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Terrie Williams is a marine biologist and ecophysiologist who studies seals, dolphins, whales, and other marine life. She is currently a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California Santa Cruz.

Early life and education

Williams grew up in New Jersey. She earned both a master's degree and a PhD in ecophysiology and exercise physiology from Rutgers University. She completed her post-doctoral studies at the San Diego Zoological Society and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Williams was originally interested in medicine but decided to pursue degrees in exercise physiology upon realization that animals were capable of “extraordinary feats of athleticism and disease resistance” compared to humans.

Career

Williams has studied Weddell seals across the course of her career, including how the seals navigate, searching for evidence of geomagnetic perception. Williams has also pioneered techniques on how to study wild seals without resorting to animal sedation. In addition to seals, Williams has studied both the diving physiology of both dolphins and narwhals, using sensors to measure the animals' heart rate, depth, and acceleration.

In the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Williams directed the Valdez Sea Otter Rescue Center, in addition to studying the spill's effects on other mammals and sea birds.

In 2013, Williams wrote a book about efforts to save an abandoned monk seal entitled The Odyssey of KP2: An Orphan Seal, a Marine Biologist, and the Fight to Save a Species. The seal was the youngest monk seal ever brought to the mainland United States. Bob Kustra praised the book for the insight it provided into the rescue efforts for a young seal.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams explored the connections between COVID's effects on people and the "many physiological adaptations that have enabled marine mammals to tolerate low oxygen levels during dives".

Williams is currently a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California Santa Cruz. Williams co-founded the Center for Ocean Health at Long Marine Lab. She is also the director of the Center for Marine Mammal Research and Conservation at the University of California Santa Cruz.

Awards and honors

• In 2002, Discover magazine recognized Williams as one of the 50 most important women in science for her work on the physiology of marine mammals
• In 2005, USGS Antarctic site designation 18777, Terrie Bluff on Ross Island, was named in honor of Williams for her research on Weddell seals
• In 2007, Williams won the Women of Discovery Awards for her research into Weddell seals in the Antarctic
• In 2024, Williams received the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the National Academy of Sciences for her work on marine mammal conservation

Bibliography

• The Hunter's Breath: On Expedition with the Weddell Seals of the Antarctic. M. Evans and Company (2004). ISBN 9781590770283
• The Odyssey of KP2: An Orphan Seal, a Marine Biologist, and the Fight To Save a Species. Penguin Publishing Group (2013). ISBN 9780143123521

References

1. ^ McHale, Alexandra (May 14, 2015). "Terrie Williams". NYU Women in Science. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
2. ^ Fearnley, Kirstin (August 6, 2015). "Spotlight on Science Writers: Terrie Williams". American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
3. ^ "Terrie Williams Honored by The National Academy of Sciences". wiareport.com. February 8, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
4. Lombardi, Linda (February 13, 2018). "Animal Trainers Gone Wild". Hakai magazine. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
5. Khan, Amina (December 8, 2017). "In the face of a threat, narwhals respond in just about the worst possible way". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
6. Beurteaux, Danielle (May 29, 2017). "Some Dolphins Are Bad Divers". Hakai magazine. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
7. Stephens, Tim (March 24, 2014). "Exxon Valdez oil spill was a turning point for biologist Terrie Williams". University of California, Santa Cruz. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
8. ^ Kustra, Bob (August 26, 2016). "Marine Biologist Terrie Williams And The Inspiring "Odyssey Of KP2"". Boise State Public Radio. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
9. Stephens, Tim (December 10, 2020). "What dolphins can teach us about surviving COVID-19". University of California. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
10. "Dogs, cats, and big-wave surfers: Healthy heart lessons from animals and athletes" (Press release). Eurekalert. September 1, 2015. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
11. "Six Alumni Honored in Annual Awards Ceremony". Rutgers University. May 6, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
12. Svitil, Kathy A. (November 1, 2002). "The 50 Most Important Women in Science". Discover magazine. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
13. Terrie Bluff USGS.
14. Baum, Joan (March 2007). "Women Shaping History: Women of Valor". Education Update. Retrieved December 21, 2024.

Sources

• "Terrie Bluff", Geographic Names Information System, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior

• Living people
• 20th-century American women scientists
• American women biologists
• American women evolutionary biologists
• American women marine biologists
• Ecophysiologists
• Rutgers University alumni
• Scientists from New Jersey
• University of California, Santa Cruz faculty