LEADERS AND SCIENTISTS from across Oregon State University are tackling key problems facing the ocean, coastal communities and people who depend on a healthy, thriving marine environment.
Our researchers are innovating multi-disciplinary approaches to conservation of threatened species from whales to seabirds to tropical fish. They are investigating the technical, environmental, and social dimensions of marine renewable energy; delving into the complex molecular to global processes underlying ocean acidification; developing next-generation pharmaceuticals from marine and terrestrial ecosystems; implementing creative strategies to manage invasive lionfish; working to mitigate beach erosion and helping coastal communities adapt to a changing climate.
Together with our partners in local, state and federal agencies, as well as with local and regional industry, OSU’s Marine Studies Initiative will coordinate and strengthen our commitment to enhancing the coast and broader Oregon economy and environment.
In this issue of Terra+, OSU’s research e-newsletter, you’ll read about the exciting blue whale research of assistant professor Leigh Torres in our Marine Mammal Institute. You’ll get the latest news about the risks of ocean acidification and the recommendations of a West Coast scientific panel co-chaired by OSU marine ecologist Francis Chan.
Then in mid-May, be sure to watch for the spring issue of Terra magazine, which will give you a rich and colorful overview of Oregon State’s stellar record in marine research.
