Oregon Sea Grant’s popular “Oregon Coast Quests” are the subject of an article in the October 28, 2011, edition of the weekly newspaper Oregon Coast Today.
Category Archives: marine education
Marine educator blogs from shipboard
Bill Hanshumaker, Sea Grant’s marine educator at the Hatfield Marine Science Center, is blogging from sea off the Pacific coast this week as he travels with scientists seeking to learn more about seafloor geology and earthquakes.
The team is traveling aboard OSU’s R/V Wecoma with a crew from the Cascadia Initiative, an onshore/offshore seismic and geodetic experiment that studies questions ranging from megathrust earthquakes to volcanic arc structure to the formation, deformation and hydration of the Juan De Fuca and Gorda plates.
The team takes advantage of an Amphibious Array of 60 ocean-bottom sensors installed with funding from the 2009 US Recovery Act to improve undersea earthquake monitoring and advance our understanding of geologic processes in the seismically active region off the coasts of Oregon, Washington and Northern California. The system also includes onshore GPS stations and earthquake monitoring instruments. Participating institutions include Columbia University, IRIS, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and UNAVCO, a nonprofit consortium of universities supporting geoscience research and education.
This is the third major research cruise over the past decade for Dr. Hanshumaker, who has been educating the public about science for 16 years at the HMSC Visitor Center, and before that, at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. In 2005 and 2006, he joined the Sounds From the Southern Ocean cruises with a team led by NOAA/OSU researcher Bob Dziak, who is also one of the principle investigators on the current project.
As he’s done on previous research voyages, Bill is blogging about the voyage, the research and the research team, this time from http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/billgoestosea.
Shipboard blogging can be a challenge, thanks to a hectic research schedule and unpredictable Internet access, but Bill is posting as time and conditions permit, and also plans to share the experience with Visitor Center audiences on his return to Newport.
Sea Grant’s Hunter honored by OSU
CORVALLIS – Nancee Hunter, Oregon Sea Grant Education Programs Director for the past four years, was honored with the Oregon State University Professional Faculty Excellence Award at last week’s OSU University Day 2011.
Hunter, who has managed Sea Grant’s education programs and the Visitor Center at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, was recognized for exceptional service in a non-academic unit and beyond the traditional academic categories of teaching, research and extension.
In her time with Oregon Sea Grant, Hunter ledd major changes within the Visitor Center, building networks and partnerships, examining new approaches to marine and public education, nurturing ideas and leveraging nearly $3.5 million in funding for marine and public education programs and research.
OSU President Ed Ray presented the award at the Sept. 21 University Day Awards Dinner, and Hunter was also recognized during the following day’s campus-wide University Day event.
Hunter has left full-time Sea Grant employment to pursue a PhD., but continues to work part-time in an advisory capacity with interim program director Shawn Rowe until a new director is named.
Educators gather for ocean literacy symposium
NEWPORT – Oregon Sea Grant and the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center join the Lincoln County School District and the Oregon Coast Aquarium this Tuesday to host Lincoln County’s first K-12 Ocean Literacy Symposium.
Sessions will take place at Newport High School, Sea Grant’s HMSC Visitor Center, and the nearby Aquarium.
The program, part of a district-wide in-service day for licensed teachers and administrators, is aimed at boosting students’ ocean literacy by providing Lincoln County teachers and their classes with better access to the knowledge and experience of the many ocean and coastal agencies and programs located in Newport.
The symposium is a district-wide in-service day for all licensed teachers and administrators. Participants will learn new strategies and resources for teaching marine science in the classroom to help students meet state standards. Teachers will explore the mud flats and learn new ways to engage students in math and science. They will also learn how to use songs to increase students’ understanding of complex topics and a variety of other teaching techniques.
“It’s really exciting to have a day where teachers, administrators, scientists and informal educators can get together to develop strategies for connecting our local students to the ocean,” said Rachael Bashor, OCA school liaison/partnership coordinator. “We are lucky to live in a county where our district is committed to taking advantage of the unique learning opportunities available in our rural coastal communities.”
Craig Strang, associate director of the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, will start the day with a keynote address at Newport High School. Immediately following, nearly 50 presentations from local teachers and agencies will be offered in break-out sessions at the OCA and HMSC.
Hatfield legacy lives in OSU leadership in marine sciences
NEWPORT, Ore. – The passing Sunday of former U.S. Senator and Oregon Governor Mark Hatfield prompted an outpouring of remembrances of the political legend and his contributions to the state, including Newport, where Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center bears his name.
Hatfield was supportive of the development of the center, which officially opened in June 1965 during his second term as Oregon governor. During his five terms as a U.S. senator, Hatfield steered critical federal funding to Newport for buildings and programs. In 1983, the center was officially named the Mark O. Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC).
Today, more than 300 scientists and staff members work at HMSC’s 49-acre campus. In addition to faculty researchers and students from OSU and visiting researchers from other academic institutions, the campus is home to representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center, as well as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. It is also home port for the OSU research vessels Wecoma and Elakha.
In addition to its research labs, the facility is home to the HMSC Visitor Center, managed by Oregon Sea Grant as a public aquarium, marine education center and living laboratory for the study of free-choice learning.
“The Hatfield Marine Science Center is a living legacy, one that will serve Oregon, Oregonians, our nation and our world for generations to come,” OSU President Edward J. Ray. “I can think of no finer tribute to Mark Hatfield’s lifetime of public service.”
Oregon Sea Grant video cover wins Silver Award
The cover for Oregon Sea Grant’s video Preparing for Coastal Climate Change: What Oregonians Are Asking has won a Silver Award in the “Best Cover—Print/Other” category of the 2011 Magnum Opus Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Custom Media. There were 560 entries in this year’s competition, and the Silver Award was the top award given in the “Best Cover” category.
According to Magnum Opus, professors from the Missouri School of Journalism, along with leading custom-publishing professionals, judge the awards based on “informational and entertainment value, quality of writing and display copy, creative use of imagery and typography, and consistency of color palette and style.”
David Murray, director of the awards competition and editor-in-chief of ContentWise, said, “Your entry shone bright among an incredibly competitive field and bested the work submitted by your peers in the practice of marketing communications from around the globe. You should be proud.”
The jacket and label for Preparing for Coastal Climate Change were designed by Patricia Andersson of Oregon Sea Grant. The video was produced by Joe Cone, assistant director of Oregon Sea Grant; edited by Stevon Roberts; and supported in part by a grant from the NOAA Climate Program Office.
Copies of the video are available for $3 each plus shipping and handling from Oregon Sea Grant, 541-737-4849; or through Oregon Sea Grant’s e-commerce site at marketplace.oregonstate.edu. You may also view excerpts of the video on Sea Grant’s website.
Student posters sought for Oregon’s Ocean conference – Deadline Extended!
Oregon’s Ocean: Catching the Next Wave of Discoveries
FLORENCE – This year’s Heceta Head Coastal Conference, Oct. 29, will feature the fresh faces of ocean research in Oregon. Participants will learn about the cutting edge of marine science in our waters, focusing on new discoveries and future directions, including a student research poster session highlighting the next generation of Oregon’s scientists from colleges and universities throughout our state.
Graduate and undergraduate students who have conducted ocean-related research are invited to submit their projects, and researchers with promising students are encouraged to spread the word. The poster submission deadline has been extended to September 30. Download the .pdf announcement for details.
Join us as we look ahead to confronting the challenges facing our ocean, how they are being addressed, and how results will affect YOU! Oregon Sea Grant is co-sponsoring and organizing the conference. Watch for the full program announcement here this summer.
Sea Grant seeks new Education Program leader at HMSC
Oregon Sea Grant is seeking applicants for a full-time position to lead marine education and visitor programming at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science center in Newport, on the central Oregon coast.
The position, an annual appointment with reappointment at the discretion of the Sea Grant director, provides leadership, development and management of Sea Grant’s marine education programs and visitor services. The program leader is responsible for the popular HMSC Visitor Center and its bookstore, K-12 education and teacher services, public programming, exhibitry and aquarium support. He or she reports to the Oregon Sea Grant Director and serves on the Sea Grant leadership team.
The new director will replace Nancee Hunter, who is leaving to pursue a doctoral degree.
A Master’s degree in education or a field closely required to the position duties is required; a PhD is preferred. For more information and application instructions, visit the OSU Jobs site. Application deadline: July 10, 2011.
What’s fresh on the Oregon coast?
Wondering what seafood will be in season when you visit the Oregon coast? Oregon Sea Grant’s Kaety Hildenbrand has compiled a handy, one-page guide to local seafood availability for 2011, based on harvest estimates and commercial seasons set by fisheries regulators.
Right now, for instance, you should be able to find fresh, locally caught Chinook salmon, Dungeness crab and pink shrimp, as well as flounder, sole, rockfish and lingcod (generally available year-round).
June should bring the appearance of albacore tuna and, late in the month, Pacific halibut, depending on when the fish make their appearance.
Fresh, locally caught seafood is available in markets and restaurants up and down the coast, and direct from the fishermen in many coastal ports. A family trip to the docks with an ice-filled cooler can be a great way to learn more about where your dinner comes from, how it’s harvested and the people who catch it.
The guide, “What’s Fresh and When in 2011” is ready to download and print, and suitable for hanging on the refrigerator door or tucking in the glove compartment for your next trip to the coast. Download it here in .pdf format.
Hildenbrand is Sea Grant’s Extension marine fisheries educator, based in Newport, where she engages the fishing community and general public on issues ranging from fisheries management to marine energy and multiple ocean uses.
Seal pups on the beaches: Leave them alone
NEWPORT, Ore. – The arrival of spring has brought a number of young seal pups onto Oregon beaches, where they are at-risk from well-meaning coastal visitors who want to “rescue” them.
Oregon State University marine mammal biologist Jim Rice is urging the public to refrain from touching or approaching the seal pups, which in most cases are not orphaned or abandoned, he pointed out. They frequently are left on the beach by their mothers, who are out looking for food.
“Seal pups being left alone on the beach in the spring is perfectly normal,” said Rice, who coordinates the statewide Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network headquartered at OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. “Newborn pups typically spend several hours each day waiting for their mothers to reunite with them.
Read more from OSU News & Research Communications
Download our “Seal pups rest on shore” poster (.pdf)