Research Talks and Breakout Rooms

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Drawing of an octopus and the words, HMSC Research Summit.

 

2024

Research Talks

Join us in the Marine Studies Building auditorium for these short 7 min talks highlighting innovative research happening at HMSC.

  • Cheryl Barnes (OSU)- Using information about population structure to optimize the spatial scale of groundfish stock assessments along the US West Coast
  • Troy Buell (ODFW)- Blip or trend? Managing the dynamic Oregon market squid fishery in the face of uncertainty
  • Brandy Cervantes (OSU)- The Importance of Long, Subsurface Time Series in Understanding Marine Heatwaves
  • Taylor Chapple (OSU)- A view from the top: Discovering novel predators and shifting dynamics in the Pacific Northwest
  • Jessica Garwood (OSU)- Shifting baselines: will physical-biological dynamics of the current ocean hold?
  • Scott Groth (ODFW)- Environmental force! Changing climates effect to managing invertebrate fisheries in Oregon
  • Maria Kavanagh (OSU)- Tiny but mighty sentinels of the sea: phytoplankton patterns and trends in the Northern California Current
  • Will Kennerley (OSU)- Long-term Seabird Monitoring at Yaquina Head: Witnessing an old conservation success story become a new conservation challenge
  • Charles Nye (OSU)- A Sea of Genes: Observing Marine Life Using Environmental DNA
  • Leigh Torres (OSU)- Too small, too fat, or just right? Integrating morphology and behavior of PCFG gray whales to understand their health and reproduction
  • Sam Zeman (NOAA)- Eyes on the water: How a 28-year oceanographic time series detects and adapts to change

 

Breakout Sessions

Breakout Sessions provide an opportunity for small groups to discuss topics of common interest to foster the development of professional relationships and increase collaboration across the HMSC campus community.  The rooms provide a place to share the current state of the topic, its future, and how that future could impact the HMSC vision and goals as we move forward together.  This year there are 10 sessions to choose from.  Room host will help guide the conversation, but active participation is expected by all attendees.  The number of participants in each room will be limited by the size of the room.  Please pick a Breakout Session and join in the conversation.

 

Applications of genomics and eDNA for marine/aquatic conservation

This session will present cutting-edge research and genetic approaches to assess and monitor aquatic animal resources such as fish, shellfish and marine vertebrates. eDNA methodology and genomics applications for conservation will be discussed in a broader discussion following science talks. Target Audience: Anyone at HMSC interested in this topic. Desired Outcome:  A robust discussion about genetic tools and conservation applications in marine and freshwater science.

Room Leads: Cristín Fitzpatrick (OSU) and Louis Plough (ARS)

 

Building Bridges Between Marine Labs and Field Stations: Enhancing Collaboration through OBFS and NAML Networks

This breakout session will focus on how marine labs and field stations can strengthen collaboration in research and education, with an emphasis on leveraging the networks of the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS.org) and the National Association of Marine Labs (NAML.org). Participants will explore the challenges of integrating these networks, opportunities for resource sharing, and potential collaborations that enhance both scientific output and community engagement. The discussion will highlight how these networks can be used to foster meaningful partnerships. Target Audience: Researchers, faculty, educators, and staff at Hatfield, particularly those interested in exploring collaborations between marine labs, field stations, and the OBFS.org and NAML.org networks. Desired Outcome:  Participants will learn about the broader FSML environment and the collaborative networks of OBFS.org and NAML.org, focusing on research, education, and operations.
 
Room Lead: Itchung Cheung

 

 

How Do We Find, Archive, and Share each other's Long-term Time Series?

Our work focuses on making long-term oceanographic time series in the coastal regions of Oregon and Washington publicly available for use by the scientific community. These time series, collected by programs such as Ocean Observatories Initiative, Newport Hydrographic Line, and Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, are crucial to providing data records long enough to generate accurate climatologies required to identify and quantify anomalous events. Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are anomalously warm events identified relative to a baseline climatology, and without the availability of long time series from which to construct this baseline, our knowledge of MHWs and their impact on marine ecosystems will be insufficient, leading to inappropriate allocation of resources by managers, industries, and coastal communities. Additionally, sustained subsurface observations using instrumentation such as profilers, gliders, shipboard observations, and moorings are necessary, in conjunction with satellite data and numerical models, to increase understanding of subsurface MHWs and avoid overestimation biases of MHWs in coastal regions that occur during upwelling. Target Audience: Any member of the HMSC community. Desired Outcome: Participants will gain an appreciation of the long-careers of many HMSC researchers and the value of building on their long-term observations. 

Room Leads: Craig Risien, Brandy Cervantes, Jonathan Fram
 
 

Integrating your Research into Fisheries Management on the West Coast

Have you ever wondered how to engage with the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (Pacific Council) to better understand research needs or ensure your work can inform regional decision-making? If so, join us to discuss how new research (e.g., climate and fisheries) can integrate into that process.  Increased awareness and understanding can improve linkages between HMSC research and actionable management, strengthen funding proposals, and promote buy-in for proposed research at the federal level. Target audience: Researchers or future researchers who aspire to engage in applied science for federally managed fisheries Desired outcome: Increase awareness at HMSC of the opportunities available to researchers within the federal Council processes 

Room Leads: Aaron Berger (NMFS), Ali Whitman (ODFW), and Maggie Sommer (NMFS)

 

Mapping Oregon’s Coastal COmmunity REsilience (CORE) Perspectives – a participatory mapping workshop

About 40% of the world’s population live within 100km of the coast (approximately 9% of global land area), with 22% of those areas considered highly vulnerable to risks associated with climate change like coastal flooding and sea-level rise. Additionally, links between socio-economic inequities, environmental injustice, and social determinants of health significantly contribute to overall climate change vulnerability but are less spatially understood because of existing nuance at the community-level. Maps have long been an essential tool to spatially represent these and other coastal management issues but have traditionally been a top-down practice. More recently, there has been a surge of “participatory mapping”, a collaborative mapping effort that acknowledges the importance of public attitudes, values, perceptions, and knowledge for just and resilient community futures. Desired Outcome:This session provides an opportunity to lend your voice to a participatory mapping activity and a broader conversation about Oregon coastal communities’ values and perceptions. In a hands-on mapping activity for everyone, we will be co-generating a community map representing your knowledge and lived experience, and discussing how knowledge co-production can lead to increased resilience and capacity building in communities.

Room Leads: Desiree Farrell (ORISE/EPA), Patti Meeks (EPA), and Beth Haley (EPA)

 

Mapping Your Place Confronting Climate Anxiety

Climate change anxiety is real, especially for members of the marine science community who routinely observe climate responses. As a member of the Hatfield community, where are you on your journey? As you move from Learning to Normalizing the focus is on “you’re not alone, we’re not alone.” As you move from Normalizing to Resilience the focus is on building resilience practices and “having agency.” In this session, we will discuss these elements, articulate how you might push through your own climate change anxiety journey, and discuss potential resources of value to the Hatfield community. Target Audience: Any member of the HMSC community. Desired Outcome: Participants increase their understanding that: (1) they are not alone; and (2) there is a suite of approaches to help articulate how they approach navigating climate change anxiety.

Room Lead: Matt Harwell (EPA)

 

Planning Research on Environmental Impacts of Ocean Energy

This session will open with an update of what’s happening in Oregon with regard to offshore wind and wave energy as well as current monitoring and ongoing research projects. We will then highlight anticipated funding opportunities. Discussion will center on prioritization of research topics that could be carried out by teams affiliated with Hatfield, including identification of team leads for each topic. Target Audience: Folks who are actively exploring or seeking participation in this research space.  Desired Outcome: Three research topics with co-leads for each topic to submit for DOE funding in 2024-2025. 

Room Leads: Sarah Henkel (OSU) & Megan Davis (OSU)

 

Responsible AI? Let's Discuss

With 38% of instructors reporting uncertainty about how to incorporate AI into their teaching, this workshop offers an opportunity to bridge the gap. In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore ethical dilemmas posed by AI technologies and offer discussion prompts that you can adapt to your classroom. You’ll walk away with conversation starters, a stronger understanding of AI ethics, and a list of resources for further exploration of AI literacy and ethics. Open to anyone interested in an engaging discussion about AI. Target Audience: Instructors, graduate assistants, anyone else interested in AI
 
Room Leads: Laurie Bridges (OSU Valley Library) and David Irvin (OSu Guin Library)

 

 

Retaining Institutional Knowledge at Any Age

Institutional knowledge is an organization’s collective memory; the experiences, processes, data, expertise, values, and information that employees acquire over their careers.  This session will discuss what institutional knowledge is in marine sciences, why it matters, and how it can be documented and retained at any stage of one’s career.  Target Audience: Anyone (young or old) interested in this important issue. Desired Outcome: Develop ideas to promote the documentation and retention of institutional knowledge throughout one’s career.

Room Leads: Laurie Weitkamp (NOAA/NWFSC) and Brian Beckman (CIMERS)

 

Science, Management, and Community Needs for Resilience to Harmful Algal Blooms

Ocean conditions in the NE Pacific are changing, contributing to shifts in plankton communities and increased frequency of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). The species of phytoplankton responsible for HABs occur naturally off the coast of Oregon where they episodically increase in abundance, produce biotoxins that accumulate in shellfish, and pose a significant risk to human health, marine ecosystems, and coastal economies. Recent illnesses and persistent closures along the Oregon coast underscore the need for improved science, earlier warning, and coordinated responses. Desired Outcome: We will facilitate a community discussion of the future of HAB resilience in Oregon, and highlight the emerging threats, science gaps, technological advances, adaptive management strategies, and innovative partnerships.

Room Leads: Maria Kavanugh (OSU) and Steve Rumrill (ODFW)