Edith Widder
Edith Widder (born 1951) is an American oceanographer, marine biologist, and the Co-founder, CEO and Senior Scientist at the Ocean Research & Conservation Association.[1][2][3]
She graduated from Tufts University magna cum laude with a B.S. in Biology, from University of California, Santa Barbara with an M.S. in Biochemistry, and from University of California, Santa Barbara with a PhD in Neurobiology, in 1982.[4] She was a senior scientist and director of the Bioluminescence Department at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution from 1989 to 2005.[5] Certified as a Scientific Research Pilot for Atmospheric Diving Systems in 1984, she holds certifications that qualify her to dive the deep diving suit WASP[2] as well as the single-person untethered submersibles DEEP ROVER and DEEP WORKER[6] and she has made over 250 dives in the JOHNSON SEA LINK submersibles.[7] Her research involving submersibles has been featured in BBC, PBS, Discovery Channel and National Geographic television productions.[8][9][10]
A specialist in bioluminescence she has been a leader in helping to design and invent new instrumentation and techniques that enable scientists to see the ocean in new ways. These include HIDEX, a bathyphotometer which is the U.S. Navy standard for measuring bioluminescence in the ocean,[11] and a remotely operated camera system, known as Eye in the Sea (EITS), an unobtrusive deep-sea observatory.[12][13][14]
In 2005, Widder co- founded the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA), a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of marine ecosystems and the species they sustain through development of innovative technologies and science-based conservation action. While translating complex scientific issues into engineerable solutions, Widder is fostering greater understanding of ocean life as a means to better, more informed ocean stewardship. In September 2006 she was awarded a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation[15] and in 2010 she participated in the TED Mission Blue Voyage in the Galapagos.[16]
Awards
Works
- Widder, E. A.; Latz, M. I.; Herring, P. J.; Case, J. F. (1984). "Far Red Bioluminescence from Two Deep-Sea Fishes". Science 225 (4661): 512–514. doi:10.1126/science.225.4661.512. PMID 17750854. edit
- Widder, E. A.; Bernstein, S. A.; Bracher, D. F.; Case, J. F.; Reisenbichler, K. R.; Torres, J. J.; Robison, B. H. (1989). "Bioluminescence in the Monterey Submarine Canyon: Image analysis of video recordings from a midwater submersible". Marine Biology 100 (4): 541–551. doi:10.1007/BF00394831. edit
- Widder, E. A. (2009). "Mixed light imaging system for recording bioluminescence behaviours". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 72: 131. doi:10.1017/S0025315400048839. edit
- Widder, E. A.; Greene, C. H.; Youngbluth, M. J. (1992). "Bioluminescence of sound-scattering layers in the Gulf of Maine". Journal of Plankton Research 14 (11): 1607–1624. doi:10.1093/plankt/14.11.1607. edit
- Widder, E.; Case, J.; Bernstein, S.; MacIntyre, S.; Lowenstine, M.; Bowlby, M.; Cook, D. (1993). "A new large volume bioluminescence bathyphotometer with defined turbulence excitation". Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 40 (3): 607–627. doi:10.1016/0967-0637(93)90148-V. edit
- Widder, E.A. (1997) Bioluminescence – Shedding some light on plankton distribution patterns. Sea Technology March 1997:33–39.
- Widder, E. A. (1998). Environmental Biology of Fishes 53 (3): 267–273. doi:10.1023/A:1007498915860. edit
- Widder, E.A. (1999) Bioluminescence. In: “Adaptive Mechanisms in the Ecology of Vision.” Edited by: S.N. Archer, M.B.A. Djamgoz, E. Loew, J.C. Partridge & S. Vallerga. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, the Netherlands. pp 555–581.
- Johnsen, S., E.J. Balser and E.A. Widder. (1999) Modified suckers as light organs in a deep-sea octopod. Nature 398:113–114.
- Widder, E. A.; Johnsen, S.; Bernstein, S. A.; Case, J. F.; Neilson, D. J. (1999). "Thin layers of bioluminescent copepods found at density discontinuities in the water column". Marine Biology 134 (3): 429–437. doi:10.1007/s002270050559. edit
- Johnsen, S. and E.A. Widder. (1999) The physical basis of transparency in biological tissue: Ultrastructure and the minimization of light scattering. J. Theor. Biol. 199: 181–198
- Widder, E.A and S. Johnsen (2000) 3D spatial point patterns of bioluminescent plankton: A map of the “minefield” J. Plank. Res. 22(3): 409–420.
- Widder, E.A. (2000) Bioluminescence in octopods. Yearbook of Science and Technology. McGraw-Hill 2001: 52–55.
- Herring, P.J. and E.A. Widder (2001) Bioluminescence in plankton and nekton. In; Steele, J.H., Thorpe, S.A. and Turekian, K.K. editors, Encyclopedia of Ocean Science, Vol. 1, 308–317. Academic Press, San Diego.
- Widder, E. A.; Frank, T. M. (2001). "The speed of an isolume: A shrimp's eye view". Marine Biology 138 (4): 669–677. doi:10.1007/s002270000504. edit
- Widder, E.A. (2001) Bioluminescence. Bioscience Explained http://www.bioscience-explained.org/EN1.1/features.html Invited review.
- Widder, E. (2002). "Bioluminescence and the Pelagic Visual Environment". Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology 35: 1–26. doi:10.1080/10236240290025581. edit
- Widder, E. A. (2002). SPLAT CAM: Mapping plankton distributions with bioluminescent road-kill. pp. 1711–1715. doi:10.1109/OCEANS.2002.1191891. edit
- Widder, Edith (2002). The Bioluminescence Coloring Book. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. ISBN 9780965968669.
- Widder, E.A., C.L. Frey and L.J. Borne (2003) HIDEX Generation II: A New and Improved Instrument for Measuring Marine Bioluminescence. Marine Technology Society of the IEEE, Oceans 4:2214–2221
- Widder, E.A., C.L. Frey and J.R. Bowers (2005) Improved bioluminescence measurement instrument. Sea Technology 46(2): 10–16
- Widder, E.; Robison, B.; Reisenbichler, K.; Haddock, S. (2005). "Using red light for in situ observations of deep-sea fishes". Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 52 (11): 2077–2085. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2005.06.007. edit
- Widder, E.A. (2006) A look back at quantifying oceanic bioluminescence: Seeing the light, flashes of insight and other bad puns. Mar Tech Soc J. 40(2):136–137.
- Widder, E.A. (2007) Sly eye for the shy guy: Peering into the depths with new sensors Oceanography. 20(4): 46–51 (invited review)
- Widder, E. A. (2010). "Bioluminescence in the Ocean: Origins of Biological, Chemical, and Ecological Diversity". Science 328 (5979): 704–708. doi:10.1126/science.1174269. PMID 20448176. edit
Further reading
- Collard, Sneed B. (2006). In the Deep Sea. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark. ISBN 9780761419525.
References
- ^ ORCA – Ocean Research & Conservation Association. Teamorca.org (September 13, 2011). Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- ^ a b NOAA Ocean Explorer: OceanAGE Careers. Oceanexplorer.noaa.gov (August 5, 2010). Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- ^ ORCA – Ocean Research and Conservation Association – Team & Staff. Oceanrecon.org. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- ^ Microsoft Word – Widder cv _3_.doc. (PDF). Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- ^ Researcher Bios. At-sea.org. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- ^ [1]
- ^ NOAA Ocean Explorer: Dr. Edie Widder Video Profile. Oceanexplorer.noaa.gov (August 1, 2006). Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- ^ NOVA | Profile: Edith Widder. Pbs.org (July 23, 2008). Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- ^ Access Video On Demand – Midwater Mysteries. Avod.films.com. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- ^ National Geographic's Ocean Drifters [VHS]: Movies & TV. Amazon.com. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- ^ Widder, E.; Case, J.; Bernstein, S.; MacIntyre, S.; Lowenstine, M.; Bowlby, M.; Cook, D. (1993). "A new large volume bioluminescence bathyphotometer with defined turbulence excitation". Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 40 (3): 607–627. doi:10.1016/0967-0637(93)90148-V. edit
- ^ "Eye in the Sea camera reveals mysterious life on the ocean floor", Palm Beach Post, KIM MILLER, March 8, 2009
- ^ Schrope, M. (2007). "Marine biology: Lights in the deep". Nature 450 (7169): 472–474. doi:10.1038/450472a. PMID 18033270. edit
- ^ The Beauty of Ugly – Interview: Dr. Edith Widder – Eye in the Sea | Nature. PBS. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- ^ Edith Widder – MacArthur Foundation. Macfound.org. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- ^ Edith Widder: Glowing life in an underwater world | Video on. Ted.com. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
External links
- "Profile: Edith Widder", Science Now
- "Q&A: Edith Widder, MacArthur Fellow", Gulf of Maine Times, Lisa Capone, 2007
- Erik Olsen, "Illuminating the Perils of Pollution, Nature’s Way", New York Times, Dec. 19, 2011.
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Widder, Edith |
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1951 |
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