Marine Science Day opens HMSC labs to visitors

Posted on March 30, 2012 by kightp

NEWPORT – OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center will open its doors a bit wider on Saturday, April 14, when the Newport facility hosts its first Marine Science Day.

The free public event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will feature scientists and educators from OSU, federal and state agencies, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and the new NOAA Marine Operations Center-Pacific. It offers a rare opportunity for the public to go behind the scenes of one of the nation’s leading marine science and education facilities.

Oregon Sea Grant and its marine education program will offer special activities at the HMSC Visitor Center, and behind-the-scenes tours of its ornamental fish laboratory.

Oregon First Lady Cylvia Hayes will speak briefly at 3 p.m. in the Visitor Center auditorium, along with OSU Vice President for Research Richard Spinrad. Bruce Mate, director of OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute, will follow with a presentation showcasing the center’s pioneering role in tracking whales by satellite.

“Marine Science Day will be fun and engaging for people of all ages,” said Maryann Bozza, HMSC program manager. “Visitors will wind through the campus, getting a true behind-the-scenes experience with an unparalleled opportunity to learn directly from marine scientists.”

Most Marine Science Day exhibits and activities will be indoors, but some tours will take visitors outside to walk from one lab to another, and some exhibits will be outdoors.

“The diverse science conducted at the facility reaches from local coastlines and estuaries to the depths of the world’s oceans,” she added, “and in scale from microbes on the seafloor to undersea volcanoes and the whales that swim over them.”

Visitors can meet Pearl, the Visitor Center’s newest octopus and watch her being fed at 1 pm; observe a sea turtle necropsy; and meet fisheries scientists and geologists whose research is described in center exhibits. The public also can participate in self-guided tours through the facility’s marine research labs, library and classrooms, where scientists will have interactive exhibits explaining their research. Highlights include:

Hear volcanoes erupt and whales ‘sing’ in an audio display by NOAA and OSU researchers using undersea hydrophones
Learn how researchers are supporting sustainable fisheries through innovative, collaborative research
Collect biological data from fish, plankton and even a shrimp parasite through hands-on experimentation
Explore novel oceangoing and ocean floor instrument platforms and meet the scientists who designed them.

Visitors may also take guided tours of HMSC’s seawater facilities and ornamental fish laboratory. More information, including program and special events, is available at on the HMSC Website.

The event is intended to showcase OSU’s unique partnership with state and federal agencies, which makes the HMSC a national leader in marine research and education, according to director George Boehlert.

“OSU’s Newport campus is known for a diversity of research and the expertise of its scientists, which offer unique opportunities in education and outreach,” Boehlert said. “Visitors to Marine Science Day will get a sense of the innovation and synergy that makes the Hatfield Marine Science Center unique.”

Collaborative research partners that share the campus with OSU labs include six federal and state agencies: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and NOAA Research, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Water Conference comes to Portland

Posted on March 29, 2012 by kightp

Registration is open now for the 2012 National Land Grant and Sea Grant Water Conference, coming to Portland May 20-24.

The conference brings together water scientists, engineers, educators, and managers to share knowledge and ideas, to identify and update emerging issues, and to network with leading researchers, educators, and innovators from academia, government and the private sector. Along with presentations and workshops, the 2012 conference will feature tours highlighting water resource issues on the Northwest Pacific coast.

The conference is hosted by a team of educators from Land Grant and Sea Grant Institutions around the nation in cooperation with national program leaders from USDA and NOAA. Oregon Sea Grant’s Extension program leader, David Hansen, serves on the 2102 conference hosting team.

The annual conference is sponsored by the National Water Program – a partnership of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Land Grant colleges across the country. The program aims to help create and protect safe, reliable water sources for food and fiber production, human health, use and economic growth, and the maintenance and protection of natural environmental systems.

For information and registration, visit the conference website.

Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholars program

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Eric Dickey

Applications due April 17, 2012 for the Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholar program for undergraduates. The program will place students in a natural resource management agency and is designed to help prepare undergraduate students for graduate school and careers in marine science, policy, management, and outreach.

To learn more about the Summer Scholars experience, visit our Sea Grant Scholars blog.

New Oregon Sea Grant publication probes the mysteries of hypoxia

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Rick Cooper

The causes and effects of hypoxia have been confounding marine scientists since the 1970s, when so-called “dead zones” first started appearing in oceans and large lakes. Currently there are more than 400 dead zones worldwide.

How did this happen, and how can it be fixed?

As Nathan Gilles, Oregon Sea Grant’s 2011 Science Communication Fellow, spent time with Sea Grant-funded researchers Francis Chan, Lorenzo Ciannelli, and Stephen Brandt, he uncovered a rich and complex story. That story is revealed in Oregon Sea Grant’s new publication, Hypoxia:How Is It Affecting Ocean Life, and Why?

The publication is available for purchase, and as a free download.

Sea Grant’s Sam Chan to teach at new OSU academy

Posted on March 15, 2012 by kightp

CORVALLIS – Sam Chan, Oregon Sea Grant’s invasive species expert, will be among the instructors for Oregon State University’s first-ever Natural Resources Leadership Academy this summer.

NRLA – Applying Risk Analysis to Invasive Species and Sustainable Natural Resources with Sam Chan from Oregon State University – PNE on Vimeo.

The academy, June 15-29, is aimed at natural resources professionals and graduate students who want to enhance their leadership skills, gain knowledge and connect with others in their fields. The courses, available with or without academic credit, also satisfy curriculum requirements for several OSU degrees.

Participants may choose up to two courses, offered in week-long, all-day sessions, in natural resources conflict management, communication, leadership and sustainability. A $50 fee covers registration for both weeks; additional course fees vary for credit and non-credit registration, and depending on the number of credits taken. Academy pre-registration is required by April 18; course registration runs from April 15-May 7.

Fees do not cover textbooks or lodging; discount lodging is available in OSU dorms and local motels.

For complete information visit the OSU Natural Resources Leadership Academy on the Web.

Terra tackles climate change

Posted on March 8, 2012 by kightp

The latest issue of Terra, Oregon State University’s research quarterly, looks at how OSU scientists are working to help the state and region improve the capacity and ability to respond to a changing climate.

Among the articles is a feature by Joe Cone, Oregon Sea Grant’s assistant director and communications leader, about the challenges of communicating climate science to lay audiences, even in coastal communities that stand to suffer the most from sea level rise and other results of climate change.

The article is based on Cone’s NOAA-funded research, with collaborators in Maine, into the concerns of people and communities around the subject, and how their personal beliefs and attitudes can shape their approach to climate information.

Cone’s research led to a series of publications aimed at scientists, educators, science writers and others involved in communicating with the public about climate change and other complex science topics:

R/V Oceanus Shakedown Cruise

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Tracy Crews

Wednesday, March 7, 2012 turned out to be the perfect day for a “Shakedown Cruise” for OSU’s newest research vessel, the R/V Oceanus. Under sunny skies and light winds and with a new crew, the R/V Oceanus pulled away from the dock at Hatfield Marine Science Center passing her sister ship, the R/V Wecoma, which is due for retirement at the end of this month. Crew and scientists alike snapped photos of the R/V Wecoma as we passed her, and waxed nostalgic about previous ventures aboard. All agreed it was an odd sensation to be leaving her behind at the HMSC dock.

But this was a day of new beginnings and much excitement. For many of the crew, this was their first opportunity to sail aboard the R/V Oceanus, and their only opportunity to try out new equipment and systems before they commence a busy season of research out at sea. The day began with a safety briefing by Jeff Crews, the former captain of the R/V Wecoma and new captain of the R/V Oceanus, and the donning of survival suits by scientists and other visitors, an important but humorous activity to witness. The vessel then proceeded to anchor in the middle of Yaquina Bay, where crew and science staff had the opportunity to practice the deploying of coring equipment, which resembles a lunar landing module and is designed to collect samples of ocean sediment. Practicing such procedures in a calm bay for the first time, allowed staff to identify potential challenges while protecting both the crew and vessel.

The R/V Oceanus then turned seaward, passing beneath the Yaquina Bay Bridge, through the jetties, and out into the Pacific Ocean. Her mission in the ocean: allow the captain and mates to see how she handles and practice holding station while other oceanographic equipment was deployed. Scientists from OSU’s Ocean Observatories Initiative took this opportunity to launch “Jane” , an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) or glider, from the back deck of the Oceanus. Jane will spend the next 3 to 4 weeks at sea, diving to 200 meters, collecting information on ocean conditions, including changes in temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen. Scientists and crew watched as Jane began to submerge then moved to the next task at hand, the deployment of the CTD rosette, another instrument used to collect data on salinity, temperature and depth. The CTD is a large piece of equipment that contains numerous water sampling bottles that collect samples at specified depths for further analysis by scientists aboard. The CTD is one of the most often deployed pieces of equipment and requires the boat be steadily maintained in position as it is deployed and retrieved from the deep.

After a full day of constant activity, the R/V Oceanus began her short journey home. To the delight of passengers and crew, a number of Gray whales were spotted near the vessel. It had been the perfect day all around. The final challenge was the first docking of the R/V Oceanus by her new crew. This too went beautifully, as the R/V Oceanus returned from her first successful cruise to her new home.

(Post and photos by Tracy Crews, Oregon Sea Grant marine education coordinator)

Science on Tap: Ocean science and good beer in Newport

Posted on March 7, 2012 by kightp

NEWPORT – Oregon State University marine mammal researcher Markus Horning steps to the bar for this month’s Science on Tap lecture, with The secret lives or seals: Using high-tech marvels to pry into ocean depths.

The talk, co-sponsored by the Hatfield Marine Science Center and Rogue Ale, starts at 6 pm March 15 at Brewers on the Bay, on the South Beach waterfront south of the Yaquina Bay Bridge. Admission to the family-friendly event is free, and food and beverage will be available for purchase from the pub’s menu.

Horning, a pinniped ecologist with OSU’s Newport-based Marine Mammal Institute, studies seals and sea lions in Oregon, Alaska and the Antarctic using telemetry – the science and technology of remote measurement via such devices as satellite-linked data recorders and tags.

The technology allows Horning and other scientists to monitor rarely observed aspects of marine mammal life in remote locations around Alaska and the Antarctic. Using advanced monitoring technology, researchers are able to follow the life – and death – of individual animals in the Bering Sea or under the Antarctic ice.

In recent research, the high-tech tools have helped show that more juvenile Steller sea lions are falling to predators than had been thought, casting doubt on prospects for the animals’ ability to recover from recent population decline in Alaskan waters.

Learn more:

HMSC Events Calendar – More public presentations and events featuring Newport-based marine scientists
Dr. Horning’s Pinniped Ecology Applied Research Lab at HMSC.

(Photo: Steller sea lions, courtesy of NOAA’s National Ocean Service)

Breaking Waves

Oregon Sea Grant: Coastal science serving Oregon

Monthly Archives: March 2012