While her family was not well off, her mother insisted that Rachel go to college to become a writer. She entered intending to study English but changed her major to biology in her sophomore year. After graduating, she continued her studies, earning a master’s degree in zoology. And then she began a doctorate. But because of the Great Depression and with her father’s passing in 1935, Rachel dropped out, taking a job with the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries to help support her family.
At work, she wrote radio copy for educational broadcasts. A year later, after receiving the highest score in the civil service exam, she became a junior biologist in the organization. But because of her writing talent, she was asked to continue writing, a role in which she would eventually grow to become Editor-in-Chief of all service publications.
Outside of working in her government job, Rachel began writing articles for publications around the U.S. Those articles evolved into books. And all these works, beloved by many, would influence how people understood and talked about nature. Amongst many impacts, she brought the word ecology to everyday life. And her work had policy implications, as she challenged those using harmful pesticides, leading to a national ban on DDT and other pesticides.
Sources for “A snapshot biography of Rachel Carson”:
John Jungck, and Rodger Bybee. “Rachel Carson Human Ecologist.” The American Biology Teacher, vol. 46, no. 6, 1984, pp. 302–303. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4447854. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.
Lear, Linda J. “Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring.'” Environmental History Review, vol. 17, no. 2, 1993, pp. 23–48. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3984849. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.
National Digital Library of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service / Wikimedia Commons
