Dawn Jeannine Wright
Personal Information
Born: Unknown
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: Black
Education
Wheaton college BS Geology 1983; Texas A & M University MS Oceanography 1986; UC Santa Barbara PhD Physical Geography & Marine Geology 1994
Professional Life
Field of Study: Oceanography; Geography
Institution/Corporation: Oregon State University; ESRI
Degrees & Memberships: Member: Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science (2008); National Academy of Sciences (2021); American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2021); Fellow National Explorers Club (2013); American Geographical Union (1982); American Association of Geographers; The Geological Society of America (2016); The Oceanography Society (2020); National Academy of Engineering; Also Leopold Leadership Program (2011); California Academy of Sciences (2018); Society of Women Geographers (2011)
Awards & Achievements
Awards: George Davidson Medal; 2007, Oregon Professor of the Year; 2007, Distinguished Alumni Award, UCSB; 2019, Geosciences Innovator Award, Texas A & M University college of Geoscience; 2015, Randolph W. "Bill" & Cecile T. Bromery Award for Minorities, Geological Society of america; 2013, Distinguished Teaching Honors, Association of American Geograp-hers (now American Association of Geographers); 2012, Presidential Achievement Award, Association of American Geographers; 2005, Milton Harris Award for Excellence in Basic Research, OSU College of Science; 1995, NSF CAREER Award; 2013, RJ Russell Award for Outstanding Contributions to Marine Geography, AAG Coastal & Marine Geography Specialty Group; 2011, Higher Education Distinguished Teacher Award, National council for Geographic Education
Achievements: Chief Scientist at Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI); research interests include seafloor mapping & techtonics, ocean conservation, environmental informatics & ethics in information technology; 1st Black person to visit the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean-the deepest place on Earth
Chief scientist at Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)
Played a key role in creating the 1st Geographic Information System (GIS) data model for the oceans
Led the team that created Ecological Marine Units (EMUs), a 3-D digital ocean that creates better understanding of marine environments
1991, 1st Black woman to dive to the ocean floor in Alvin, a deep-sea submersible vehicle
Known as Deep Sea Dawn
2022, 1st & only Black person to dive to Challenger Deep, the deepest point on Earth, & to successfully operate a sidescan sonar at full-ocean depth
Grew up on Maui
2018, appeared in Tribeca Film Festival short film series "Let Science Speak"