2024 Advancement Awardees | Marine and Coastal Opportunities

ART 360- Creative Coast

Project Leaders: Michael Boonstra and Andrew Myers

The Creative Coast course was a four-credit, five-day intensive experiential learning studio art course that focused on the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, Hatfield Marine Science Center and the surrounding central Oregon Coast. The geographical regions of the Oregon Coast served as an outside studio and the people, history, ecology, and immediate sensory experiences inspired the responsive artworks. Students camped on site at Cape Perpetua, interacting and learning from the local area and community. They explored the unique coastal ecosystems consisting of rocky intertidal zones and old growth forests, while also considering the history of human interaction with the landscape.

Students then produced a portfolio of site observations through sketches, photography, video, sound recording and/or writing. The students created artwork informed by these immediate site-based interactions and They were also able to create long-lasting relationships with their instructors, but the visiting artists as well. Scientists and artists provided direct learning opportunities such as workshops and talks as well as day to day mentorship as they explored and learned about different geographical regions in Oregon.

Photo: Students engaging in hands-on learning focused on different geographical regions along the Oregon Coast. Courtesy of Andrew Myers and Michael Boonstra.

FW 568- Human Dimensions in Marine Mammal Conservation

Project Members: Lisa T. Ballance (project lead), Tara Whitty, Selina Heppell, Renee Albertson, and Mauricio Cantor

Human Dimensions in Marine Mammal Conservation (FW457x/557x), was a 4-credit, 3-week intensive course offered for the first time Summer 2024. The course used principles of Design Thinking to teach collaborative approaches to address conflicts associated with use of natural resources that bring humans into conflict with marine mammals (and other components of marine ecosystems). Skills and core values needed to understand human dimensions of resource use (empathy, mindfulness, creativity, and optimism) were introduced and developed through exercises where students develop (and test) solutions to these conflicts. Transdisciplinary work is at the core of solutions where collaborators must be able to work together across disciplinary and sectoral barriers.

This led to a successful and positive completion by all nine students enrolled (including one student from an international university) at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. The project team also was able to launch an initiative for this project that allowed donors to sponsor $2,000 per student that covered all tuition costs.

This course was open to all graduate students at OSU, and globally (and will include Ecampus in the future). Its principles and approach were deeply relevant to anyone who strives to find solutions to problems associated with human-wildlife conflict.

Photo: Students and project leader who successfully completed the course at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. Courtesy of Linda Ballance.

Reducing Small-Cetacean Bycatch in Sri Lankan Gilnet Fisheries

Project Members: Joshua Stewart (project lead) and Shanta Shamsunnahar

Shanta Shamsunnahar, a graduate student who works closely with Dr. Stewart, assisted him in conducting semi-structured interviews with fishers in Sri Lanka to determine their socioeconomic status, fishing effort characteristics, intensity perceptions, species composition, spatiotemporal distribution, and the economic costs and advantages of bycatch. This initiative provided information on fishers' perceived barriers to using modified gear or procedures to minimize bycatch risk maximizing its real-world conservation impact.

The project team identified fishers who are willing to test the subsurface gillnet, collect catch, bycatch and relevant environmental data which allowed estimating bycatch reduction of subsurface gillnets relative to surface-set gillnets. The team also conducted preliminary semi-structured interviews with fishers to assess their socioeconomic characteristics and design a country-wide systematic interview survey. The project successfully yielded positive results, largely due to the partnership with Blue Resources Trust (BRT).

Whilst working cooperatively with local fisheries to amplify practical training forShamsunnahar, this furthered her doctoral research focused on cetacean bycatch. Through this Advancement Award, Dr. Stewart was able to provide Shamsunnahar with hands-on learning experiences across different countries.

Photo: A photo of Professor Stewart working with local fisher about their gear design and bycatch rates during fieldwork. Courtesy of Shanta Shamsunnahar.

Oregon Sea Grant Student Internship program

Project Members: Wanda Crannell (project lead), Shawn Rowe, Susan Rowe, Kate Field, Rachel Jones, Renee O'Neill

During this eight-day program, students and faculty were able to visit research sites, meet U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers, Puerto Rican Sea Grant faculty, and Puerto Rican faculty and students. They worked in and with a local school, addressing key topics and issues such as food security and production, climate change adaptation, protected area management, biocultural conservation, sustainable forest management, watershed management, sustainable development, coral reef and fisheries management, population genetics, biodiversity measurement methods and ecosystem restoration.

This Puerto Rico service-learning course has been offered in 2018, 2022 and 2024, to over 85 students working with state, federal and non-profit organizations on water quality, ecological restoration projects, trash and debris removal, developing and delivering agricultural education curriculum to K-12 students. Wanda Crannell was able to provide 22 students the opportunity to work on ecological restoration projects and develop agricultural education to K-12 students in the country. Through the 2024 trip, they were also able to recruit six students from Puerto Rico to the OSU campus this summer for an undergraduate research program.

Photo: OSU faculty, Renee O’Neill (right), Precollege Programs Curriculum and Development Specialist, Rachel Jones (left), CAS Student Engagement Coordinator, and OSU student, Amelia Harper (center), Environmental Economics and Policy, work to separate grass from soil during the installation of a community garden at InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico on the Barranquitas Campus. Photo courtesy of Jamon Jordan.

“The Virtual Field” Bridging Gaps and Expanding Accessibility to Field Stations, Marine labs, and Field Research

Project members: Itchung Cheung (project lead) and Dwaine Plaza

The primary goal of this project was to expose students to an array of ecosystems, real-world exploration and marine research through the lens of innovative camera technology. By utilizing GoPro and GoPro Max 360 cameras, students not only learned to document their observations but also engaged in immersive experiences that mimic on-site field experiences and research settings.

Itchung Cheung enhanced OSU students’ science communication skills and cross-cultural understanding in the faculty-led course in Aruba. This project also allowed access to collaborate with the University of Aruba, strengthening the project’s realworld relevance and helped students connect their academic knowledge with on-the ground practices. The video content created by the students was incorporated into the OSU Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) course, "Coasts Compared: Aruba and Oregon”. The project successfully fostered cross-cultural understanding, and provided access to a network of field stations and marine labs for educational and career opportunities

Thinking with Oceans

Project Leader: Rebekah Sinclair

Thinking With Oceans dives into marine issues of scientific and moral concern through the lenses of Western science, environmental feminism and philosophy, and Traditional Ecological Knowledges. Undergraduate students were able to explore what it means to relate to oceans ethically in both science and society, in ways that reflect the ocean’s own fluidity and movement. This course took place on the figurative shores where scientific, philosophical, and creative/artistic inquiry meet, and on the literal shores of the Oregon Coast (at Hatfield Marine Science Center), where students spent four days exploring ways to improve and reimagine our connection to marine lives and spaces.

While at Hatfield, the class hosted interactive experiences led by a number of special guests: biologists, philosophers, tribal members, and even a local artist whose work focuses on depicting marine beings in their individuality, personality, fluidity, and agency.

This award allowed students to attend the course at virtually no cost to themselves, and they were able to participate in extremely unique and one of a kind experiences.

Photo: Students and instructors of Thinking with Oceans show the art pieces they made during the course. Photo courtesy of Rebekah Sinclair.

Building a User-Friendly Research Tool for Marine Research and Education

Project members: Drummond Wengrove (project lead), Kelly Lawrence, Matt Blume, Leif Rasmuson

Marine research utilizes underwater video technology to observe, study, and protect the species and habitats that make up our world’s ocean. Cameras are a non-extractive sampling method and allow researchers to study previously inaccessible habitats, making them a critical marine resource management tool. The Fisheries Research Team’s current stereo camera system requires a high level of expertise to operate, and the camera technology is becoming outdated; so, the Oregon Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (ODFW) have collaborated with OSU’s Innovation Lab to build an updated underwater stereo video system that will continue to fulfill their current research needs but with upgraded technology and a more user-friendly design. One factor of success was the established team of mentors and equipment that comes with working in the iLab; an undergraduate student was able to work with a team of knowledgeable people and had access to equipment that advanced their project. The student learned how camera systems are implemented in the field, and discussed project goals with the project partners from ODFW tounderstand whatmakes an underwater video system user friendly and robust in the field.

Integrating local students into gray whale and coastal ecology research in Port Orford

Project members: Leigh Torres (project lead), Allison Dawn, Celest Sorrentino

Two research teams TOPAZ (Theodolite Overlooking Predators And Zooplankton) and JASPER (Journey for Aspiring Students Pursuing Ecological Research), blended together to form a unique project that integrated research with STEM education. By bringing together a team of graduate students, undergraduate students, and high school students for a six-week intensive field season, students conducted research, honed teamwork and leadership skills, and build their STEM identity. Overall, the program connected the community with their local ocean ecosystem, impacted the career trajectories of students, increased ocean literacy and appreciation, and gathered important data on the ecology of marine predators and their prey. Throughout their 2024 internships, students learned to utilize a diverse array of data collection technologies, fostered relations with local community members, and developed an understanding for the importance of marine ecology. Interns also practiced science communication in both formal and informal settings including a community presentation and blog post.

Participants included: Allison Dawn (Master’s student), Celest Sorrentino (incoming Master’s student), S. Kormann (St. Olaf College, rising senior, class of 2025), Eden Van Maren (Homeschool High School, class of 2025), and Ocean Powers-Schmitz (Brooking Harbor High School, class of 2026).

Photo: The 2024 field team. Left to right: Celest Sorrentino. P.I. Dr. Leigh Torres, Sophia Kormann, Oceana Powers-Schmitz, Allison Dawn, and Eden Van Maren. Photo courtesy of Leigh Torres.