Lydia Dotto
Born(1949-05-29)May 29, 1949
Cadomin, Alberta
DiedSeptember 17, 2022(2022-09-17) (aged 73)
Peterborough, Ontario
OccupationJournalist, Author, Photographer
CitizenshipCanada
Alma materCarleton University
Austin O'Brien Catholic High School
SubjectSpace, Environment
Notable awardsSandford Fleming Award 1983

Lydia Dotto (1949–2022) was a Canadian science journalist and author, a wildlife photographer, and an educator on science communication.[1][2]

Career

Dotto was a journalist with the Edmonton Journal in 1969 and with the Toronto Star between 1970 and 1971.[2] She graduated with an Honours degree from Carleton University School of Journalism in 1971.[1][2] Her articles were published in The Globe and Mail, Canadian Business and en Route among others.[3]

Dotto was staff science writer for The Globe and Mail from 1972-1978.[2] Her writing on nuclear terrorism, high-energy physics, global warming and other topics earned awards from the Canadian Science Writers' Association.[1][4][5] She completed two dives under the Arctic ice for an article on cold-water diving.[1][6] She covered space missions including Skylab, Apollo, the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.[1][5] She was the first female member of the press corps permitted aboard the USS Ticonderoga aircraft carrier to cover the splashdown of Skylab 4 astronauts.[1][7]

Dotto's association with NASA and the Canadian Space Agency continued even after leaving The Globe and Mail, in part through her rapport with astronauts Chris Hadfield and Marc Garneau.[5] She held interviews with Canadian astronauts and participated in a zero-gravity training flight at the Johnson Space Centre.[1] Through her skills and sources, Dotto published books and articles on space and the environment to become a leading freelance science writer and environmental journalist (see Bibliography).[5]

Dotto was President of the Canadian Science Writers' Association from 1979-1980[8] and executive editor of Canadian Science News Service from 1982-1992.[5] For her accomplishments, she was awarded the Sandford Fleming Medal for science communication by the Royal Canadian Institute in 1983.[1][9] She was chosen to give a talk on "Planet Earth as a Life Support System" for the 1990 Royal Astronomical Society of Canada General Assembly.[10]

The year she turned 65, Dotto shifted her focus to wildlife photography.[1][11] Wildlife magazines published her pictures from Canada, Costa Rica, Tanzania and elsewhere.[2] Starting in 2005, Dotto taught environmental communication at Trent University close to her home in Peterborough, Ontario and led science writing and communication workshops.[1][2][5]

Personal life

Lydia Dotto was born to August and Assunta Dotto in Cadomin, Alberta, moving to Edmonton when she was a few years old. She has a younger sister, Terry.[1]

Dotto attended the first Beatles concert in Canada at Empire Stadium in Vancouver and was a lifelong Beatles fan.[5]

Lydia graduated from Austin O'Brien Catholic High School in 1968.[5]

In her online art store, Dotto stated "I enjoy merging diverse artistic paths, never knowing where they will take me but always enjoying the journey".[11]

Death and legacy

Lydia Dotto died in 2022 in Peterborough with her family by her side.[1] Her archives are held by and available for research in Special Collections & Archives at the University of Waterloo.[12]

Bibliography

  • Dotto, Lydia; Schiff, Harold (1978). The Ozone War. ISBN 978-0-38512-927-5.
  • Dotto, Lydia (1986). Planet Earth in jeopardy: environmental consequences of nuclear war. ISBN 978-0-47199-836-5.
  • Dotto, Lydia (1987). Canada in Space. ISBN 978-0-77251-559-9.
  • Conference Report: Dotto, Lydia (1988). Thinking the unthinkable: civilization and rapid climate change. ISBN 978-0-88920-968-8.
  • Dotto, Lydia (1990). Asleep in the fast lane: the impact of sleep on work. ISBN 978-0-77372-286-6.
  • Dotto, Lydia (1990). Losing sleep: how your sleeping habits affect your life. ISBN 978-0-68811-275-2.
  • Dotto, Lydia (1991). Blue planet: a portrait of Earth. ISBN 978-0-81092-472-7.
  • Dotto, Lydia (1993). The astronauts: Canada's voyageurs in space. ISBN 978-0-77372-707-6.
  • Dotto, Lydia (1999). Storm warning: gambling with the climate of our planet. ISBN 978-0-38525-790-9.
    • French Translation: Le ciel nous tombe sur la tête: sommes-nous entrain de risquer le climat de notre planète? (2001)
  • Encyclopedia Article: Canadian Space Agency [13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Lydia DOTTO Obituary (2022) The Peterborough Examiner". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Lydia Dotto fonds. - Archives Database". archives.uwaterloo.ca. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  3. ↑ "Lydia Dotto | Penguin Random House". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  4. ↑ "Globe reporter to share prize for science work". The Globe and Mail. Canadian Press. 25 Feb 1975. p. 8 – via ProQuest.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Andy F. Visser-de Vries (2022-10-20). "Science reporter Lydia Dotto probed beneath Arctic ice and beyond Earth". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  6. ↑ Dotto, Lydia (23 May 1974). "GIRL UNDER ARCTIC ICE FINDS COLD, DANGER". The Globe and Mail. pp. W1 – via ProQuest.
  7. ↑ Dotto, Lydia (June 19, 1973). "Ship awaits Skylab: Supine recovery practiced at sea". The Globe and Mail. p. 1 – via ProQuest.
  8. ↑ "The history of the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada". sciencewriters.ca. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  9. ↑ "The Sandford Fleming Medal & Citation". Royal Canadian Institute for Science. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  10. ↑ Planet Earth as a Life Support System, retrieved 2022-09-24
  11. 1 2 "Lydia Dotto Art Shop". Fine Art America. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  12. ↑ Giménez-Delgado, Clara. "Lydia Dotto 1949-2022". Special Collections & Archives. University of Waterloo Library. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  13. ↑ "Canadian Space Agency | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
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