Ocean Exploration Day 2023 with Don Walsh and Dawn Wright

On this day, January 23, in 1960, Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard were aboard the U.S. Navy's bathyscaph Trieste when it made a descent into the Challenger Deep, the deepest point of the world's oceans. Their dive fueled public interest in the deep ocean and opened the door to possibilities never before available. Today, worldwide, we celebrate the wonder of and need for deep ocean research and exploration. 

On July 12, 2022, Dawn Wright became the first Black person of any nationality or gender to dive to Challenger Deep, the deepest point on Earth, and to successfully operate a portable side scan sonar at full-ocean depth. 

Join us for a live discussion with ocean explorers Don Walsh and Dawn Wright, hosted by Katy Croff Bell to celebrate their contributions to ocean exploration.

About the Speakers:

Dr. Don Walsh is an American oceanographer, explorer and marine policy specialist. He and Jacques Piccard were aboard the U.S. Navy's bathyscaph Trieste when it made a descent into the Challenger Deep on January 23, 1960, the deepest point of the world's oceans. The depth was measured at 35,813 feet (10,916 m), but later and more accurate measurements have measured it at 35,798 feet (10,911 m). Walsh has been associated with ocean science, engineering, and marine policy for more than fifty years. He was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1954. He attained the rank of captain by the time he retired. He spent fifteen years at sea, mostly in submarines, and was a submarine commander. He also worked with ocean-related research and development for the U.S. Navy. Walsh received a bachelor's degree in engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, a Master's degree in Political Science from San Diego State University, and a master's degree and a PhD in physical oceanography from Texas A&M University. Walsh holds a Courtesy Professor at Oregon State University in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.

Dr. Dawn Wright is the Chief Scientist of Esri. A specialist in marine geology and geography, she has authored and contributed to some of the most definitive literature on marine geographic information systems (GIS), her work has had significant impact on the use of that technology on a variety of seafloor mapping, environmental conservation, and regional/global terrestrial mapping projects. Wright is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, as well as a Fellow of the American Association of Geographers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geological Society of America, the California Academy of Sciences, and The Oceanography Society. She maintains an affiliated faculty appointment as a Professor of Geography and Oceanography in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. Wright holds an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Physical Geography and Marine Geology from UC Santa Barbara. She was the first African-American female to dive to the ocean floor in the deep submersible ALVIN. On July 12, 2022, she became the first Black person of any nationality or gender to dive to Challenger Deep, the deepest point on Earth, and to successfully operate a portable side scan sonar at full-ocean depth.