8 Notable alumni of Chatham University

Catherine Chisholm Cushing was an American writer of songs, librettos, and plays, best known for her 1916 stage adaptation of Eleanor H. Porter's Pollyanna.

Kathie L. Olsen is an American neuroscientist who is noted for her work in scientific policy. Between August 2005 and January 2009, she was the Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the National Science Foundation, a United States government agency. She was also NASA's Chief Scientist from May 24, 1999 to April 2002.

Judith H. Myers is a Canadian-American ecologist. In 2014, she was elected president of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution, and served in that role until 2016. Professor Myers is well known for her decades-long research into plant-animal-microbe interactions, including insect pest outbreaks, viral pathogens of insects, and pioneering work on biological control of insects and plants, particularly invasive...

Laleh Mehree Bakhtiar was an Iranian and American Islamic and Sufi scholar, author, translator, and psychologist. She produced a gender-neutral translation of the Quran, The Sublime Quran, and challenged the status quo on the Arabic word daraba, traditionally translated as "beat" — a word that she said has been used as justification for abuse of Muslim women. Her translation, published in 2007,...

Christopher Barzak is an American author. He has published many short stories, beginning with "A Mad Tea Party" in Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet in 1999. In 2007 he published his debut novel, One for Sorrow, which won the 2008 Crawford Award, and was a nominee for the 2008 Great Lakes Book Award as well as Logo TV's NewNowNext Awards. His...

Lea Wait was an American author of historical novels and mysteries, many set in Maine. She mainly historical and contemporary books for children aged 7 and up. She also created the Shadows Antique Print Mystery series and Mainely Needlepoint series for adults.

Rachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist whose sea trilogy (1941–1955) and book Silent Spring (1962) are credited with advancing marine conservation and the global environmental movement.