Edith Anne "Edie" Widder Smith (born 1951) is an American oceanographer, marine biologist, author and the Co-founder, CEO and Senior Scientist at the Ocean Research & Conservation Association.NOAA Ocean Explorer: OceanAGE Careers
Oceanexplorer.noaa.gov (August 5, 2010). Retrieved on October 21, 2011.

Early life and education

Widder was born in Arlington, Massachusetts to Dr. David Widder, a Harvard University mathematics professor, and Dr. Vera Widder, a mathematician turned stay at home mother. She also had an older brother, David Charles Widder. 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.

Career

Widder was a senior scientist and director of the Bioluminescence Department at the

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI, FAU Harbor Branch) is a non-profit oceanographic institution operated by Florida Atlantic University in Fort Pierce, Florida, United States. Founded in 1971 as non-profit research organization, the ...

from 1989 to 2005. 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 as well as the single-person untethered submersibles DEEP ROVER and DEEP WORKER and she has made over 250 dives in the JOHNSON SEA LINK submersibles. Her research involving submersibles has been featured in BBC, PBS, Discovery Channel and National Geographic television productions. A specialist in

bioluminescence Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms including some b ...

, 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, and a remotely operated camera system, known as Eye in the Sea (EITS), an unobtrusive deep-sea observatory. 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 and in 2010 she participated in the TED Mission Blue Voyage in the Galapagos. In 2012, a team of scientists comprising Edith Widder, zoologist Tsunemi Kubodera and marine biologist

Steve O'Shea Steve O'Shea (born 14 December 1965 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a marine biologist and environmentalist known for his research on giant squid. O'Shea obtained his degrees from Auckland university. He undertook a Bachelor of Science between 1984 ...

successfully filmed a live giant squid (''Architeuthis dux'') in its natural habitat aboard Oceanx's

MV Alucia MV ''Odyssey'' (formerly ''Alucia'') is a 56-meter research and exploration vessel that facilitates a wide range of diving, submersible and aerial operations. The ship is currently used by OCEEF, and was previously utilized by initiative OceanX ...

. In 2019, Edith Widder and Nathan J. Robinson filmed the first-ever footage of a live giant squid recorded in US waters. This expedition was aboard the R/V Point Sur of the University of Southern Mississippi.

Personal life

Widder is married to David Smith, a computer engineer.

Awards

* 2006

MacArthur Fellows Program The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 ind ...

* 2015 Roy Chapman Andrews Society Distinguished Explorer Award * 2018 Explorers Club Citation of Merit *2019 Eleanor Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award * 2020 Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration established by the Marine Technology Society and the Society of Underwater Technology

Publications

Selected publications include: * * * * * * * * * * * 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 * *Robinson, N.; Johnsen, S.; Brooks, A.; Frey, L.; Judkins, H.; Vecchione, M.; Widder, E. (2021)
"Studying the swift, smart, and shy: Unobtrusive camera-platforms for observing large deep-sea squid."
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Books

* The Bioluminescence Coloring Book
Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea

References

External links

''Gulf of Maine Times'', Lisa Capone, 2007 * Erik Olsen

''New York Times'', December 19, 2011. * *
"Glowing life in an underwater world" (Mission Blue Voyage 2010)
*
"The weird, wonderful world of bioluminescence" (TED2011)
*
"How we found the giant squid" (TED2013)

"Ocean Enlightenment: A conversation with Edie Widder"
''Ideas Roadshow'', 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Widder, Edith 1951 births Living people American marine biologists American oceanographers Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences alumni University of California, Santa Barbara alumni MacArthur Fellows