Virginia Morell is a regular contributor to National Geographic magazine and a contributing correspondent to Science. She has also written for Smithsonian, Discover, The New York Times Magazine, International Wildlife, Audubon, Slate, and Outside, among other publications. She and her husband, writer Michael McRae, live in southern Oregon, on the edge of the Siskiyou Mountains, where they hike every day with their Scotch Collies, Buckaroo and Annie Oakley.

“Virginia Morell has written more than just a “how to” in this marvelous little tome. Becoming a Marine Biologist is chock-full of great practical advice paired with an equally compelling story. Watching Robin Baird, the main research scientist and cetacean expert, navigate and overcome substantial obstacles to realize his dream job made me realize how both fortunate accident and hard work can play equal roles in what we become. That voyage was as thrilling as traveling with him and his research team on his Zodiac, searching for little-known species such as the pantropical spotted dolphin. Morell also provides an amazingly succinct overview of humans’ storied history with — and brutal exploitation of — Earth’s magnificent but vulnerable oceans. This book is for readers who want to imagine a new career, and for those who love the ocean and its fascinating creatures.”

Virginia Morell is a regular contributor to National Geographic magazine and a contributing correspondent to Science. She has also written for Smithsonian, Discover, The New York Times Magazine, International Wildlife, Audubon, Slate, and Outside, among other publications. She and her husband, writer Michael McRae, live in southern Oregon, on the edge of the Siskiyou Mountains, where they hike every day with their Scotch Collies, Buckaroo and Annie Oakley.

“Virginia Morell has written more than just a “how to” in this marvelous little tome. Becoming a Marine Biologist is chock-full of great practical advice paired with an equally compelling story. Watching Robin Baird, the main research scientist and cetacean expert, navigate and overcome substantial obstacles to realize his dream job made me realize how both fortunate accident and hard work can play equal roles in what we become. That voyage was as thrilling as traveling with him and his research team on his Zodiac, searching for little-known species such as the pantropical spotted dolphin. Morell also provides an amazingly succinct overview of humans’ storied history with — and brutal exploitation of — Earth’s magnificent but vulnerable oceans. This book is for readers who want to imagine a new career, and for those who love the ocean and its fascinating creatures.”

Virginia Morell is a regular contributor to National Geographic magazine and a contributing correspondent to Science. She has also written for Smithsonian, Discover, The New York Times Magazine, International Wildlife, Audubon, Slate, and Outside, among other publications. She and her husband, writer Michael McRae, live in southern Oregon, on the edge of the Siskiyou Mountains, where they hike every day with their Scotch Collies, Buckaroo and Annie Oakley.

“Virginia Morell has written more than just a “how to” in this marvelous little tome. Becoming a Marine Biologist is chock-full of great practical advice paired with an equally compelling story. Watching Robin Baird, the main research scientist and cetacean expert, navigate and overcome substantial obstacles to realize his dream job made me realize how both fortunate accident and hard work can play equal roles in what we become. That voyage was as thrilling as traveling with him and his research team on his Zodiac, searching for little-known species such as the pantropical spotted dolphin. Morell also provides an amazingly succinct overview of humans’ storied history with — and brutal exploitation of — Earth’s magnificent but vulnerable oceans. This book is for readers who want to imagine a new career, and for those who love the ocean and its fascinating creatures.”