Mary Wilcox Silver
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Mary Wilcox Silver is Professor Emerita at the
University of California Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the edge of ...
. Silver is known for research on
marine snow In the deep ocean, marine snow (also known as "ocean dandruff") is a continuous shower of mostly organic detritus falling from the upper layers of the water column. It is a significant means of exporting energy from the light-rich photic zone to ...
and
harmful algal bloom A harmful algal bloom (HAB) (or excessive algae growth) is an algal bloom that causes negative impacts to other organisms by production of natural algae-produced toxins, mechanical damage to other organisms, or by other means. HABs are sometimes ...
s, setting the stage for woman conducting research in the field, and for mentoring and teaching of graduate and undergraduate students.


Education and career

Silver received an A.B. in
zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
from the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
(1963), followed by graduate studies in
animal physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical an ...
at the
University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Wü ...
, Germany (1963-1964), and then obtained a Ph.D. in
oceanography Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...
from
Scripps Institution of Oceanography The Scripps Institution of Oceanography (sometimes referred to as SIO, Scripps Oceanography, or Scripps) in San Diego, California, US founded in 1903, is one of the oldest and largest centers for oceanography, ocean and Earth science research ...
(1971). In 1972, Silver joined the faculty of the Marine Studies Department at the University of California in Santa Cruz.


Career and research

Silver's Ph.D. research was on the common salp, ''
Salpa fusiformis ''Salpa fusiformis'', sometimes known as the common salp, is the most widespread species of salp. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, and can be found at depths of . They exhibit diel vertical migration, moving closer to the surface at night. ...
'' where she defined the habitat of the salp in conjunction with its prey,
diatom A diatom (Neo-Latin ''diatoma''), "a cutting through, a severance", from el, διάτομος, diátomos, "cut in half, divided equally" from el, διατέμνω, diatémno, "to cut in twain". is any member of a large group comprising sev ...
s. Silver is best known for her research into
marine snow In the deep ocean, marine snow (also known as "ocean dandruff") is a continuous shower of mostly organic detritus falling from the upper layers of the water column. It is a significant means of exporting energy from the light-rich photic zone to ...
, particles that are biological hotspots of activity in the water column and transfer
organic matter Organic matter, organic material, or natural organic matter refers to the large source of carbon-based compounds found within natural and engineered, terrestrial, and aquatic environments. It is matter composed of organic compounds that have c ...
to the
deep ocean The deep sea is broadly defined as the ocean depth where light begins to fade, at an approximate depth of 200 metres (656 feet) or the point of transition from continental shelves to continental slopes. Conditions within the deep sea are a combin ...
. In the 1970s, two of Silver's undergraduates (Alan Shanks and Jonathan Trent) wanted to use blue water diving for a research project. When they complained about all the particles in the water column, she suggested they capture the particles and see what was in the particles. When their preliminary analysis revealed the particles were concentrated in nutrients, she got $5000 from an administrator to continue the work which led to a seminal publication with Shanks and Trent about marine snow that was published in ''Science'' and a follow up paper in ''Limnology & Oceanography'' which quantified the increased levels of
phytoplankton Phytoplankton () are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek words (), meaning 'plant', and (), meaning 'wanderer' or 'drifter'. Ph ...
pigments on marine snow particles. In a 2019 interview, one of the undergraduates, Jonathan Trent, describes how Mary Silver introduced him to plankton and his early experiences with blue water diving to collect samples. In 1989, the New York Times called the biological organisms associated with the marine snow 'sea hitchhikers'. Silver has also worked on harmful algal blooms and the toxins from phytoplankton that cause shellfish poison. Silver's research in this arena focuses on
domoic acid Domoic acid (DA) is a kainic acid-type neurotoxin that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). It is produced by algae and accumulates in shellfish, sardines, and anchovies. When sea lions, otters, cetaceans, humans, and other predators eat cont ...
which is produced by diatoms, where she has revealed a connection between the production of domoic acid and increased iron concentrations. In an article written by Silver on the history of shellfish poisoning she shared an anecdote from her time on sabbatical in Zanzibar. There, people knew certain parts of animals are toxic and thence avoid consuming them, in her example it was the liver from grouper which are commonly associated with ciguatera poisoning. Thus, even without testing each fish, humans retain information about the toxicity of a compound and Silver goes on to say Silver set the stage for women conducting research in the field which she describes in a 2005 article in ''Oceanography'' that she wrote upon the occasion of receiving the Mary Sears Award from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. As a graduate student, Silver was appointed chief scientist on a cruise with the R/V ''Ellen B. Scripps'', a ship managed by Scripps Institution of Oceanography; she later learned this made her one of the first women to serve as chief scientist on a Scripps research vessel. She was the third female member of the faculty at the University of California in Santa Cruz and the second to have children. In 2002, Margaret Delaney noted "...Silver led the way for people with strong family commitments to go to sea, showing that scientists could combine challenging, field-based careers with family life." In 2009,
The Oceanography Society The Oceanography Society (TOS) is a nonprofit society founded in 1988, based in Rockville, Maryland, U.S. and incorporated in the District of Columbia. It is an oceanographical organization that aims to promote communication among oceanographers ...
named her a fellow "For pioneering research on the ecology of marine organisms, excellence in teaching, mentoring and service to the oceanographic community".


Awards

* 1992 Henry Bryant Bigelow Award from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution *2001 Ricketts Memorial Award *2002 Mary Sears Woman Pioneer in Oceanography Award from
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it i ...
*2007 Fellow of the
American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's act ...
*2008 Honorary Lecturer, American Geophysical Union, Rachel Carson lecture *2009 Fellow,
The Oceanography Society The Oceanography Society (TOS) is a nonprofit society founded in 1988, based in Rockville, Maryland, U.S. and incorporated in the District of Columbia. It is an oceanographical organization that aims to promote communication among oceanographers ...
*2017 University of California Santa Cruz establish the Mary Silver Award to support graduate student research


Further reading and information

* Article written by Silver when she received the Mary Sears Woman Pioneer in Oceanography Award from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 2002 *YouTube video of Silver's 2013 Moss Landing Marine Lab
talk about marine snow in 2013


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silver, Mary Wilcox Living people Women biologists Fellows of the American Geophysical Union American oceanographers University of California, Santa Cruz faculty University of California, Berkeley alumni Scripps Institution of Oceanography alumni Year of birth missing (living people)