Exploring the Edge of the Map: Acclaimed Deep-Sea Explorer Edith Widder, Ph.D., to Speak at Florida Atlantic Community Science Lecture Series

Join internationally renowned deep-sea explorer and conservationist Edith Widder, Ph.D., for an inspiring evening delving into the mysteries of the deep. Widder, a MacArthur Fellow and founder of the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA), will present “Here Be Monsters: Exploring the Edge of the Map,” on Monday, Nov. 9, at 5:30 p.m. on Florida Atlantic University’s Live Oak Pavilion in the Student Union on the Boca Raton campus.

Her compelling talk will explore a crucial question for our time: How can we inspire the next generation of explorers? Now, more than ever before, we need adventure-seeking scientists to unlock the ocean’s remaining secrets. Drawing on her remarkable personal stories of deep-sea discovery—including her pioneering work capturing the elusive giant squid on camera—Widder will share her profound passion for the ocean and inspire a commitment to nurturing the explorer in all of us.

A reception will immediately follow the lecture and Q&A session. The event is free of charge and open to the community as part of the Nat and Dorothy Hyman Science Lecture Series, as well as all Florida Atlantic faculty, staff and students. Guests can register for the event here.

In 2005, following a 16-year career as senior scientist at Florida Atlantic’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI), Widder established ORCA, a scientific-based, conservation nonprofit organization. She founded ORCA to translate complex scientific issues into technological solutions and to foster a greater understanding of ocean life for better, more informed stewardship.

A graduate of Tufts University, Widder received her M.S. in Biochemistry and Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. As a certified scientific research pilot, Widder has completed hundreds of deep-sea submersible dives and pioneered the design of groundbreaking instrumentation—including HIDEX, LoLAR and the "Eye-in-the-Sea" camera system—to observe ocean life without disruption.

Widder is perhaps best known for her historic work co-filming the giant squid in its natural habitat for the first time, a monumental achievement featured on the Discovery Channel. Her extraordinary career has earned her the prestigious Explorers Club Citation of Merit and a featured role in the documentary “A Life Illuminated.” She is also the author of the memoir “Below the Edge of Darkness.”

The Nat and Dorothy Hyman (NDH) Science Lecture Series was made possible by Florida Atlantic alumnus Jerry Hyman, son of Nat and Dorothy Hyman. The NDH Science Lecture Series was created to encourage and inspire students in the sciences and provide access to educational lectures by leaders in the scientific fields for Florida Atlantic students, faculty and community members, free of charge. This lecture series is organized by the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.

Click here for more information about the Nat and Dorothy Hyman Science Lecture Series.