biology

Terrie Williams (scientist)

Terrie Williams (scientist) is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Terrie Williams (scientist) rather than just read about it. In short: Terrie Williams is a marine biologist and ecophysiologist who studies seals, dolphins, whales, and other marine life. She is currently a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California Santa Cruz.

Key takeaways

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Reproduce the core statement of Terrie Williams (scientist) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Terrie Williams is a marine biologist and ecophysiologist who studies seals, dolphins, whales, and other marine life. She is currently a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California Santa Cruz.

Early life and education Williams grew up in New Jersey. She earned both a master's degree and a PhD in ecophysiology and exercise physiology from Rutgers University. She completed her post-doctoral studies at the San Diego Zoological Society and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Williams was originally interested in medicine but decided to pursue degrees in exercise physiology upon realization that animals were capable of “extraordinary feats of athleticism and disease resistance” compared to humans.

Career Williams has studied Weddell seals across the course of her career, including how the seals navigate, searching for evidence of geomagnetic perception. Williams has also pioneered techniques on how to study wild seals without resorting to animal sedation. In addition to seals, Williams has studied both the diving physiology of both dolphins and narwhals, using sensors to measure the animals' heart rate, depth, and acceleration. In the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Williams directed the Valdez Sea Otter Rescue Center, in addition to studying the spill's effects on other mammals and sea birds. In 2013, Williams wrote a book about efforts to save an abandoned monk seal entitled The Odyssey of KP2: An Orphan Seal, a Marine Biologist, and the Fight to Save a Species. The seal was the youngest monk seal ever brought to the mainland United States. Bob Kustra praised the book for the insight it provided into the rescue efforts for a young seal. After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams explored the connections between COVID's effects on people and the "many physiological adaptations that have enabled marine mammals to tolerate low oxygen levels during dives". Williams is currently a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California Santa Cruz. Williams co-founded the Center for Ocean Health at Long Marine Lab. She is also the director of the Center for Marine Mammal Research and Conservation at the University of California Santa Cruz.

Awards and honors In 2002, Discover magazine recognized Williams as one of the 50 most important women in science for her work on the physiology of marine mammals In 2005, USGS Antarctic site designation 18777, Terrie Bluff on Ross Island, was named in honor of Williams for her research on Weddell seals In 2007, Williams won the Women of Discovery Awards for her research into Weddell seals in the Antarctic In 2024, Williams received the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the National Academy of Sciences for her work on marine mammal conservation

Bibliography The Hunter's Breath: On Expedition with the Weddell Seals of the Antarctic. M. Evans and Company (2004). ISBN 9781590770283 The Odyssey of KP2: An Orphan Seal, a Marine Biologist, and the Fight To Save a Species. Penguin Publishing Group (2013). ISBN 9780143123521

References

Sources

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Terrie Williams (scientist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Terrie Williams (scientist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Terrie Williams (scientist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Terrie Williams (scientist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Terrie Williams (scientist)

In research: Terrie Williams (scientist) appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Terrie Williams (scientist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Terrie Williams (scientist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 20th-century American women scientists, American evolutionary biologists, American marine biologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Terrie Williams (scientist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Terrie Williams (scientist) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Terrie Williams (scientist) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Terrie Williams (scientist) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Terrie Williams (scientist) in simple terms?

Why does Terrie Williams (scientist) matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Terrie Williams (scientist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Terrie Williams (scientist).