Wilma M. Blom
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Wilma M. Blom is a marine scientist. Since 2011 she has been Curator, Marine Invertebrates at Auckland War Memorial Museum.[1][2]
Blom studied at the University of Auckland and later University of Sydney in the 1980s, researching the sedimentology of the Raukūmara Range,[3] and Bass Strait in Australia.[4][5] In 1989, the amoeboid protist Lagena blomae, a species found in the Bass Strait, was named after Blom.[6][7]
In mid-2011, Blom became the marine invertebrates curator at Auckland War Memorial Museum.[5][8][9] Blom's work focuses on identifying marine fauna, such as molluscs. She also works in science communication, through projects such as Auckland Museum's New Zealand Marine Life app. She also organises a 2-yearly BioBlitz programme which places scientists alongside communities to help them document the biodiversity of their surrounding area, and has been involved in research projects involving The Noises.[1][10] She has contributed to the collections of Auckland Museum and Te Papa.[11]
Blom led a team that dissected a rare Taningia danae octopus, found by a fishing expedition near Whakaari / White Island in 2020.[12]
In 2020, Blom collaborated on a project involving a Pliocene fossil trove, which was uncovered at Māngere when vertical shafts were being excavated for the Central Interceptor at Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant.[13] 266 fossil species were uncovered at the trove, including at least ten novel species.[14][15]
Blom first began living in Auckland in 1971.[1] Blom is interested in botanical art,[5] and her illustration of Pteris tremula was selected for the Ngāi Tipu Taketake - Indigenous Flora exhibition held at Auckland Botanic Gardens in 2018.[16] She is a member of the Auckland Shell Club.[17]
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