The National Marine Mammal Foundation (NMMF) has partnered with StoryFile to create an AI-powered, conversational video of Dr. Sam Ridgway, who is known as the Dolphin Doctor. The interactive experience is available on the NMMF’s site and enables anyone to ask Dr. Ridgway about his challenges, discoveries, successes and failures. StoryFile’s technology was developed to transcend the boundaries of time and space, giving people access to great hearts and minds like Dr. Ridgway’s for future generations.

“Dr. Ridgway’s life story is so unique and now it’s readily available in his own words to students, veterinarians, and scientists all over the world,” said Dr. Cynthia Smith, National Marine Mammal Foundation Executive Director. “We are grateful to have archived his Dolphin Doctor legacy with StoryFile, while also capturing his true nature as a friend, mentor, and trail-blazing pioneer.”

Dr. Ridgway’s groundbreaking and unique contributions to our understanding of dolphins and whales over the past 60 years are unequaled. As a founder of the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program and a pioneer of marine mammal medicine, Dr. Ridgway’s career began as a Veterinary Officer in the U.S. Air Force in 1960. He is one of the founders of the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program starting in 1961, and has over 60 years of experience in developing and advancing marine mammal medicine and research. In 1965, his work on marine mammal diving was transitioned for use in the Navy SEALAB II project, and, in 1969 to a system employing California sea lions, which is used to this day in various Navy recovery tasks.

“When you spend decades with dolphins, there are things you know and want to tell people that don’t necessarily come across in all the scientific papers and the books: for example, you learn, to recognize their “ah-ha” moments and relish their sounds of glee,” said Dr. Sam Ridgway, NMMF President. “With StoryFile, it will always be me connecting with people who care about marine mammals. This technology lets me talk about my experiences in a way that goes beyond the data, and because the visitor isn’t just passively consuming a traditional video, I think it truly comes together across space and time.”

Colleagues often call him the Father of Marine Mammal Medicine because of his development of dolphin anesthesia, medical technology, discoveries aiding marine mammal care, and his studies on dolphin auditory physiology and echolocation. He completed a large share of the seminal work in marine mammal medicine, and he continues to promote both applied and basic research in the field of marine mammalogy. Among over 300 papers, book chapters, and books he has published, Mammals of the Sea (1972) is one of the most definitive works on marine mammals.

“Dr. Ridgway’s pioneering career as a marine mammal veterinarian was launched with thecreation of the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program, and his story has been intertwined with ours through decades of dedicated service,” said Dr. Mark Xitco, Director of the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program. “I’m excited that his foundational perspective and unique insight, which has shaped us for so long, will continue to do so far into the future, while now being intimately shared with a much broader audience.”

Talk to Sam Ridgeway at the National Marina Mammal Foundation website.