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BIOGRAPHY
Sylvia Earle, American oceanographer and environmentalist, was born in Gibbstown, New Jersey. She was raised on a small farm near Camden, New Jersey until she was thirteen. At that point her family moved to the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. There she first began to explore the sea when she was sixteen, being among the first to make use of SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) gear. She received her B.A. from Florida State University and her Ph.D. in botany from Duke University. She had three children with her former husband and business partner, Graham Hawkes.
Earle became the first person to dive solo to 1,250 feet beneath the surface without being connected to a support vessel. She planted the U.S. flag at the floor of the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii during this feat. Another of her major accomplishments was leading a team of researchers who lived underwater for two weeks in an expedition known as Tektite II, Mission 6. Earle has logged over 6,000 diving hours and has written more than 90 research papers and 5 books. She is cofounder and CEO of Deep Ocean Engineering, a company which designs and builds underwater research vehicles. Additionally, she served on the President's Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere and is involved with several environmental foundations and committees, including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Duke University Marine Laboratory, World Wildlife Fund, and The World Resources Institute.
CHRONOLOGY
1935
She was born in Gibbstown, New Jersey.
1948
She moved with her family to Clearwater, Florida.
1964
She joined a National Science Foundation expedition in the Indian Ocean.
1970
She led an all-female research expedition known as Tektite II, Mission 6 during which they lived underwater for two weeks.
1979
She made her solo dive to 1,250 ft beneath the surface without being connected to a support vessel.
1980
EXPLORING THE DEEP FRONTIER was published.
1981
She cofounded a company called Deep Ocean Engineering.
1990
She became a chief scientist of the national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
1995
SEA CHANGE: A MESSAGE FROM THE OCEANS was published.
1998
She was National Geographic's Explorer in Residence.
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