A Resident Researcher at the National Geographic Society, Sylvia Earle founded the Deep Search Foundation, is Chair of the Advisory Board of the Harte Research Institute and the Marine Science and Technology Foundation and was Lead Researcher for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She has authored over 175 publications, led over 100 expeditions, logged over 7,000 hours of diving and has received over 100 awards in the US and abroad. A graduate of Florida State University, with a master's and doctorate from Duke University, her research focuses on the ecology and conservation of marine ecosystems and the development of deep-water access technologies. Time named her a «Hero of the Planet» and the Library of Congress a «Living Legend». In 2009, she received the TED Prize.