CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University will celebrate World Oceans Day on June 8 with a special Science Pub featuring marine videos, a panel of expert guests, trivia, music, art and a children’s book reading.

The free, virtual event will focus on Heceta Bank, a biodiversity and fishing hotspot about 35 miles off Cape Perpetua on the Oregon coast. Oregon State scientists have conducted research on the bank for more than 60 years to understand how ocean processes set the stage for Oregon’s fisheries and coastal ecosystem.

The science pub will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and can be viewed for free by anyone. The event will be broadcast on Facebook Live and YouTube Live. Registration for the event is required and can be completed at https://beav.es/4bi. Details about how to access the talk will be sent via email.

“We depend on the ocean for food, livelihood, recreation and the key role it plays in regulating our weather and the planet’s climate,” said Jack Barth, OSU oceanographer and executive director of the university’s Marine Studies Initiative. “OSU scientists, fishermen, government partners and coastal communities work together to understand these vital resources and manage them for the future. World Oceans Day celebrates their accomplishments.”

World Oceans Day began as a global grassroots movement for ocean conservation and was formally recognized by the United Nations in 2008. This year’s theme is “Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean” and is expected to encompass more than 2,000 events in 150 countries.

The OSU Science Pub will feature a screening of a half-hour documentary about Heceta Bank, a short film, Sense of Place, by Oregon State Productions and a performance of “Currents,” composed by Dana Reason of the OSU Music Department. Participants can test their ocean knowledge in a trivia quiz and ask questions to a group that includes scientists, a filmmaker and an Oregon State student. The evening will end with a special children’s book reading.

General OSU

About Oregon State University: As one of only three land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the nation, Oregon State serves Oregon and the world by working on today’s most pressing issues. Our more than 36,000 students come from across the globe, and our programs operate in every Oregon county. Oregon State receives more research funding than all of the state’s comprehensive public universities combined. At our campuses in Corvallis and Bend, marine research center in Newport, OSU Portland Center and award-winning Ecampus, we excel at shaping today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders.

Story By: 

Nick Houtman, 541-737-0788, houtmann@oregonstate

Source: 

Virginia Neylon, OSU Marine Studies Initiative, 541-737-2780, [email protected]  

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