Dear OSU Community Members,
We are delighted to announce that Oregon State University courtesy faculty member, Dr. Dawn J. Wright, will be presented with an honorary doctorate at this year’s university-wide commencement ceremony in Corvallis.
Dr. Wright is a pioneering scientist, renowned for her exceptional contributions to the fields of geography, oceanography, and environmental science. She is the Chief Scientist of the Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri), a world-leading geographic information system (GIS) software, services, and spatial data science company. She is also a courtesy professor of Geography and Oceanography at OSU.
Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Wright has significantly advanced the use of GIS technology in seafloor mapping, environmental conservation, and global terrestrial mapping. She has been a key figure in the development of integrated data management, interoperability, and infrastructure across conservation science, and her work continues to influence policy-making and industry sectors globally.
Dr. Wright’s research spans several disciplines, from marine geology and geophysics to environmental informatics and geographic information science. Her groundbreaking work on spatial data science has provided critical insights into data harmonization, integration, and international collaborative data sharing.
In terms of fieldwork, Dr. Wright has participated in over 20 oceanographic research expeditions around the world, exploring some of the planet’s most geologically active regions, such as the East Pacific Rise, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the Tonga Trench. In 1991, she made history as the first Black woman to dive to the deep ocean floor in a research submersible. In 2022, Dr. Wright became the first Black person of any gender—and the fifth woman—to dive nearly 7 miles to the deepest point on Earth, Challenger Deep, in the western Pacific Ocean, where she also operated a sidescan sonar at full-ocean depth, collaborating with explorer Victor Vescovo and the Caladan Oceanic team.
Dr. Wright has received numerous honors and accolades, including election to the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. She was also selected under President Biden as a U.S. State Department Science Envoy for Ocean Sustainability, in the State Department’s first all-female cohort of Envoys. Dr. Wright has served on various prestigious advisory boards, including those of the National Academy of Sciences, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the NOAA Science Advisory Board.
In addition to her scientific achievements, Dr. Wright is deeply committed to supporting education and diversity. In 2007, she was named Oregon Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In 2017, she fully endowed the “Lydia Departmental Dog Fund for Student Support” at OSU for students majoring in geography, marine resource management, and water resources.
Dr. Wright earned her Ph.D. in Physical Geography and Marine Geology from UC Santa Barbara, an M.S. in Oceanography from Texas A&M University, and a B.S. in Geology from Wheaton College (Illinois).
We are honored to present Dr. Wright with an Honorary Doctorate at Oregon State’s 156th commencement ceremony. Her outstanding contributions to science, education, and global exploration exemplify the values and aspirations of Oregon State University.
Sincerely,
Jayathi Y. Murthy
President
Belinda Batten
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President
About Oregon State University’s Commencement Ceremonies: The university-wide commencement ceremony held in Corvallis on June 14 celebrates all OSU graduates including Ecampus and OSU-Cascades graduates. OSU-Cascades’ commencement ceremony for graduates attending OSU-Cascades will be held in Bend on June 15.
OSU-Cascades students are welcome to attend both ceremonies.