Unsung hero Sylvia Earle

I chose Sylvia Earle because her contributions to the underwater world are a feat that everyone admires. She led the first team of women scuba divers to monitor an underwater habitat, she was the first human to free dive without a tether past 1,000 feet, and served as the first woman chief scientist of the oceanic and atmospheric administration from 1990 to 1992. She was born in1935, august 30th in new jersey where she developed a love for nature on a small farm before moving to Florida at the age of 13. She studied botany at Florida state university, where she earned her PHD in 1966. She first focused on the study of algae, and utilized scuba gear for her work, which was uncommon at the time. In 1969, she applied to the tektite project, where scientists could live and work in a man made environment 50 feet underwater. But the government did not want women and men working together on this project. So Sylvia led a group of female scuba divers to the surrounding waters and observed and documented marine life there. When they came back, they were publicly honored at the white house, and had a parade thrown for them in Chicago. Sylvia then became determined to share her passion for the ocean abroad to help people understand the value of the aquatic world. What i think was most important about her work was how she did not let the rules of the government stop her from doing what she loved, and leading other people to see the value in the aquatic world on the scuba trips around the man made habitat. My artwork expresses her love for the ocean, with the underwater habitat behind her, and lots of fish around in the water. This also interprets her passion and determination to persevere to do what she loves. I used acrylic paint, an oak board, and pencil. My unsung heroes story affected my life by giving me a love for this worlds nature, and determination to show the world that we should protect it. My hopes for this piece of artwork is that it will inspire others to find the beauty in the natural world and hopefully, have a similar passion fo it.