Central Oregon Coast Hosts Marine Science Day on April 12

Published 04/04/2014

(Newport, Oregon) - Saturday, April 12 is the date for the annual OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center’s Marine Science Day in Newport – a mixture of science fun for kids and tickling the brains for grownups.

This annual open house at the Hatfield will take visitors behind the scenes for a peek at a large variety of cutting-edge marine research. Your hosts are scientists and educators from the growing marine science community on Newport’s South Beach, which include scientists and educators from OSU, federal and state agencies, Oregon Coast Aquarium, and the NOAA Marine Operations Center-Pacific.

Visitors will get to tour the research facilities of the Hatfield Marine Science Center, and see genetics laboratories, animal husbandry areas, and get a close-up view of ongoing research projects. Interactive research exhibits will feature larval fish ecology, bioacoustics of whales, volcanoes and deep ocean vents, and oceanographic tools such as a glider to study low-oxygen on the West Coast. Activities for children include a Bird Beak Buffet from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Mystery Fossil Dig by Oregon Sea Grant.

Other highlights include an octopus feeding – a favorite for literally generations.

The center also will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (COMES), which is the nation’s first Experiment Station dedicated to marine sciences.

The Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station is located in both Newport and Astoria. Researchers in Newport focus on fishery policy and management, marketing, fish stock assessment, aquaculture, ecology, genetics and marine mammal conservation. Astoria researchers at the OSU Seafood Laboratory work on seafood science, processing, safety and innovation.

COMES has become the largest interdisciplinary marine research station in the United States. The facility's scientists, staff, and students will be showcasing their projects and COMES history in special exhibits.

All of the Marine Science Day is free admission. Schedule of Events:

10 a.m. the open house begins, lasting until 4 p.m. At 11 a.m. it's “Pumped up for Pinnipeds: Seals and Sea Lions of the Oregon Coast,” a presentation by Oregon Coast Aquarium staff, Hennings Auditorium (repeated at 2 p.m.); At 1:30 p.m. the Octopus feeding in the Visitor’s Center;

3 p.m. brings “A Food Chain of Fisheries Research: The Amazing Story of Oregon’s Marine Experiment Station,” a presentation by Gil Sylvia, director of COMES; Terry Thompson, a commercial fisherman, county commissioner and COMES board member; and Michael Morrissey, director of the Food Innovation Center in Portland. State Sen. Arnie Roblan will introduce the speakers.

Hatfield Marine Science Center is at 2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport, Oregon. (541) 867-0226. More information is available at hmsc.oregonstate.edu/marinescienceday.

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