Distinguished University Professor
University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University
Rita Colwell served as the 11th director of the National Science Foundation from 1998 to 2004. Currently, she is senior advisor and chairman emerita of Canon US Life Sciences. She obtained a bachelor's degree in bacteriology and a master's degree in genetics from Purdue University, followed by a doctorate in oceanography from the University of Washington. Colwell was president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute from 1991 to 1998, and she is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland. She was also a member of the National Science Board from 1984 to 1990. Colwell has held many advisory positions in the federal government, nonprofit science policy.organizations and private foundations, as well as in the international scientific research community. She is a nationally respected scientist and educator, and has authored or co-authored 17 books and more than 700 scientific publications. She produced the award-winning film Invisible Seas and has served on editorial boards of many scientific journals. The recipient of numerous awards, Colwell has also received 48 honorary degrees from institutions of higher education. A geological site in Antarctica, Colwell Massif, was named after her in recognition of her work in the polar regions. Colwell has previously served as chair of the board of governors of the American Academy of Microbiology and also as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Washington Academy of Sciences, the American Society for Microbiology, the Sigma Xi National Science Honorary Society and the International Union of Microbiological Societies. She was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by the Emperor of Japan and the 2006 Medal of Science by President G.orge W. Bush.
Modified: 06/30/08