Sylvia Earle

National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Sylvia Earle is an oceanographer, author and lecturer whose extraordinary accomplishments have made her one of the best known oceanographers of her time. She has led more than 100 expeditions around the world and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater. She led the first team of women aquanauts during the Tektite Project in 1970, walked untethered on the seafloor at a lower depth than any living human being had in 1979, and set a record for solo diving in 1,000-meter depth in July 2012. In her research on marine ecosystems, she has focused on conservation and the development of new technologies for accessing the deep sea. Earle has helmed such organizations as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and Ocean Futures. She has been called a "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress and first "Hero for the Planet" by Time magazine.