Project Director: Jessica Miller, Ph.D.
Phone: (541) 867 0381 | Email: jessica.miller@oregonstate.edu
Department | Faculty | Students | REU
Founded in 1868, OSU is a Land Grant university and is one of only two universities in the US to also have Sea Grant, Space Grant and Sun Grant designations. With nearly 24,000 students and $275 million in research funding in 2009-10, OSU earned the Carnegie Foundation’s top designation, awarded to institutions with “very high research activity” and is currently being reviewed for Community Engagement classification. Approximately 40% of OSU’s extramural funding is related to marine science. Undergraduate and graduate students from several Colleges, including Agricultural Sciences, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, and College of Science, participate in marine science curricula and research activities. Graduate degrees are offered in fisheries science, applied economics, oceanography, and marine resource management. OSU’s graduate programs have been recently ranked as #1 in the field of conservation biology and #2 in fisheries science behind University of Washington. The OSU doctoral program in Applied Economics (formerly Agricultural and Resource Economics) was ranked in the top 10% in the recently released National Research Council report on graduate education. Diverse resources are available for minority students including four minority education offices, six cultural centers, and a local chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS), which provides a framework for academic, professional and social development of under-represented students in fields of agriculture, natural resources and related social and biophysical sciences through leadership, community service and professional development activities.
The Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) is OSU’s campus for research, education, and outreach in marine and coastal sciences. HMSC, which is located approximately 50 miles from OSU’s main campus in Corvallis, houses a collaborative scientific community with approximately 120 personnel representing OSU, another 180 employed by federal and state agencies on-site and a combined annual budget of over $40 million. OSU’s Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (COMES) is located at the HMSC and is the largest Agricultural Branch Experiment Station in the US dedicated solely to coastal and marine issues. COMES is actively involved in research to improve the use of marine resources, increase production of commercially harvested and cultured seafood, develop value-added seafood products, and improve policies for resource management. Primary areas of research include aquaculture, fish disease, fisheries science, management and policy, marine mammals, marine economics and marketing, salmon and marine fisheries ecology and genetics, and seafood science and technology. The Cooperative Institute of Marine Resources Studies (CIMRS) has been located at HMSC since 1982 and fosters research cooperation between OSU and NOAA. There are also two newer institutes, the Marine Mammal Institute (MMI) and the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC), established in 2007 and 2008, respectively. HMSC partners with several other universities in Oregon, Washington, Northern California and Hawaii, with community colleges, and with the Oregon Coast Aquarium to provide educational opportunities for undergraduate students. These include a National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE) Pacific Partnerships program and a NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site.
HMSC’s facilities for research and teaching are located on a 49-acre campus, which includes modern research and teaching laboratories and a seawater system. A high-speed fiber optic IT connection provides support for researchers using informatics and accessing satellite and other global data sources. The HMSC also has on-site housing and a ship support building and docking facilities for oceanographic research vessels. HMSC is homeport to the 185-foot University-National Oceanography Laboratory System (UNOLS) vessel Wecoma, the 85’ MMI vessel Pacific Storm, the 54’ coastal vessel Elakha, and numerous small boats. Adjacent to the HMSC is the new home of NOAA’s Marine Operations Center – Pacific, which will house support staff and dock facilities for six NOAA research vessels. OSU strengthens educational and research activities of the LMRCSC institutions, particularly in the Resource Economics and Quantitative Fisheries areas through collaborations in research, mentoring of graduate students, summer internships, and delivery of courses to students using the Center’s Virtual Campus technology.
Mailing Address:
Hatfield Marine Science Center
2030 SE Marine Science Dr.
Newport OR 97365
Phone: (541) 867-0381
Fax: (541) 867-0345
