Dawn Wright | |
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Born | April 15, 1961 |
Education | Wheaton College (BS) Texas A&M University (MS) University of California, Santa Barbara (PhD) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Geography, Oceanography |
Institutions | Esri Oregon State University |
Doctoral advisor | Raymond Smith |
Other academic advisors | Michael Frank Goodchild Kenneth C. Macdonald Rachel Haymon |
Dawn Jeannine Wright (born April 15, 1961) is an American geographer and oceanographer. She is a leading authority in the application of geographic information system (GIS) technology to the field of ocean and coastal science and played a key role in creating the first GIS data model for the oceans. [1] Wright is Chief Scientist of the Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri). [2] She has also been a professor of geography and oceanography at Oregon State University since 1995 and is a former Oregon Professor of the Year as named by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. [3] [4] Wright was the first African-American female to dive to the ocean floor in the deep submersible ALVIN. [5] [6] On July 12, 2022, she became the first and only Black person to dive to Challenger Deep, the deepest point on Earth, and to successfully operate a side scan sonar at full-ocean depth. [7] [8] [9]
Wright graduated with a Bachelor of Science cum laude in geology from Wheaton College in 1983, earned a Master of Science in oceanography from Texas A&M University in 1986, and an Individual Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Physical Geography and Marine Geology from University of California, Santa Barbara in 1994. [10] [11] [12] [13] In 2007, she received a Distinguished Alumna Award from UCSB [14] and was also a commencement speaker for UCSB College of Letters and Science. [15]
Wright's research interests include mapping of seafloor spreading zones and coral reefs, spatial analysis and geographic information systems as applied to the marine environment. Wright co-edited one of the first books on marine GIS [16] and is widely known as one of the most influential researchers within her fields. [17] [18] [19] Another influential work is an article published in 1997, [20] which was widely cited for its analysis of the perception of GIS among geographers in the early 1990s. [21]
Wright began her career as a seagoing marine technician for the Ocean Drilling Program, sailing on ten 2-month expeditions from 1986 to 1989 aboard the JOIDES Resolution, mostly throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. [22] [23] [24] Her most prominent service has included the National Academy of Sciences Ocean Studies Board, [25] the Science Advisory Board of NOAA, [26] the Science Advisory Board of the EPA, [27] the National Council of the American Association of Geographers, and Research Chair and Board Member of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science. [28] A strong advocate of STEM as well as science communication, she has been profiled by outlets such as (www.womenoceanographers.org), [29] The Oceanography Society, [30] The Atlantic, [31] NOAA's Sea Grant Program, [32] NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries Program, [33] Science magazine, [34] Harvard Design magazine, [35] Environment, Coastal & Offshore (ECO) magazine, [36] The HistoryMakers, [37] Let Science Speak, [38] COMPASS Blogs, [39] Ensia, [40] Nature News, [41] BBC radio [42] and a host of student projects. [43]
Wright is member of a number of many editorial boards including GigaScience , Geography Compass, Journal of Coastal Conservation, The Anthropocene Review, Annals of the American Association of Geographers , International Journal of Geographical Information Science , Marine Geodesy, and Transactions in GIS.
In 2018, Wright appeared in the Tribeca Film Festival in the short film series "Let Science Speak." [44] [45]
Wright is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, [46] the National Academy of Engineering [47] and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, [48] a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science [49] [50] and of the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program. [51] [52] Other honors include:
Wright has authored nearly 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and 12 books. A selection is listed here.
Wright is a member of the American Geophysical Union's Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. [68] She is also a supporter and participant in the Black in Marine Science organization. [69]
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