The Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport is hosting its annual science fair and open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Marine Science Day is a free, family-friendly event showcasing the diverse marine research on the Hatfield campus. This year’s theme is “Our Ocean, Our Future,” and the activities and exhibits will highlight the technology researchers use to better understand and monitor the ocean.
More than three dozen hands-on exhibits will feature Hatfield-based scientists who work with state and federal programs. The exhibits showcase research on marine birds and mammals, aquaculture, ocean noise and fisheries.
Visitors can learn about ocean engineering, touch crabs and sea stars, look at plankton under microscopes, explore the Hatfield Visitor Center and climb aboard the R/V Kalipi, a 29-foot aluminum boat used in nearshore research.
The keynote talk will be presented by K.C. Bierlich and Clara Bird from the Marine Mammal Institute’s Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Lab. They will discuss how they use drones as a non-invasive method to study the health of baleen whales.
Both researchers have extensive experience using drone technology to study Antarctic minke whales, humpback whales, and Adelie penguins. Their talk will be 1-2 p.m. in the Carem Ford Phillips Auditorium in the Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building.
Behind-the-scenes tours have been expanded due to overwhelming interest last year. The tour schedule includes:
• 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.: Hatfield’s seawater system tours. Limit 15 people per tour, 45 minutes;
• 11 a.m.: Yaquina estuary trail tour. Two groups simultaneously touring. Limit 20 people per group, 1 hour;
• 10:30 and 11:45 a.m. Vertical tsunami evacuation tours. Limit 20 people per tour, 45 minutes; and
• 11 a.m.: Aquaculture tour, 20 people per tour, 1 hour.
All tours are free, and tickets are given on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are available at the welcome tent set up in the courtyard.
The agencies which have labs on the Hatfield campus are participating in marine science day include Oregon State University, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Hatfield Visitor Center will also be free and open to visitors all day Saturday.
