Sylvia A. Earle is Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society, Founder of Mission Blue/Sylvia Earle Alliance, Founder of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research (DOER), Chair of the Advisory Council for the Harte Research Institute and former Chief Scientist of NOAA.  Author of more than 180 publications, leader of more than 100 expeditions with 7000 hours underwater , she is a graduate of Florida State University with MS and PhD from Duke University and 23 honorary doctorates. Her research  concerns the ecology and conservation of marine ecosystems and development of technology for access to the deep sea.  She is the recipient of more than 10-0 national and international honors and awards including being named Time Magazine’s first Hero for the Planet, a Living Legend by the Library of Congress,  Netherlands Order of the Golden Ark, winner of the TED Prize (2009), and medals from the Explorers Club (1996), Royal Geographic Society (2011), and the National Geographic (2013).