Mary E. Rice

Mary E. Rice
Rice in 1984 at Smithsonian Marine Station floating lab
Born	(1926-08-03)August 3, 1926
Died	April 29, 2021(2021-04-29) (aged 94)
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Drew University Oberlin College University of Washington
Awards	2019   St. Petersburg Society of Naturalists, A.O. Kovalevsky Medal for Extraordinary Achievements in Evolutionary Developmental Biology and Comparative Zoology
Scientific career
Fields	Invertebrate Zoology
Institutions	Columbia University University of Washington National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Marine Station

Mary Esther Rice (August 3, 1926 – April 29, 2021) was an American invertebrate zoologist specializing in systematics, evolution and the development of marine invertebrates. She worked at the Smithsonian Institution as a curator, educator, research advisor, and administrator from 1966 until her retirement in 2002. She is known for her work on the life histories of Sipuncula, as well as for serving as the first director of the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.^[1]