Welcome to the home of the Oregon Marine Scientist and Educator Alliance or ORSEA for short. ORSEA connects educators and marine researchers around issues of ocean ecology, career-connected learning, and effective science communication practices.
At the ORSEA kick-off August 20-22, 2019, eight marine scientists and 16 Oregon math/science educators shared information about their research and classrooms, formed curriculum teams, engaged in hands-on research activities, and began co-planning their year - which will include marine scientist classroom visits and data support for the teachers and science communication outreach support for participating researchers. Teams will be meeting throughout the year for online Community of Practice sessions from 7-8pm on the following dates:
SEAGRASS: Seagrasses have declined in South Slough over recent time. Could seagrass wasting disease be the culprit?
PLANKTON POPULATIONS: What happens to our local ecosystem if the copepod species richness increases? decreases?
SELECTIVE PALATES AND KILLER APETITES: Can we reverse the decline of southern resident killer whale numbers? How?
HUMPBACK WHALES: Three different populations of humpback whales travel through the Oregon Coast, some to feed and others as part of their migration. Each of these populations begins their migration from a different breeding ground. Each of these populations currently exists in numbers designated at various levels of risk for continued existence on our planet. Members of the populations mix to an unknown degree when migrating and feeding which complicates management. How should we manage these whales? Which whale population should be prioritized first?