/gombe.html

 

Groundbreakers

Cornelia Clapp

In March of 1849, Cornelia Maria Clapp was born in Massachusetts. In 1871, Clapp graduated from Mount Holyoke Seminary. After graduating from Mount Holyoke, Clapp went to Syracuse University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Chicago to further her education.  Clapp received both the first and second Ph.D. of Zoology granted to a woman. Clapp worked as a Zoology Professor at Mount Holyoke from 1904 to1916. Clapp’s research centered on the lateral line system of the toadfish and fish development. After retiring from teaching, Clapp dedicated her time to conducting research at the Marine Biological Laboratories in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Clapp’s work was published in many biological journals. In December of 1934, Clapp died.

Links

http://www.mbl.edu/publications/women_clapp.html

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~dalbino/women/clapp.html

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/119729/Cornelia-Maria-Clapp

http://asteria.fivecolleges.edu/findaids/mountholyoke/mshm018.html

F. Gwendolen Rees

Florence Gwendolen Rees was born 1906.  Rees studied zoology at the University College of Wales. In 1930, Rees received her Ph.D. for her research on the snail host of the trematode parasite, which is the cause of liver fluke disease in sheep. After graduating, Rees accepted a position as Assistant Lecturer in Zoology at the University College of Wales. Rees taught there until she retired, working her way up to Professor Emeritus. Rees also completed research on helminthes (parasitic worms). Rees published 68 original papers and was a founding member of the British Society for Parasitology serving as vice president and president. In addition, Rees was the editor of the Journal Parasitology. Rees died in 1994.    

Links

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/F._Gwendolen_Rees

http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/3722053

http://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=5840

http://www.jstor.org/pss/76937

http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=2967

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/scifiles/interviewsub/flashbackgwendolen.shtml

Georgina Sweet

In 1875, Georgina Sweet was born in Brunswick, Melbourne. Sweet finished her BSc in 1896 and her MSc in 1898. Sweet received her Doctor of Science from the University of Melbourne, becoming the first female to do so. Sweet was also the first female to be a professor in an Australian university. At first Sweet’s research centered around Australian fauna, however quickly migrated to parasites. Sweet was awarded her doctorate for her research on the Notorycytes (marsupial mole). Due to her research on parasites in Australian native animals and stock, Sweet became the first female to receive the David Syme Research Prize in 1911. Sweet spent her working career in various teaching positions, making breakthroughs for women and science every step of the way. Sweet died in 1946.

Links

http://www.200australianwomen.com/names/087.html

http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A120168b.htm

http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/IMP0115b.htm