Edith Widder
Edith Widder | |
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![]() Widder in the Johnson Sea Link submersible, July 2009 | |
Born |
Edith Anne Widder June 11, 1951 Arlington, Massachusetts, United States |
Other names | Edith "Edie" Anne Widder Smith |
Residence | Florida |
Citizenship | American |
Fields | Oceanography and marine biology |
Education |
Tufts University (B.S. 1973) University of California, Santa Barbara (M.S. 1977, Ph.D. 1982) |
Known for | Bioluminescence research |
Notable awards | MacArthur Fellow (2006) |
Spouse | David Smith |
Edith Anne "Edie" Widder Smith (born June 11, 1951[1][2]) is an American oceanographer, marine biologist, and the Co-founder, CEO and Senior Scientist at the Ocean Research & Conservation Association.[3][4][5]
Early life and education
Widder was born in June 1951 in Arlington, Massachusetts[6] to Dr. David Widder, a Harvard University mathematics professor, and Dr. Vera Widder, a mathematician turned stay at home mother.[7] She also had an older brother, David Charles Widder.[8]
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.[9]
Career
Widder was a senior scientist and director of the Bioluminescence Department at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution from 1989 to 2005.[10] 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[4] as well as the single-person untethered submersibles DEEP ROVER and DEEP WORKER[11] and she has made over 250 dives in the JOHNSON SEA LINK submersibles.[12] Her research involving submersibles has been featured in BBC, PBS, Discovery Channel and National Geographic television productions.[13][14][15]
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,[16] and a remotely operated camera system, known as Eye in the Sea (EITS), an unobtrusive deep-sea observatory.[17][18][19]
In 2005, Widder co- founded the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA), a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of aquatic 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[20] and in 2010 she participated in the TED Mission Blue Voyage in the Galapagos.[21]
In 2012, a team of scientists comprising Edith Widder, marine biologist Steve O'Shea and zoologist Tsunemi Kubodera successfully filmed a live giant squid (Architeuthis dux) in its natural habitat.[22]
Personal life
Widder is married to David Smith, a computer engineer.[23]
Awards
Publications
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Widder, E.A. (1997) Bioluminescence – Shedding some light on plankton distribution patterns. Sea Technology March 1997:33–39.
- Widder, E. A. (1998). "A predatory use of counterillumination by the squaloid shark, Isistius brasiliensis". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 53 (3): 267–273. doi:10.1023/A:1007498915860.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Widder, E. A. (2002). "SPLAT CAM: Mapping plankton distributions with bioluminescent road-kill": 1711–1715. doi:10.1109/OCEANS.2002.1191891.
- Widder, Edith (2002). The Bioluminescence Coloring Book. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. ISBN 978-0-9659686-6-9.
- 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.
- 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.
Further reading
- Collard, Sneed B. (2006). In the Deep Sea. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark. ISBN 978-0-7614-1952-5.
References
- ↑ "Persons born on 11 June 1951". SortedByBirthDate.com. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ↑ "Edith Widder Smith FL Voter Info". FLVoters.com. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ↑ ORCA – Ocean Research & Conservation Association. Teamorca.org (September 13, 2011). Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ "The Art of Exploration" (PDF). The Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration Fort Worth. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ↑ Ross, Michael Elsohn (2014). A World of Her Own: 24 Amazing Women Explorers and Adventurers. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press. p. 131. ISBN 9781613744413. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ↑ "FAS Memorial Minute: David V. Widder". News.Harvard.edu. Harvard Gazette. December 11, 1997. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ↑ Microsoft Word – Widder cv _3_.doc. (PDF). Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- ↑ Researcher Bios. At-sea.org. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
- ↑ Archived September 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ TED Talk 2013 - Edith Widder: How we found the giant squid on YouTube
- ↑ Michaels, Marty (October 26, 2006). "Turning Back the Tide" (PDF). The Chronicle of Philanthropy. XIX (2). Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Edith Widder. |
- "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, December 19, 2011.
- Edith Widder at TED
- "Ocean Enlightenment: A conversation with Edie Widder", Ideas Roadshow, 2013