Richard Arthur Lutz (born June 8, 1949) is an American
marine biologist
Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many scientific classification, phyla, family (biology), families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others th ...
and deep-sea
oceanographer. He is known for
deep-sea research using the ''
Alvin'' submersible, and is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on the
ecology
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
of deep-sea
hydrothermal vents
A hydrothermal vent is a fissure on the seabed from which geothermally heated water discharges. They are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart at mid-ocean ridges, ocean basins, and hotspot ...
.
Lutz is a professor at the Rutgers Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences.
In 2003 he served as Principal Investigator and Science Director of the
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme F ...
film ''
Volcanoes of the Deep Sea
''Volcanoes of the Deep Sea'' is a 2003 documentary film in the IMAX format about undersea volcanoes directed by Stephen Low.
Production
Richard Lutz served as Principal Investigator and Lutz and Peter A. Rona served as Science Directors of the ...
'', which included footage and research from his numerous expeditions to study an active deep-sea
caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...
on the
East Pacific Rise
The East Pacific Rise is a mid-ocean rise (termed an oceanic rise and not a mid-ocean ridge due to its higher rate of spreading that results in less elevation increase and more regular terrain), a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along ...
, at depths of 2500 meters.
His research has been included in publications such as ''
National Geographic Magazine'', ''
Science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
'', ''
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...
'', and ''
American Scientist
__NOTOC__
''American Scientist'' (informally abbreviated ''AmSci'') is an American bimonthly science and technology magazine published since 1913 by Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. In the beginning of 2000s the headquarters was in New ...
''.
Education
Lutz was born in 1949 in New York City.
He received his
B.A. in
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
from the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
in 1971,
and that year began attending the
University of Maine
The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...
.
While there he served as a research assistant at the school's Department of Oceanography,
and earned his
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
in
oceanography
Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...
in 1975.
He continued in the University of Maine's Oceanography department as a postdoctoral research associate until 1977.
Lutz then served two years as a
postdoctoral fellow
A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...
in the Department of
Geology
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...
and
Geophysics
Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...
at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
.
Rutgers University
;As professor
Lutz joined the faculty at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
in 1979
as an assistant professor. He received his tenure in July 1984, serving as an associate professor until 1987. He worked in the graduate faculties for Ecology and Evolution, Geology, Cell and Developmental Biology, and Oceanography.
He was given the Rutgers' Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Research in 1988.
From 1989 to present he has been a professor in their Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences.
;School positions
From 1985 to 1994 he also served as the director of the school's Haskin Research Laboratory, and from 1985 to 1990 as chair of the school's Department of
Oyster Culture. From 1986 to 1997 he served as the director of the university's Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology Extension Center. In 1995, he became director of Rutger's Center for Deep-Sea Ecology and Biotechnology.
Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences
In 1985 Lutz began serving as a chairman of the Planning and Search Committee for the then-envisioned
Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences
An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations ( research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body.
In some countries, institutes ca ...
(IMCS) at Rutgers.
He has been the Associate Director of the IMCS since 1989.
Lutz currently directs the Institutes research programs, and oversees the various field stations including the Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory in
Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to:
Australia
* Cumberland County, New South Wales
* the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia
Canada
*Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
United Kingdom
*Cumberland, historic county
*Cumberlan ...
and the Multi-Species Aquaculture Development Facility in
Cape May County
Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on Cape May bound by Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic coastline are fiv ...
.
He also continues to serve as a professor.
In February 2011, Lutz was named director of IMCS, succeeding Fransisco E. Werner.
Two months later, IMCS was named the fourth top oceanographic institution in the world, based on a
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was estab ...
survey of paper citations since 2000 and impact on the marine sciences. At the time, Lutz quoted "This is huge. We’ve gone from not being on the map 25 years ago, to 10th in the nation in 10 years according to the National Science Foundation … and now we’re fourth in the world."
Deep sea research
Lutz participated in one of the first biological expeditions to study the
ecology
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
of
deep-sea hydrothermal vents
A hydrothermal vent is a fissure on the seabed from which geothermally heated water discharges. They are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart at mid-ocean ridges, ocean basins, and hotspot ...
in 1979.
Since that year, Lutz has continuously spent time in various deep-diving submersibles studying thermal vents throughout the world's oceans.
In 1990, Lutz and Rutgers geneticist Bob Vrijenhoek embarked on a yearlong survey they dubbed a "Magical Mystery Tour" of most of the known hydrothermal vents and cold seeps in the eastern Pacific and the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
. They undertook a series of dives in deep-sea submersibles, chiefly in the ''
Alvin''. On August 12, 1991, Lutz, diver Randy Hinderer, and biologist Van Dover became trapped in the ''Alvin'' 100 miles off the coast of
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
while searching for a deep-sea clam bed. The submersible was successfully recovered and all survived.
;April 1991 eruption
In April 1991, Lutz joined a number of geological colleagues on an oceanographic expedition to explore an undersea eruption along the
East Pacific Rise
The East Pacific Rise is a mid-ocean rise (termed an oceanic rise and not a mid-ocean ridge due to its higher rate of spreading that results in less elevation increase and more regular terrain), a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along ...
. They used the deep-submergence vehicle ''
Alvin'' to dive to the depth of a mile and a half, or 2500 meters into the
caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...
of the actively erupting volcanic ridge, the first time such an expedition had been attempted.
Lutz has since returned to the caldera at what are approximately annual expeditions to document the significant biological and geological changes at the site.
He has also served as chief scientist on numerous oceanographic cruises.
''Volcanoes of the Deep Sea''
Lutz served as Principal Investigator and Science Director of the 2005
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme F ...
film ''
Volcanoes of the Deep Sea
''Volcanoes of the Deep Sea'' is a 2003 documentary film in the IMAX format about undersea volcanoes directed by Stephen Low.
Production
Richard Lutz served as Principal Investigator and Lutz and Peter A. Rona served as Science Directors of the ...
'', which was funded by the
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...
and co-produced by
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
.
The film included footage, research, and stories from the deep-sea ''
Alvin'' expeditions of Lutz and his colleagues.
The film received the award for "best IMAX film of the Year" at the Paris Film Festival,
and in 2005 Lutz received the Scientific Literacy Achievement Award from the
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
Association for Biomedical Research for his contributions to the film.
Publishing
Lutz has over 175 publications to his name. Lutz's studies on the deep-sea caldera have been featured in many scientific journals and magazines including three issues of ''
National Geographic Magazine'', ''
Science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
'', ''
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...
'',
a cover story in ''
American Scientist
__NOTOC__
''American Scientist'' (informally abbreviated ''AmSci'') is an American bimonthly science and technology magazine published since 1913 by Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. In the beginning of 2000s the headquarters was in New ...
'',
and ''
Discover Magazine''.
He was associate editor of the ''Journal of Shellfish Research'' from 1981 to 1986, and on the editorial board for ''Critical Reviews in Marine Science'' from 1986 to 2000. He was also on the editorial board for ''Estuaries'' from 1987 to 1992, and the editorial board of reviewers for the ''American Malacological Bulletin'' from 1984 to 2000.
Memberships
*World Mariculture Society
*
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
*
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
*
Estuarine Research Federation
The Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) is a private, nonprofit organization that was created in 1971. At that time, the members of two regionally based organizations, the Atlantic Estuarine Research Society (AERS) and the New England ...
*New England Estuarine Research Federation
*
American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's act ...
*American Malacological Union
*National Shellfisheries Association (president 1983–1984)
Personal life
Lutz is married to American singer/songwriter
Mary Fahl
Mary Fahl (born Mary Faldermeyer, July 1, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter and actress known for her work with October Project in the mid-1990s. More recently she is known for her solo singing and acting career. She released an EP ''Lense ...
.
References
Further reading
* (story of Lutz's team trapped in the Alvin)
''National Geographic'': Dawn in the Deep Field Notes from Richard Lutz(2003)
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lutz, Richard A.
Living people
21st-century American zoologists
American oceanographers
American geologists
Rutgers University faculty
Yale University alumni
University of Maine alumni
University of Virginia alumni
1949 births