Today's article is a special that we publish monthly, it is known as the Marine Hall of Fame. The reason for this special series is to commemorate the marine biologists who we feel have benefited the world the most or who have contributed greatly to marine biology. Unfortunately, we had some technical issues with our webpage & we could not publish the article on its designated day. We apologize for this inconvenience. Todays marine biologist, is known as Henry Bryant Bigelow. He was a famed American marine biologist & oceanographer. This article will discuss the early life of Henry Bryant Bigelow, the later life & career of Henry Bryant Bigelow, & finally his achievements, accomplishments, & honors.
The Early Life & Personal Life Of Henry Bryant Bigelow
He was born on October 3rd 1879, in Boston, Massachusetts. Not much is known about his childhood or his life before college. What is known is that he is the grandson of Henry Bryant who was an American physician & naturalist. This may have partially influenced his love for the ocean. Another thing that has inspired him, is that he spent his summers in Cape Cod as a child. He said himself that this gave him the opportunity to become an amateur naturalist as a young man. He ended up being somewhat a naturalist later on in life, as he is documented of having an extensive collection of exotic birds eggs. He seemed to enjoy birds of all kinds as his first publication were on birds found off the northeastern coast of Labrador. He is documented to have also done lots of duck hunting. He visited the mountains quite often when he was younger & had a true love for skiing & mountaineering. His fate seemed to be set as a naturalist like his grandfather, not to become anything in the marine biological field. He married Elizabeth Perkins Stack in the year 1906. Together they ended up having 4 children. Unfortunately, 2 of these children would pass away much too early. However this did not stop Bigelow in his capacity as a marine biologist & oceanographer.
The Later Life & Career Of Henry Bryant Bigelow
While a senior at Harvard, he went on an expedition with famed ichthyologist Alexander Emmanuel Rodolphe Agassiz, across the Indian Ocean & through the Maldives. This is what he said sparked his passion for oceanography & marine biology. After graduating from Harvard in 1901, he began working closely with Agassiz. Bigelow accompanied Agassiz on several major marine science expeditions including one aboard the U.S Albatross. He would go on to studyaongsidele his mentor Agassiz until his death in 1910. After this he began working at the Museum of Comparative Zoology in 1905 & also joined Harvard's faculty in 1906 where he ended up working for 62 years. In 1911, Bigelow was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He helped found the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1930 & was its founding director. During his life he published more than one hundred papers & several books. He was a world-renowned expert on coelenterates & elasmobranchs. Unfortunately, he passed away in the year 1967 on December 11th.
His Honors, Achievements, & Accomplishments
1. The Henry Bryant Bigelow Medal in Oceanography is awarded by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to honor "those who make significant inquiries into the phenomena of the sea". Bigelow was the first recipient of the medal in 1960.
2. He was honored by the naming of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel NOAAS Henry B. Bigelow (R 225).
3. In 1948 Bigelow was awarded the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the National Academy of Sciences.
4. He is credited with discovering approximately 110 species throughout the course of his life & credited with authoring approximately 100 scientific papers.
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