William Gilly
Encyclopedia
William F. Gilly is a biologist specializing in the study of cephalopod
s. He was involved with the television special The Future is Wild
.
Gilly received a BSE (Electrical Engineering, 1972) from Princeton University
and a Ph.D. (Physiology and Biophysics, 1978) from Washington University in St. Louis
. He had additional training at Yale University
, University of Pennsylvania
and the Marine Biological Laboratory
at Woods Hole. Over the last 30 years he has contributed to the basic understanding of electrical excitability in nerve and muscle cells in a wide range of organisms ranging from brittle-stars to mammals. Much of this work employed the giant axon system of the squid as an experimental model system for molecular and biophysical approaches. Additional physiological studies made in the living squid revealed unexpected complexities in how the giant axon system controls escape responses, and how mechanisms governing that control are subject to modification by environmental factors like temperature and during normal development.
Gilly's current research program on squid concentrates on the behavior and physiology of Dosidicus gigas, the jumbo or Humboldt squid
. Fieldwork in the Gulf of California and off Monterey Bay employs a variety of tagging methodologies in order to track short-term vertical migrations as well as long-distance migrations. Laboratory studies at Hopkins Marine Station and onboard research vessel are focused on the physiology of hypoxia tolerance and on control of chromatophores, the color-changing organs in the skin.
Research on venomous cone snails (genus Conus) is also currently being carried out. This work is exploring the biological factors that lead to toxin diversity within an individual species and mechanisms by which toxins are produced, selected for use and delivered. Tropical species as well as a temperate, local species (Conus californicus) are studied.
Members of Professor Gilly's laboratory have gone on to faculty positions at the University of Washington, University of Utah, University of Pennsylvania, Albert Einstein Medical College and University of Puerto Rico.
Dr. Gilly was nominated by Stanford University
to be one of the USA Science and Engineering Festival
's Nifty Fifty Speakers who will speak about his work and career to middle and high school students in October 2010. He is also an adviser to the Microbes Mind Forum.
Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
s. He was involved with the television special The Future is Wild
The Future is Wild
The Future Is Wild was a 2002 seven-part documentary television miniseries. Based on research and interviews with several scientists, the miniseries shows how life could evolve in the future if Homo sapiens became extinct; the Discovery Channel broadcast changed this outlook by stating the human...
.
Gilly received a BSE (Electrical Engineering, 1972) from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and a Ph.D. (Physiology and Biophysics, 1978) from Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
. He had additional training at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and the Marine Biological Laboratory
Marine Biological Laboratory
The Marine Biological Laboratory is an international center for research and education in biology, biomedicine and ecology. Founded in 1888, the MBL is the oldest independent marine laboratory in the Americas, taking advantage of a coastal setting in the Cape Cod village of Woods Hole, Massachusetts...
at Woods Hole. Over the last 30 years he has contributed to the basic understanding of electrical excitability in nerve and muscle cells in a wide range of organisms ranging from brittle-stars to mammals. Much of this work employed the giant axon system of the squid as an experimental model system for molecular and biophysical approaches. Additional physiological studies made in the living squid revealed unexpected complexities in how the giant axon system controls escape responses, and how mechanisms governing that control are subject to modification by environmental factors like temperature and during normal development.
Gilly's current research program on squid concentrates on the behavior and physiology of Dosidicus gigas, the jumbo or Humboldt squid
Humboldt Squid
The Humboldt squid , also known as jumbo squid, jumbo flying squid, pota or diablo rojo , is a large, predatory squid found in the waters of the Humboldt Current in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. They are most commonly found at depths of , from Tierra del Fuego to California...
. Fieldwork in the Gulf of California and off Monterey Bay employs a variety of tagging methodologies in order to track short-term vertical migrations as well as long-distance migrations. Laboratory studies at Hopkins Marine Station and onboard research vessel are focused on the physiology of hypoxia tolerance and on control of chromatophores, the color-changing organs in the skin.
Research on venomous cone snails (genus Conus) is also currently being carried out. This work is exploring the biological factors that lead to toxin diversity within an individual species and mechanisms by which toxins are produced, selected for use and delivered. Tropical species as well as a temperate, local species (Conus californicus) are studied.
Members of Professor Gilly's laboratory have gone on to faculty positions at the University of Washington, University of Utah, University of Pennsylvania, Albert Einstein Medical College and University of Puerto Rico.
Dr. Gilly was nominated by Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
to be one of the USA Science and Engineering Festival
USA Science and Engineering Festival
USA Science and Engineering Festival was a science festival in Washington, D.C. that founder Larry Book deemed the country’s first national science festival. The inaugural event was held from October 10, 2010 through October 24, 2010 and was planned to be a yearly event. The two week festival...
's Nifty Fifty Speakers who will speak about his work and career to middle and high school students in October 2010. He is also an adviser to the Microbes Mind Forum.