Nancy Foster

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Nancy Foster
Born
Electra, Texas
Died27 June 2000
Baltimore, MD
Other namesNancy Foster Geraci
Alma materGeorge Washington University
OccupationOceanographer
Scientific career
ThesisOn the Spionidae (Polychaeta) of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea (1969)

Nancy Marie Foster was the director of the National Ocean Service. She is known for her work in protecting marine environments, linking conservation groups and fisherman, and expanding research in marine environments.

Early life and education[]

Foster was born in Electra, Texas and received her undergraduate degree from Texas Woman's College and went on to earn a masters' degree from Texas Christian University.[1] She earned her Ph.D. from George Washington University in 1969.[2] A portion of Foster's dissertation research was conducted with Meredith Leam Jones[3] and Marian H. Pettibone[4] at the Smithsonian Institution.

Career[]

In the 1970s, Foster was chair of the biology department at Dunbarton College of the Holy Cross.[5][6] She joined National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1977.[5] She was the director of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Office of Protected Resources from 1986 until 1993, and the director of the National Ocean Service from 1997 until her death in 2000.[7][5] She is known for her work in the protection of fish habitats and coastal environments,[5] and spoke to the United States Congress about research conducted in United States National Marine Sanctuary.[8]

She died on June 27, 2020.[5] Upon her death Senator Hollings published a tribute in the United States' Congressional Record to honor Foster's contributions to marine science.[9]

Honors and awards[]

The Nancy Foster is a coastal oceanography vessel run by NOAA

In 1993, Foster earned a Department of Commerce Gold Medal.[5] In 1997 she was the first recipient of the Dr. Nancy Foster Award for Habitat Conservation.[1]In 1999, she received a Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service.[10]

In 2000, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) honored Foster by creating a scholarship program in her name for women and members of minority groups.[11] The Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program was signed into law on November 13, 2000.[12][13] That same year, the Dr. Nancy Foster Florida Keys Environmental Center was named in Foster's honor[1] and funded through the U.S. Department of Commerce,[14] and she received the Fred M. Packard Award to recognize her work in establishing marine protected areas.[15]

The NOAAS Nancy Foster (R 352), a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel was commissioned May 10, 2004.[16] The Nancy Foster was originally built as a Navy yard torpedo test craft, Agate Pass (YTT 12), at McDermott Shipyards in Amelia, Louisiana and launched in September 1990.[17] In 2001, the Navy transferred the vessel to NOAA, outfitted to conduct coastal research along the U.S. Atlantic/Gulf coasts, and the Caribbean.[16]

Personal life[]

Foster married Joseph R. Geraci in May 2020.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Nancy Foster Dies at 59". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  2. ^ Foster, Nancy Marie (1969). On the Spionidae (Polychaeta) of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea (Thesis). OCLC 26647435.
  3. ^ Foster, Nancy M. (1971). "Notes on Spionid (Polychaeta) Setae". Transactions of the American Microscopical Society. 90 (1): 34–42. doi:10.2307/3224895. ISSN 0003-0023. JSTOR 3224895.
  4. ^ Cole, Linda (2000). "A scientist and pioneer remembered" (PDF). No Bones Newsletter Smithsonian Insitution. Retrieved January 14, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Nancy Foster Geraci, 59, coast conservation champion". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  6. ^ Foster, Nancy (1972). "Biota of Freshwater Ecosystems Identification Manual 4: Freshwater Polychaetes (Annelida) of North America". nepis.epa.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Dr. Nancy Foster". Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  8. ^ "Research being conducted in national marine sanctuaries". United States Government Printing Office. January 1, 1998. Retrieved 2022-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Tribute to Dr. Nancy Foster" (PDF). Government Printing Office. June 28, 2000. p. 12862.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Group, NOAA Women's Employee Resource (2020-10-30). "In Their Own Words: Women Doing NOAA's Work". ArcGIS StoryMaps. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  11. ^ https://fosterscholars.noaa.gov/
  12. ^ Congressional Record, V. 146, Pt. 12, July 27, 2000 to September 13 2000|Publisher:Government Printing Office, 2005.
  13. ^ United States Code. Supplement III. p. 293
  14. ^ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and National Marine Fisheries Service budget requests for fiscal year 2002: oversight hearing before the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans of the Committee on Resources, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Congress, first session, May 3, 2001, Volume 4. United States Congress. House Committee on Resources. Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans. U.S. G.P.O., 2002.
  15. ^ "Packard Awardees". IUCN. 2016-02-19. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  16. ^ a b "Specifications | Office of Marine and Aviation Operations". www.omao.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  17. ^ "Torpedo Trials Craft (YTT)". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 2022-01-17.

External links[]

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