UM Sea Secrets Lectures 2022

Sea Secrets 2022 with Edith Widder, Ph.D.

Edith Widder, Ph.D., Oceanographer, Marine Biologist; Co-founder and CEO, Senior Scientist at the Ocean Research & Conservation Association.

Here Be Monsters: Exploring the Edge of the Map

The focus will be on how little of our world we have actually explored. A case in point is the giant squid. How is it possible that a creature as tall as a four story building could have gone so long unobserved in its natural habitat? To be able to adapt to this changing world we need to do what humans have always done – explore the world around us in order to learn how best to survive in it.

Lecture followed by a book signing supported by Books & Books. Dr. Widder is a MacArthur Fellow, deep-sea explorer and conser- vationist. A world authority on marine bioluminescence, she has racked up hundreds of dives in deep diving submersibles. She has helped develop new tools for deep sea exploration that have produced observations of animals and behaviors never seen before, including the first video recording of a giant squid in its natural habitat. Dr. Widder has authored over 100 scientific papers and, in 2021, a book, Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea. She has also spearheaded the development of water quality monitoring systems and new methods of mapping pollution.