Monthly Archives: January 2008

Fun and learning at the HMSC Visitor Center

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Marine fossils and sea turtles take center stage in February and March as OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Visitor Center presents two special learning and exploration events for the whole family.

On Saturday, Feb. 9 at 11:30 a.m., join us for FossilFest, one of our most popular winter events and a chance to learn about the fascinating fossils you can find on the Oregon coast. Bring your own specimens for expert identification or to swap with other fossil enthusiasts, or pick up a free fossil from our sample table and start a new hobby. Guest speakers include Dr. William Orr of the University of Oregon and Guy “the Oregon Fossil Guy” DiTorrice of Newport. Children’s activities, presented by the North America Research Group (NARG) include digging for shark teeth, making a shark tooth necklace, painting a fossil replica, and an ammonite toss.

On Saturday, March 1, come learn about the fascinating world of sea turtles as the Visitor Center hosts Sea Turtle Saturday, starting at 11:30 a.m. Speakers include Dr. Larry McKenna, author of “Almost Gone,” the story of the endangered leatherback sea turtle, and Dr. Selena Heppell, an OSU marine biologist who will talk about successful turtle conservation efforts around the world. Kids can take part in a Leatherback Painting Contest where everone goes home a winner!

The Visitor Center is located on Yaquina Bay in Newport, just south of the Yaquina Bay Bridge. Admission is by donation.

Deadlines near for major fellowships

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Graduate students in marine science and resources have only a few weeks to apply for two major fellowships being offered by Oregon Sea Grant and/or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The opportunities include:

  • The National Marine Fisheries Service/Sea Grant NOAA’s Coastal Management Fellowship, which provide on-the-job education and training opportunities in coastal resource management and policy for postgraduate students and to provide project assistance to state coastal zone management programs. Application deadline: Jan. 28, 2008
  • The John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship , which matches highly qualified graduate students with hosts in the legislative branch, the executive branch, or appropriate associations and institutions located in the Washington, D.C. area. Recipients spend one year working on substantive national policy issues related to marine issues; a stipend is provided. Application deadline: Feb. 29, 2008

For more information about these and other Sea Grant fellowhip opportunities for qualified graduate and undergraduate students, visit our Web site.

Melissa Feldberg
Fellowship Application
322 Kerr Admin.
Corvallis, OR 97331

Please don’t hesitate to contact me for information about either of these opportunities.

New publications available from Oregon Sea Grant

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The following publications and DVD are available online at http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sgpubs/newpubs.html

This is Oregon Sea Grant

Oregon’s Coastal Marine Recreational Fishing Community:….

Public Outreach and Behavior Change:….

Responses to the West Coast Groundfish Disaster:….

Salmon and Estuaries:….

Tsunami Awareness for Fishermen and Mariners

Oregon Sea Grant Program Report 2007:…. [DVD and booklet]

Communicating Climate Change: Podcasts

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Oregon Sea Grant is pleased to announce the launch of a new series of audio podcasts, Communicating Climate Change. The podcasts will feature in-depth conversations with prominent social scientists whose work informs public communications about science. Joe Cone is the producer. The first conversation is with Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change:

http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/blogs/communicatingclimate/

Given the importance of appropriate actions in response to climate change, successful communication with various audiences is vital and deserves to be informed by the best communication research. These podcasts will present some of that research through informal conversations with the researchers themselves. Complete text transcripts of the conversations will also be online.

Links on the web site guide listeners to subscribe to the podcasts via RSS, iTunes, or even email.