Terrie Williams, 2007 Women of Discovery Sea Award

"Recognize your unique talents and then use them to discover the world." — Terrie Williams

Large animal Physiologist

Born: 1954-01-01

Hometown: Santa Cruz, CA

Education: PhD in Environmental and Exercise Physiology

Achievements

Discoveries: How marine mammals use gliding to dive so deep and so long

Expeditions: 2009: Antarctic Weddell Seal Expedition: McMurdo Sound, Antarctica; Aleutian Islands and Prince William Sound, Alaska; Namibia; Hawaiian Islands and Bahamas; Mavericks, Half Moon Bay, CA

Biography

Terrie M. Williams, Ph.D. is a Professor of Biology at the University of California in Santa Cruz, and has been studying large mammals for over 30 years. She obtained her PhD in Environmental and Exercise Physiology from Rutgers University (1981) and completed her post-doctoral studies at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Research Department of the San Diego Zoological Society. She was Director of the Valdez Sea Otter Rescue Center following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, and co-founder of the Center for Ocean Health at Long Marine Lab (UCSC, Santa Cruz, CA) where she held the first Endowed Chair in Ocean Health.

Her research expeditions have taken her around the world to study the survival strategies of Weddell seals in Antarctica, Steller sea lions, sea otters, and killer whales in Alaska, as well as cheetahs, lions and elephants in Africa. Her primary question is how do large (> 21 kg) animals survive in a rapidly changing world? Recognizing that the key to survival for both humans and animals is food and water, she and her colleagues have used miniaturized instruments carried by wild animals to record the hunting and drinking strategies of both marine and terrestrial species. With her team, she is working with aquariums, zoological parks, research scientists and wild animals across the globe to ensure healthy environments for both people and wildlife. Her latest project, the Center for Animal Fitness and Adaptation, is in development at UCSC. The goal is to create a national center to explore nature’s solutions for surviving in a changing world.

On her recent expedition to Africa with her graduate student, Dr. Williams witnessed the challenge of finding water in the largest of land mammals, the African elephant. Depending on season the water needs of individual adult elephants can exceed several hundred liters per day for drinking; even larger water resources are needed for bathing to keep cool. Travelling in herds these animals can have an enormous impact on local water holes and the surrounding vegetation. Drought conditions throughout Africa associated with climate change have exacerbated the problem for both the wild animals and for humans. By identifying the basic biological needs of elephants her lab hopes to develop biologically based habitats that will enable wild animals and humans to co-exist despite changing climates.

Fun Facts

Favorite Item to have in the field: Frosted Mini-Wheats and a camera

Heroes: Ernest Shackleton for the spirit of polar adventure and leadership. Walt Disney for imagination and Jane Goodall for grace in the field.