Mary Corcoran

Mary Corcoran grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. Camping trips with her large family were a great opportunity for a young girl fascinated by the natural world and interested in the sciences.

Mary studied Biology at the City University of New York-Lehman College and did her student teaching at the Bronx High School of Science. After working as a Student Conservation Association volunteer at Acadia National Park in Maine and at Badlands National Park in South Dakota, Mary moved to Colorado Springs and dedicated her life to teaching science.

But her life in science took on a life of its own. Mary spent a summer as a National Park Service ranger at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado. Her love of teaching and creating lessons and activities for her students naturally flowed into her love of writing. She began writing for children's magazine—poems, science articles, and fiction.