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	Hatfield Marine Science Center Newsletter


	February 2000 Pam Rogers, Editor





	Clare Reimers is Fourth Director of Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies Dr. Clare Reimers, newly arrived from Rutgers University, has assumed her new position as Director of the Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies (CIMRS-sounds like simmers). The Institute promotes cooperative projects between the federal government and the university. Its cooperative agreements with NOAA laboratories provide a mechanism for OSU faculty, staff and students to work with federal scientists on research that leads to the understanding of global ocean processes and fisheries resource issues. Established in 1982, past directors have been Bill Pearcy, Bill McNeil and Lavern Weber. Dr. Reimers' research interests are in areas of sediment geochemistry and chemical oceanography. She currently has a grant from the Department of Defense to work on energy harvesting from reduction potential gradients that exist at the sediment-water interface. She has developed the instrumentation for a fuel cell that gains energy from chemical changes due to microbial breakdown of materials. Her next step is to fieldtest the device, which works best in a muddy substrate with well aerated water overhead, but without too much agitation (as from surf). She will be going on three cruises this year studying chemical changes through permeable sediments on the mid-Atlantic Bight shelf. In addition, she is preparing a new proposal to use techniques to study iron cycling on the Oregon shelf. She looks forward to collaborating on research with others at OSU and the Center, as well as through the CIMRS umbrella.



	A high school chemistry teacher first got Clare interested in science and she went on to the University of Virginia for her B.S. in Environmental Science. She was truly hooked on science when she had an internship at Woods Hole the summer of her junior year. Her graduate degrees are from Oregon State University, where she worked under Paul Komar and Irwin Suess on sediment transport. She then went on to Scripps for a post doc with Ken Nielsen, becoming an Associate Research Scientist before moving to the University of Alaska as a visiting scientist. Her last stop before the HMSC was at Rutgers, working in chemical oceanography and teaching undergraduate general oceanography. She and her husband, Waldo Wakefield (NMFS NW), have an eleven-year-old son, Brian, and they live in Philomath. Clare will have an office and lab in Oceanography, her academic home. For fun she enjoys tennis, family outings, fishing and canoeing.

	HMSC Blood Drive March 1, 2000 10:00-4:00 p.m. To reserve a donation time, Call Pam Rogers 7-0212 Or your local recruiter



	HMSC Soup Kitchen Feeds the Hungry As you look out your window at the seemingly endless rain, you dream about a nice hot bowl of thick soup instead of that dry PB&J or a Snickers from the vending machine. Well, your dream has come true! Every Tuesday in February beginning at noon until the food runs out, there is hot homemade soup and other goodies for sale in the main mailroom. All proceeds go to the Lincoln County Food Share. If you aren't a soup fan, we will also accept donations of money (make checks payable to Lincoln County Food Share) or dry/canned goods. Last year was a great year for taste treats as individuals from a number of different agencies prepared special desserts, breads and soups. If you would like to contribute a delicacy for the Kitchen or if you would like to prepare the kettle of soup one Tuesday this month, please let Pam Rogers know (7-0212). We can donate more money if you bring your own bowl/mug and spoon. If there are other creative ideas for raising money, we'd love to hear about them.




	Haejung holds frozen tuna aloft at Seafood Lab

		Haejung An Leaves for Auburn University Dr. Haejung An, Associate Professor in Food Science and Technology and a faculty member of COMES will be leaving in February for a new position at Auburn University. Haejung joined the OSU Seafood Laboratory and COMES in the summer of 1991 and got busy right away determining the protease enzymes that are important for the decomposition of Pacific whiting. During her 8 years in Astoria she published 21 journal articles, 3 book chapters and had 7 graduate students receive their M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Dr. An's research interests were in the isolation and characterization of protease enzymes, especially the cathepsins in Pacific whiting. She was part of the whiting research team that was recognized for team research with the Jackman-Oldfield award in the College of Agriculture. Recently, she has ventured more into seafood safety, publishing several articles on histamines in tuna and has begun work with Vibrio parahaemolyticus in oysters. "She'll be greatly missed," said Lab Director Michael Morrissey, "not only for her solid basic research in seafood biochemistry and safety, but also for the energy she brought to the lab. She was always very devoted to her students and they have all greatly appreciated her guidance."



	Earthquake and Tsunamis Focus of Coastal HazardsProgram Earthquakes and tsunamis are very real threats to those living along, or even visiting, the Oregon coast. Researchers from Oregon State University are helping local decision-makers understand the risks of these coastal hazards and are working with them to minimize losses in the event a disaster strikes. The Hatfield Marine Science Center is making the results of this research available to the public through its Coastal Hazards program, a series of displays, exhibits, special events and lectures taking place at the center through March. The HMSC Visitor Center is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays all winter. Admission is free, although donations are requested. The second lecture in the Coastal Hazard series will take place on Wednesday, February 16, at 7:00 p.m., in the HMSC auditorium. OSU researcher Nate Wood will present a talk on "Earthquake Risks to Ports and Harbors." Wood, a research assistant with both the Oregon and Washington Extension Sea Grant programs, is working on a collaborative initiative with the US Geological Survey (USGS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to increase the resiliency of port and harbor communities to earthquake and tsunami hazards. Yaquina Bay is the first demonstration community of the project, so his talk will center on this area. The focus of Wood's research is to improve the natural hazard decision-making process at the local level. "I think it's a combination of focused public outreach, getting technical experts to provide feasible event scenarios to local groups, examining the needs and issues of those groups, and getting local decision makers, in both the public and private sector, on the same page toward developing sustainable communities," says Wood. "The number one goal is not to develop new regulations or restrictions, but preparedness and recovery issues." Wood and his group have talked locally to Newport and Toledo city councils, port and harbor masters, the Coast Guard, Emergency Services, town planners and public works. Using examples from the Global Information System (GIS) data he has collected, Wood's HMSC talk will focus on the regional risks of earthquakes and tsunamis, particularly the vulnerability of ports and harbors, what efforts are underway, and what the cooperative research project hopes to accomplish. This talk is open to the public and is free to the public. For more information call (541) 867-0271.





	Sea Grant Extension Creates Special Programs for Scouts by Vicki Osis The Marine Science Center now offers a complete program for Girl Scouts. Designed by HMSC educator and Girl Scout leader, Fawn Custer, programs are offered for Daisies, Brownies, and Scouts working for their junior badge. The programs are offered on Saturdays for groups of up to 20 scouts. We have over 100 scouts registered for the programs for winter and spring 2000. Program titles include: From Shore to Sea, A Walk on the Wild Side, Estuary Exploration, Water Bugs, and Beaks and Feathers The Girl Scout program is a companion program to the Oceanography badge program that we have developed and offered for the past three years for the Boy Scouts.

	Coastal Families Work on Daycare Options at Center by Betty Kamikawa Coastal Families Association for Family and Community Education is a non-profit organization that was set up with the goal of formation and operation of a quality daycare facility in the community. We also promote non-formal education programs for families, we are working toward strengthening ties between families and communities, and we provide opportunities to develop leadership and public policy skills in order to be a positive and effective voice for families. We are associated with the National and Oregon Family and Community Education (FCE). This organization has been in existence and concerned about families for over 60 years. The association has close ties and formal agreements with Oregon State University Extension Service to provide advise and support to each other. Coastal Families is unique to the state and national organization in that its primary focus will be to provide (sponsor) quality daycare for its members (and possibly other community families). We are aware of the growing need for quality daycare in the community and have recently begun to meet with members of the community who represent the many agencies dealing with families. Together with these agencies we hope to begin to address the problems at this time and into the future. This is a complex issue and will take the support of the whole community to change. We invite any interested person to join us or call us for more information. (Betty Kamikawa 541-867-0300 x248)



	Library News by Janet Webster New Exhibit in the Library An exhibit on the Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies coincides with the arrival of Clare Reimers as its new director. The exhibit gives some background on CIMRS as well as highlighting current research projects. I hope it helps all of us understand what CIMRS is. New Books of Interest: Our Living Oceans: Report on the Status of U.S. Living Marine Resources, 1999. The fifth in this series presents data, describes trends in various fisheries, and discusses current issues. The section on Pacific Coast groundfish was written by Jean Rogers and Tonya Builder of NMFS/NWFSC- Newport. Killer Algae. I admit it, I couldn't resist the title. This is "the biological and political horror story" of the introduction and spread of Caulerpa taxifolia in the Mediterranean. The Oregon Weather Book George Taylor explains everything you ever wanted to know about Oregon's weather patterns. Records of extremes are included along with some wonderful historic photos. The Tillamook: A Created Forest Comes of Age This is part of the OSU Press's Culture and Environment in the Pacific West series. Gail Wells tells the story of the Tillamook Burn from the perspective of someone who grew up on the edges of the forest and as part of a family dependant on that forest for its livelihood. Reminder: Self Service Electronic Checkout No more pieces of paper! We are switching over to electronic checkout. Use the computer on the Circulation Desk. There are instructions and ask for help if it doesn't work.