Environmental Systems Research Institute

Department Member, Corporate

Other Affiliations: Oregon State University, Geosciences

Chief Scientist, Esri; Professor of Geography and Oceanography, OSU

Science

About

Dawn Wright received an Individual Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Physical Geography and Marine Geology from the University of California-Santa Barbara in 1994. She is professor of Geography and Oceanography at Oregon State University (OSU), and is currently on extended leave of absence, initially 2011-2013, to serve as Chief Scientist of Esri.

Dr. Wright's research interests include geographic information science, benthic terrain and habitat characterization, tectonics of mid-ocean ridges, and the processing and interpretation of high-resolution bathymetry and underwater videography/photography. She has completed oceanographic fieldwork in some of the most geologically-active regions of the planet, including the East Pacific Rise, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Juan de Fuca Ridge, the Tonga Trench, and volcanoes under the Japan Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Dr. Wright has dived three times in the deep submergence vehicle "Alvin" and twice in the "Pisces V." She serves on the editorial boards of the "International Journal of Geographical Information Science," "Transactions in GIS," "Journal of Coastal Conservation," "The Professional Geographer," and "Geospatial Solutions," as well as on the National Academy of Sciences' Ocean Studies Board.

Her recent books include "Coastal Informatics: Web Atlas Design and Implementation" (co-edited with Ned Dwyer and Val Cummins, IGI-Global 2011), "Arc Marine: GIS for a Blue Planet"
(co-authored with Michael Blongewicz, Pat Halpin, and Joe Breman, ESRI Press, 2007), "Place Matters: Geospatial Tools for Marine Science, Conservation, and Management in the Pacific Northwest" (edited with Astrid Scholz, Oregon State University Press, 2005), "Undersea with GIS"  (published by ESRI Press, 2002), and "Marine and Coastal Geographical Information Systems" (edited with Darius Bartlett, Taylor & Francis, 2000).

Dr. Wright's awards include designation as an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, a AAAS Fellow, the Milton Harris Award for Excellence in Basic Research from the OSU College of Science, a Fulbright to Ireland, an NSF CAREER award, the Raymond C. Smith Distinguished Alumni Award from UCSB, Excellence in Mentoring awards from the OSU College of Oceanic & Atmospheric Sciences, OSU Honors College Professor of the Year, and the Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs Education Award. In 2007 she was named U.S. Professor of the Year for the state of  Oregon by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

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