Bower investigates large-scale ocean circulation systems, particularly thermohaline circulation (the so-called "ocean conveyor belt"), and how these currents transport heat and water around the globe.[4][6][7] Bower and her team go on research cruises to deploy and retrieve hundreds of RAFOS floats—instruments that drift within different ocean layers and record movement patterns—to study deep currents in regions such as the Gulf of Mexico, Arctic, and Subpolar North Atlantic.[2][8][9][10]
One of her major projects, Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (OSNAP)[11], investigates the mechanisms driving Atlantic Ocean circulation and its role in climate systems.
Bower is legally blind, having lost much of her sight since her mid-twenties to juvenile macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, and still has some light perception.[3][2][13] Bower uses adaptive technology, such as a screen magnifier, screen readers, and sighted assistance, and uses a service dog for navigation.[14][1] She advocates for improved accessibility tools and equal access to information for blind scientists.[13] She started a partnership with Perkins School for the Blind to allow young blind students to fully participate in science classes and meet blind scientists, such as herself.[15][16] "If they don't ever meet a blind scientist, they're never going to think that they can be one," she told Tufts Now.[3] In 2007, Bower founded OceanInsight, an education outreach program for the blind and visually impaired.[1]
Awards
Thomas J. Carroll Award for Employment, 2003
Blind Employee of the Year in Massachusetts by the Carroll Center for the Blind and the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, 2003
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