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Nancy Foster

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Nancy Foster
Born
Electra,Texas
Died27 June 2000 (age 59)
Baltimore,Maryland
Other namesNancy Foster Geraci
Alma mater
OccupationOceanographer
AwardsDepartment of Commerce Gold Medal
Scientific career
ThesisOn the Spionidae (Polychaeta) of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea(1969)

Nancy Marie Fosterwas the director of theNational 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

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Nancy Foster was born inElectra,Texas,received her undergraduate degree fromTexas Woman's College,and went on to earn a master's degree inmarine biologyfromTexas Christian University.[1][2]She earned her Ph.D. in marine biology fromGeorge Washington Universityin 1969.[1][2][3]ASmithsonianassociate in the late 1960s while at George Washington, she conducted a portion of herdissertationresearch withMeredith Leam Jones[2][4]andMarian H. Pettiboneat theSmithsonian Institution.[2]She wrote several papers onpolychaetesat George Washington.[2]

Career

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Foster worked at theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service[1]In 1969, while still associated with theSmithsonian Institution[2]she became chair of thebiologydepartment atDunbarton College of the Holy Cross,a position she held into the 1970s.[1][5][6]Her students includedCynthia Ahearn.[2]

Foster joined theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) in 1977, working in itsResearch and DevelopmentOffice.[1][5]She was the director of theOffice of Protected Resourcesin NOAA'sNational Marine Fisheries Service(NMFS) from 1986 until 1993,[1]subsequently advancing to the position of deputy assistant administrator of the NMFS by 1997.[1]While at the NMFS, she established NOAA'sChesapeake BayOffice inAnnapolis,Maryland, and NOAA'sOffice of Habitat Conservation.[1]

After leaving the NMFS, Foster was the director of NOAA'sNational Ocean Servicefrom 1997 until her death in 2000.[1][5][7]As director, she led a reorganization of the NMFS and to make it into a more efficient, responsive, and scientifically rigorous agency and also created the NOAA Habitat Restoration Center and the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank.[2]

Foster is known for her work in the protection of fish habitats and coastal environments,[5]and spoke to theUnited States Congressabout research conducted in[United States National Marine Sanctuaries.[8]

Foster died of abrain tumorat her home inBaltimore,Maryland, on June 27, 2000, at the age of 59.[1][5]Upon her deathSenatorFritz Hollingspublished a tribute in theCongressional Recordto honor Foster's contributions tomarine science.[9]

Honors and awards

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NOAASNancy Fosteris NOAA a coastal oceanography vessel.

In 1993, Foster received aDepartment of Commerce Gold Medal.[1][5]In 1997, Foster was the first recipient of the Dr. Nancy Foster Award for Habitat Conservation, given to her in recognition of her work in establishing the Office of Habitat Conservation.[1]In 1999, she received aPresidential Rank Awardfor Meritorious Service.[1][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]In the spring of 2000,[1]NOAA's 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 theFred M. Packard Awardin 2000 to recognize her work in establishingmarine protected areas.[15]

NOAASNancy Foster(R 352),aNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationresearch vessel,wascommissionedon May 10, 2004.[16]TheNancy Fosterwas originally built as a Navy yard torpedo test craft,Agate Pass(YTT 12), at McDermott Shipyards inAmelia,Louisiana,andlaunchedin September 1990.[17]In 2001, the Navy transferred the vessel to NOAA, outfitted to conduct coastal research along theUnited States EastandGulfCoasts and in theCaribbean.[16]

Personal life

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While a Smithsonian associate in the 1960s, Foster met and married Roger Cressey.[2]They later divorced. Foster's later marriage to Jerry Cramer also ended in divorce.[1]She married Joseph R. Geraci in May 2000.[1]

References

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  1. ^abcdefghijklmnopq"Nancy Foster Dies at 59".Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.Retrieved2022-01-13.
  2. ^abcdefghiCole, Linda (2000)."A scientist and pioneer remembered"(PDF).No Bones Newsletter Smithsonian Institution.RetrievedJanuary 14,2022.
  3. ^Foster, Nancy Marie (1969).On the Spionidae (Polychaeta) of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea(Thesis).OCLC26647435.
  4. ^Foster, Nancy M. (1971)."Notes on Spionid (Polychaeta) Setae".Transactions of the American Microscopical Society.90(1): 34–42.doi:10.2307/3224895.ISSN0003-0023.JSTOR3224895.
  5. ^abcdef"Nancy Foster Geraci, 59, coast conservation champion".Baltimore Sun.29 June 2000.Retrieved2022-01-15.
  6. ^Foster, Nancy (1972)."Biota of Freshwater Ecosystems Identification Manual 4: Freshwater Polychaetes (Annelida) of North America".nepis.epa.gov.Retrieved2022-01-15.
  7. ^"Dr. Nancy Foster".Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program.Retrieved2007-07-07.
  8. ^"Research being conducted in national marine sanctuaries".United States Government Printing Office. January 1, 1998.Retrieved2022-01-17.
  9. ^"Tribute to Dr. Nancy Foster"(PDF).Government Printing Office. June 28, 2000. p. 12862.
  10. ^Group, NOAA Women's Employee Resource (2020-10-30)."In Their Own Words: Women Doing NOAA's Work".ArcGIS StoryMaps.Retrieved2022-01-17.{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)
  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.Retrieved2022-01-17.
  16. ^ab"Specifications | Office of Marine and Aviation Operations".omao.noaa.gov.Retrieved2022-01-17.
  17. ^"Torpedo Trials Craft (YTT)".navsource.org.Retrieved2022-01-17.
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