Edith Susana Elisabeth Fanta was a Brazilian

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

marine biology researcher, best known for her work on preserving and protecting Antarctica. She was a professor at the Federal University of Paraná.

Early life and education

Fanta was born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1943. She received her Masters (1970) and PhD (1972) degrees from the

University of São Paulo The Universidade de São Paulo (, USP) is a public research university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, and the largest public university in Brazil. The university was founded on 25 January 1934, regrouping already existing schools in ...

in the field of Zoology. Fanta undertook post-doctoral research at the Institute of Radiation and Environment in Munich, Germany (1974–76), and at the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

, UK.

Career and impact

She then returned to Brazil to the Fisheries Institute at

São Paulo State University São Paulo State University (Unesp, ) is a public university run by the São Paulo State Government, state government of São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Brazil. Unesp has a combined student body of over 45,000 spread among its 23 campuses. The ...

, before taking on a professorship at the Federal University of Paraná State (UFPR) in the Center of Marine Studies in 1980. She later moved to the Department of Cell Biology at the UFPR. She became an international leader in the Antarctic science through her research on the behaviour, physiology and morphology of Antarctic fish, publishing 58 peer-reviewed papers. Fanta was part of the Brazilian Antarctic programme for 25 years, since its inception in 1983. She represented Brazil in many international Antarctic fora, including in the

Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is an interdisciplinary body of the International Science Council, International Science Council (ISC). SCAR coordinates international scientific research efforts in Antarctica, including th ...

(SCAR) Biology/ Life Sciences Standing Scientific Group and in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) since 1992. For over ten years, she made valuable contributions from the early 1990s to the

Antarctic Treaty System The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a native human population. It was the first arms ...

as member of the SCAR Group of Specialists on Environmental Affairs and Conservation. She also served as a member of the

International Polar Year The International Polar Years (IPY) are collaborative, international efforts with intensive research focus on the polar regions. Karl Weyprecht, an Austro-Hungarian naval officer, motivated the endeavor in 1875, but died before it first occurred ...

(IPY) Joint Committee and led a project as part of IPY (2007-2008). Her dedication to science-based conservation and management of Antarctic marine resources led to her election as Chair of the Scientific Committee of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) where she served from 2005 until her death in 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fanta, Edith 20th-century Brazilian women scientists 1943 births 2008 deaths 20th-century Brazilian scientists Antarctic scientists Women Antarctic scientists São Paulo State University alumni Alumni of the University of Bristol