ORONO – In 1962, the biologist and ecologist Rachel Carson wrote a book that was met with anything but silence. “Silent Spring,” which provided evidence about the dangers of pesticides, became a catalyst that launched the environmental movement in the United States and legislation to protect our natural resources.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of one of the landmark books of the 20th century, a lecture and panel discussion will be held at the University of Maine. The two events will launch this fall’s Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program Lunch Series.

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, author Martha Freeman will speak on “Rachel Carson in Maine: An Ecologist’s Inspiration.” Freeman edited “Always, Rachel: The Letters of Rachel Carson and Dorothy Freeman, 1952-1964,” which details the friendship between Freeman’s grandmother Dorothy Freeman and Carson. The letters, which span the last 12 years of Carson’s life, provide a rare autobiographical glimpse of the environmental pioneer.

The legacy of “Silent Spring” will be addressed the next week in a panel discussion with women involved in environmental activism. Taking part in the Tuesday, Sept. 17, discussion will be UM faculty and staff members Susan Cockrell, Laura Kenefic and Valerie Carter; student Meagan Small; and Judy Kellogg Markowsky of the Maine Audubon Society’s Fields Pond Nature Center.

All Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies presentations begin at 12:15 p.m. in the Memorial Union. They are free and open to the public.

Other lectures and discussions in the series:

Sept. 24 – “A Chunk of My Soul: American Nurses in Vietnam,” an original video and discussion with Beth Parks, Cooperative Extension educator and former operating room nurse in Vietnam.

Oct. 2 – “… The Politics of Breast Cancer Storytelling,” by Kristin Langellier, UM professor of communication.

Oct. 9 – “Womanhood to Buy, Whiteness for Sale: Consumer Culture in the Early 20th Century United States,” by Jennifer Scanlon, associate professor of women’s studies, Bowdoin College.

Oct. 16 – “Still Blaming the Victim: Domestic Violence in the 21st Century,” by Francine Stark, community response and training coordinator, Spruce Run Association.

Oct. 23 – “Librarians, Quakers and McCarthyism: Political Activism and Moral Commitment in the 1950s,” by Allison Hepler, associate professor of history, University of Maine at Farmington.

Oct. 30 – “Reading Rabotnitsa: Consumption Choices for Soviet Women,” by Natasha Tolstikova, UM assistant professor of journalism.

Nov. 5 – “Visual Power: Art and Feminism,” a panel discussion with UM art faculty members Constance Albertson and Laurie Hicks, students Sharon Anderson and Jennifer Chiarell, and UM women’s studies graduate Sarah Bray.

Nov. 12 – “Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Feminist Ethics,” by Jessica Miller, UM assistant professor of philosophy.

Nov. 19 – “Women’s Studies Everywhere: Faculty and Students Talk About Distance Learning,” a panel discussion with Renate Klein, UM assistant professor of human development and family studies; Rhea Cote Robbins, UM adjunct professor of women’s studies and Franco-American studies; Carol Toner, coordinator of UM’s Maine Studies Program; and UM graduate Phyllis von Herrlich.

Dec. 4 – “Politics and Feminist Poetry,” by UM English department faculty members Steve Evans and Naomi Jacobs.

Dec. 11 – “The Endearing Elegance of Female Friendships: Women’s Support Systems in Industrial Towns of Maine and Kentucky,” by Betty Parker Duff, UM graduate student in history.