Amy Bower is a physical oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She has been chasing ocean currents in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans for over 25 years, primarily by releasing acoustically tracked floats far below the sea surface. Legally blind since her mid-20s, Amy uses adaptive technology to continue her research. Her latest project, Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic, kicks off this summer with a series of research cruises to Iceland.
Ocean Insight is Amy’s outreach program for blind and visually impaired learners of all ages. Ocean Insight was created to introduce students to careers in the geosciences that they might not otherwise consider open to them. Ocean Insight is an accessible website that features Amy’s blog about being a blind scientist and descriptions of her research. Amy is re-activating her Ocean Insight blog as she gears up for our next oceanographic expedition, which leaves the dock in Reykjavik Iceland on June 5th. Follow Amy’s OceanInsight blog here; you can also subscribe to receive an email each time she blogs!
In her blog, Amy shares stories about previous research trips and she shares information about the research itself. Untangling the Spaghetti Activity is an activity geared for K-12 grade students to learn more about Amy’s research on tracking deep currents in the Gulf of Mexico. Learn more about Untangling the Spaghetti on her blog. For in-depth information and for the student activities, go to Science Activities: Classroom Projects and Curriculum Ideas.
Amy is passionate about her oceanography work and about being a role model for students with visual impairments and blindness. Get to know Amy through her website, Ocean Insight under the About Amy Bower tab. Interested in being a scientist? Be sure to read “A Day in Amy’s Life at Sea” and check out her Past Expeditions! Amy was also featured in the Future Reflections magazine, “Testing the Current” as well as numerous other articles.
Follow Amy as she blogs during her research cruises!
By Diane Brauner