For OSU coral reef scientist Mark Hixon, climate change is personal. He studied a tropical reef for a decade, and the results of his work stunned and inspired him.
Epitaph for a Reef

For OSU coral reef scientist Mark Hixon, climate change is personal. He studied a tropical reef for a decade, and the results of his work stunned and inspired him.
At times in the distant past, an abrupt change in climate has been associated with a shift of seasonal monsoons to the south, a new study concludes, causing more rain to fall over the oceans than in the Earth’s tropical regions, and leading to a dramatic drop in global vegetation growth.
We hope you’ll let the butterflies stay on the flowers this summer and spend some time yourself in at least one book by an OSU faculty member.
Ah, summer vacation. Time to kick back, right? Not so much for OSU students who are discovering opportunities to expand their horizons. They’re modeling blood flow, studying wildlife conservation in Africa, surveying Oregon’s old-growth forests and teaching entrepreneurship.
Mario Magaña quit middle school at age 15 to help provide for his family. At 20 he immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico seeking better opportunities. Today, he has a master’s degree in forestry with minors in adult education and Spanish from OSU. His long-term goal is to help families succeed and sustain the Mexican culture.
From Corvallis labs to Newport tidepools to Salem campgrounds, OSU experts are challenging K-12 kids to stretch their thinking and deepen their understanding of the natural and built environments.