Edith Widder

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Edith Widder
Edie thumb 33 ft.jpg
Widder in the Johnson Sea Link submersible, July 2009
Born Edith Anne Widder
(1951-06-11) June 11, 1951 (age 72)
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

Works

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  • Widder, E.A. (1997) Bioluminescence – Shedding some light on plankton distribution patterns. Sea Technology March 1997:33–39.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • Widder, E.A. (2001) Bioluminescence. Bioscience Explained http://www.bioscience-explained.org/EN1.1/features.html Invited review.
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  • 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
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  • 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)
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Further reading

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References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ ORCA – Ocean Research & Conservation Association. Teamorca.org (September 13, 2011). Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 NOAA Ocean Explorer: OceanAGE Careers. Oceanexplorer.noaa.gov (August 5, 2010). Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
  5. ↑ ORCA – Ocean Research and Conservation Association – Team & Staff. Oceanrecon.org. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Microsoft Word – Widder cv _3_.doc. (PDF). Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
  10. ↑ Researcher Bios. At-sea.org. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
  11. ↑ [1][dead link]
  12. ↑ NOAA Ocean Explorer: Dr. Edie Widder Video Profile. Oceanexplorer.noaa.gov (August 1, 2006). Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
  13. ↑ NOVA | Profile: Edith Widder. Pbs.org (July 23, 2008). Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
  14. ↑ Access Video On Demand – Midwater Mysteries. Avod.films.com. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
  15. ↑ National Geographic's Ocean Drifters [VHS]: Movies & TV. Amazon.com. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ "Eye in the Sea camera reveals mysterious life on the ocean floor", Palm Beach Post, KIM MILLER, March 8, 2009
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ The Beauty of Ugly – Interview: Dr. Edith Widder – Eye in the Sea | Nature. PBS. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
  20. ↑ Edith Widder – MacArthur Foundation. Macfound.org. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
  21. ↑ Edith Widder: Glowing life in an underwater world | Video on. Ted.com. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.
  22. ↑ TED Talk 2013 - Edith Widder: How we found the giant squid on YouTube
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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