April 4 InSTEP Science Lecture to Share New Technology to Explore the Deep Sea

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Florida Institute of Technology’s Integrated Science Teaching Enhancement Partnership (InSTEP) Ocean Discovery Seminar Series will host guest speaker Edith Widder. A senior scientist, CEO and president of the Ocean Research & Conservation Association, Inc. (ORCA), Widder will present “New Ways to Explore the Deep Sea” on April 4 at 7 p.m. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the auditorium of Heritage High School in Palm Bay, Fla.

Bioluminescence is the light chemically produced by many ocean organisms. A bioluminescence expert, Widder is a leader in helping to design and invent new submersible instrumentation and equipment to study and observe bioluminescence and deep-sea environments in an unobtrusive way. She will discuss some of the new technology being used to remotely study organisms and their interaction in the deep sea.

Widder is a deep-sea explorer and a MacArthur Fellow who combines expertise in oceanographic research and technological innovation with a commitment to reversing the worldwide trend of marine ecosystem degradation. The ORCA, which she helped found, is dedicated to the study and protection of marine ecosystems and the species they sustain. The organization emphasizes development of innovative technologies and science-based conservation action.

 The Florida Tech InSTEP is funded by two grants from the National Science Foundation totaling nearly $3.4 million. The program enables university graduate students and faculty to work with science teachers in Brevard Public Schools to develop inquiry-based lesson plans.

For more information, contact InSTEP Director Richard Tankersley at (321) 674-8195 or at rtankers@fit.edu.