After studying marine biology and zoology, Rachel Carson worked for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries as a writer and bureaucrat, while at the same time writing popular science articles for magazines. In 1941 she published Under the Sea-Wind, the first in a series of books about the ocean. She became widely known as a scientist with a flair for writing. She turned her attention to the "indiscriminate" use of pesticides, and her 1962 book Silent Spring set off a national controversy for suggesting that maybe all the poison we were using on forests and crops should be tested more and evaluated differently. Pilloried at the time for being a "bunny hugger," Carson was a major influence on the ecological and conservation movements of the late 20th century.