My transition from a year of online coursework at the University of Oregon to being a Summer Scholar with the Oregon Sea Grant has been seamless, as the process happened in my own room! This summer I am working as a remote intern with the Oregon Coastal and Ocean Information Network (OCOIN) as a member of the Technical Committee.

OCOIN as an organization is a professional network that aims to connect and facilitate collaboration between scientists, policy makers, and managers who are all involved in coastal and ocean affairs. This goal is accomplished through two tools, the Coastal Research Explorer and the Oregon Coastal & Marine Data Network Directory, as well as outreach efforts such as an annual webinar. The Coastal Research Explorer is a digital platform that allows the sharing of past, present, and future research taking place on the Oregon coast. Researchers and policy makers alike can use the maps and tables within this tool to view and explore research projects across multiple topics. Alternatively, the Network Directory facilitates contact sharing amongst the large OCOIN network.

As a member of OCOIN’s Technical Committee, I will be doing a lot of data management this summer: from updating research information in the Coastal Research Explorer and optimizing user capabilities, to updating the Network Directory. Over the first two weeks I met OCOIN’s many steering committee members, began the data updating process, and completed ArcGIS Online classes to prepare for working with the Coastal Research Explorer tool.

I am also excited to do outreach work with Joshua, my fellow Sea Grant Scholar working at OCOIN this summer. Together we will write two newsletters for OCOIN members and assist in the planning of the annual OCOIN webinar. Outreach is essential for sharing new and ongoing coastal research and maintaining the vast OCOIN network. 

The key intersection between the work I will be doing at OCOIN this summer and the Oregon Sea Grant’s mission is the promotion of discovery and understanding for Oregon coastal communities and ecosystems. The sharing of novel research and coordination between researchers is essential for creating new research projects and understanding research that is ongoing or already completed across Oregon.