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" Looking back [in time] we may picture to ourselves an arm of the sea running east and west in the northern part of Santo Domingo and occupying what is now the valley of the Rio Yaqui [the Cibao Valley]. In the shallow waters was a rich molluscan fauna, solitary and compound corals were common, crabs of various genera and hermit crabs lurked about, bryozoa incrusted the rockweeds. A marked feature was the local distribution, certain assemblages being limited to certain coves.As [time progressed] the change of [ocean] conditions began first to be felt by the sensitive corals, then the sluggish mollusks were affected and a large proportion of them ceased to exist and were replaced by different forms ." -Maury, 1918    

Dr. Carlotta Joaquin Maury was the first scientist to conduct a comprehensive overview of the fossils that occur in the layers of rock exposed by rivers in the Cibao Valley. Her tumultuous expedition of 1916 (during the Dominican revolution and American military invasion) involved collecting and identifying more than 400 new species of mollusks and many other invertebrate animals. Dr. Maury is also noteworthy in being one of the few women from the turn of the century to complete a doctorate in the sciences (at Cornell University in New York ) and be employed as a professional scientist. Carlotta Maury is also one of only a handful of women from her time to partake in fieldwork (see photo, above). These achievements may not seem particularly exceptional today, but the times in which she lived, studied, and worked were very different from ours. In the early 1900's women were not allowed to attend most universities and colleges or pursue degrees in the sciences. If women did attend and graduate college, they often found it very difficult to secure full time employment. In addition, science was considered a "man's field" and many men did not make women feel welcome in their disciplines. (She was referred to as "Miss Maury" in most published descriptions rather than "Doctor" or "Professor Maury.") For these reasons, Dr. Maury is noteworthy for her persistence and dedication to science. In many ways, Carlotta Maury's research formed the foundation upon which the Dominican Republic Project was built. Today many women scientists and students work in the Dominican Republic Project.