Marine Hall Of Distinction: Doctor Nancy Knowlton
This article is a part of our collection known as the Marine Hall Of Distinction. It is a different series from our main monthly series & has no connection to the main monthly series. In this special collection we will discuss marine biologists who we feel have served marine biology & oceanography the most. We do this in order to commemorate these marine biologists & to show gratitude for everything they have contributed to our oceans. This collection has no relation to the main months series. This series publishes on the 25th of every month, shortly after our article on the oceanic environment of a certain region on the 20th. Our marine biologist for this months article, is Doctor Nancy Knowlton. Nancy Knowlton is an American marine biologist, that specializes in Reef Biology & the study of Ocean Acidification. She is a pioneer in the study of reef conservation, & she founded the Center for Marine Biodiversity & Conservation, whose website is as follows: https://cmbc.ucsd.edu/. Unfortunately, very little is known about her personal life, other then her marital status & a few select other things, but her impact on the field has been so tremendous, that we cannot in good conscious not write an article on her. She currently is the author of one book, titled: Citizens of the Sea: Wondrous Creatures from the Census of Marine Life. It was published in partnership with National Geographic, as their photographers are credited with taking all species photographs for the book. In this article, we will discuss the Early Personal Life & Education Of Nancy Knowlton, The Later Personal Life, & Career Of Nancy Knowlton, & Nancy Knolton’s Awards, Honourables, Achievements & Accomplishments. With that being said, let us delve into Wondrous, Mrs. Nancy Knowlton.
The Early Personal Life & Education Of Nancy Knowlton
Nancy Knowlton was born on May 30th of 1949, in the state of Illinois. She has stated in an interview that, “I have been interested in science for as long as I can remember. My grandfather was a medical doctor who loved to tease me with scientific enigmas & taught me to fish, and although my parents were not scientists or academics, they always supported me. I still vividly remember the thrill as a kid of seeing the rings of Saturn through my telescope & watching Sputnik cross the sky.” It seems that a major inspiration for her was her grandfather. Aside from this, little else is known about her life before becoming a professional.
The Later Personal Life & Career Of Nancy Knowlton
Nancy Knowlton attended, & graduated from Harvard University for her undergraduate degree, an AB in Biology. She then attended University of California, Berkeley for her P. h.D in Zoology, where she studied with her colleague Roy Caldwell. She then took a post doctoral fellowship with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, with Geoff Parker. In the year 1979, she became a professor at Yale University, where she remained until 1984. Before 1980, she primarily studied Snapping Shrimp, & a few non-coral species. She only really made the switch to studying Coral after the Atlantic Hurricane known as “Hurricane Allen”, which was one of the most powerful hurricanes to date. In the wake of Hurricane Allen the majority of the coral beds were flattened, & eviscerated. In the year 1983, she was married to Jeremy Bradford Cook Jackson, whom she would go on to have 2 children. In the year 1984, she transferred to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, where she would remain employed until 1998. In the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute which was at the San Blas Station, she worked as a scientist examining coral & various other species. During the course of her employment at this Institution, The United States invaded Panama to depose the then President, Manuel Noriega. Due to the invasion, she was temporarily taken hostage by Manuel Noriega’s military troops, along with her 4 year old daughter & 9 other researchers. While being held hostage they were held at gun point & marched across the continental divide. In 1998 she transferred to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego where she worked as an adjunct professor until 2007. It was here where she founded the Center for Marine Biodiversity & Conservation. In the year 2009, she won the 5th annual Peter Benchley Ocean Award in Excellence in Science. In 2010, she wrote the book titled Citizens of the Sea: Wondrous Creatures from the Census of Marine Life. In the year 2011, she won the 17th Annual Heinz Award, In the Environmental category. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, as well as the U.S National Academy Of Sciences in 2013. In the year 2019, she won the National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. As of 2023, she is the Sant Clair in Marine Science at the Smithsonian National Museum Of Natural History Emerita. Currently, she resides in Brooksville, Maine with her family.
Nancy Knowlton’s Awards, Honourables, Achievements, & Accomplishments
In the year 2009, she won the 5th annual Peter Benchley Ocean Award in Excellence in Science.
In the year 2011, she won the 17th Annual Heinz Award, In the Environmental category.
She was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, as well as the U.S National Academy Of Sciences in 2013.
In the year 2019, she won the National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.
She wrote, & the majority of the research for the book titled “Citizens of the Sea: Wondrous Creatures from the Census of Marine Life.”
She is the Editor in Chief of the Smithsonian’s Oceanic Portal Website.
She has discovered numerous species of Coral.
She has worked on approximately 114 scientific publications.
She is a Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow.
She has served on the American Association for the Advancement & the Coral Reef Alliance.
She co-led the census for the Coral Reef Census for the International Census of Marine Life.
Directories / Credits
Citation 1: “Our People: Nancy Knowlton” Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by The Nature Conservancy. Retrieval Date: July 10th, 2023.
Citation 2: “Nancy Knowlton: American Biologist” Written By Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published By People Pill. Retrieval Date: July 10th, 2023.
Citation 3: “Corals to Communications: Nancy Knowlton’s Sucess Focusing On The Imminent”, Written by Elizabeth Marino, & Published In August of 2021. Retrieval Date: July 10th, 2023.
Citation 4: “Nancy Knowlton, P.h.D - Publications” Written by Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Academic Tree. Retrieval Date: July 10th, 2023.
Citation 5: “Current Biology, Volume 21, No. 8.” Written by Unclear, & published at an unclear date. Published By the Cell Press. Retrieval Date: July 10th, 2023.
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