Lisa Taylor Ballance is an American marine scientist who is Director Marine Mammal Institute and Endowed Chair for Marine Mammal Research at Oregon State University.

Lisa T. Ballance
Ballance in 2019
Alma materSan Jose State University
University of California, Los Angeles
Scientific career
InstitutionsOregon State University
ThesisCommunity ecology and flight energetics in tropical seabirds of the eastern Pacific : energetic correlates of guild structure (1993)

Early life and education edit

Ballance studied biology as an undergraduate student at the University of California, San Diego.[1] Ballance completed her master's studies in marine science at San Jose State University.[citation needed] Her research considered the ecology and behavior of the bottlenose dolphin.[2] She moved to University of California, Los Angeles for her doctoral research, where she studied the ecology of tropical seabirds in the Eastern Pacific.[3] During her doctorate she joined the Association for Women in Science.[4] She was a postdoctoral researcher at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.[5]

Research and career edit

 
Ballance with killer whale calf in the southern Ross Sea, Antarctica, on a NOAA expedition in 2007

Ballance joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).[6] Her research has focused on seabirds and cetaceans. She held various positions at the NOAA, including Chair of the Pacific Seabird Group, Lead of Cetacean Ecology and Chief of Stenella Abundance Research.[5]

In 2013, Balance was appointed Chair of the NOAA Fisheries National Seabird Program. The overarching aim of the program was to mitigate bycatch (the unwanted fish caught by commercial fishing nets) and to promote seats as indicates of ecosystem health.[7] She led the Eastern Tropical Pacific Research Program, which was responsible for the “Dolphin Safe” label found on canned tuna.[8]

Ballance was made Professor of Fisheries and Wildlife and Director of the Marine Mammal Research Institute at Oregon State University in 2019.[5][8][9] She led expeditions to see beaked whales[10] and dolphins.[11] She was awarded a $2 million grant to collect information about the distribution of marine mammals.[12]

Selected publications edit

  • E., Redfern, J. V. Ferguson, M. C. Becker, E. A. Hyrenbach, K. D. Good, Caroline P. Barlow, J. Kaschner, K. Baumgartner, Mark F. Forney, K. A. Ballance, L. T. Fauchald, P. Halpin, Patrick N. Hamazaki, T. Pershing, A. J. Qian, Song S. Read, Andrew J. Reilly, S. B. Torres, L. Werner, Francisco (April 22, 2011). Techniques for cetacean–habitat modeling. Inter-Research. OCLC 719108343.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Ballance, Lisa T.; Pitman, Robert L.; Fiedler, Paul C. (May 1, 2006). "Oceanographic influences on seabirds and cetaceans of the eastern tropical Pacific: A review". Progress in Oceanography. 69 (2–4): 360–390. Bibcode:2006PrOce..69..360B. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2006.03.013. ISSN 0079-6611.
  • Ballance, Lisa T.; Pitman, Robert L.; Reilly, Stephen B. (July 1, 1997). "Seabird Community Structure Along a Productivity Gradient: Importance of Competition and Energetic Constraint". Ecology. 78 (5): 1502–1518. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(1997)078[1502:scsaap]2.0.co;2. ISSN 0012-9658.

References edit

  1. ^ "NEA Big Read Kickoff: Whaling with Dr. Lisa T. Ballance". FISHTRAP. January 19, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  2. ^ Ballance, Lisa T (1987). Ecology and behavior of the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, in the Gulf of California, Mexico (Thesis). OCLC 17573466.
  3. ^ Ballance, Lisa T (1993). Community ecology and flight energetics in tropical seabirds of the eastern Pacific: energetic correlates of guild structure (Thesis). OCLC 54995633.
  4. ^ "Dr. Lisa T. Ballance". AWIS. January 7, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Lisa T. Ballance". Marine Mammal Institute. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  6. ^ "Lisa T. Ballance, PhD" (PDF).
  7. ^ "National Seabird Program 2016 Annual Report" (PDF). 2016.
  8. ^ a b "OSU names NOAA director of marine mammal science as head of its Marine Mammal Institute". Life at OSU. June 20, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  9. ^ "Society for Marine Mammalogy". Society for Marine Mammalogy. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  10. ^ "The Expedition Team – Beaked Whale Expedition to the Eastern Pacific Gyre". Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  11. ^ "Profiles of Progress: Meet Lisa Ballance, Director of OSU's Marine Mammal Institute". Progress: Advancing the future of agriculture and natural resources. April 7, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  12. ^ Article, Michelle Klampe News Guard Guest. "Wind Energy: Marine Mammal Institute receives $2 million grant". The News Guard. Retrieved February 8, 2022.