Carole Baldwin ('81)

Children and scientists alike dream of discovering new life on our planet. For Carole, dreams have become reality. Traveling far from her Washington, D.C., base in the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History, Carole spent 14 weeks in 1998 and 1999 on the Galapagos Islands researching and filming a 3-D documentary produced by the Smithsonian and IMAX Corp. about the island's extensive marine life. Now she returns to the Galapagos each year to lead the Smithsonian Galapagos Journey and introduce others to the wonders of the islands. A systematic ichthyologist, Carole studies coral reef and deep-sea fishes and how they are interrelated genealogically. Her research has led to more than four dozen scientific articles and the discovery of new species of fishes in the waters of six countries. She also devotes much of her time to sharing her experiences as a marine biologist with school students and is an inspirational model for many young women dreaming of their own careers in science.

"Thousands of children have written letters to me after seeing the movie [Galapagos], and hundreds of little girls sign their letters 'future marine biologist.'"