Hatfield Marine Science Center
The Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) is a marine science research and education center next to Yaquina Bay of the Pacific Ocean in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is operated by Oregon State University in cooperation with five state and federal agencies co-located on site. Named after Mark Hatfield, a former U.S. Senator from Oregon,[2] the HMSC occupies a 49-acre (20 ha) site in Newport.[3]
Hatfield Marine Science Center
History[edit]
The Hatfield Marine Science Center was opened in 1965. The center was preceded by the Yaquina Bay Fisheries Laboratory, which was established in 1939 on the opposite side of Yaquina Bay.[4]
After several years of development,[5][6][7] the Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building (MSB) was completed in summer 2020.[8] The building hosts new office and laboratory space, a 250-seat auditorium and a cafe.[8][9] The building provides a tsunami evacuation point for more than 900 people, including local residents, and it is designed to withstand a 9+ magnitude earthquake and an XXL tsunami event.[8][9]
Organization[edit]
More than 300 people work at the HMSC, including Oregon State University faculty, graduate students, researchers, and staff from agencies including Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).[10] NOAA employees at the HMSC are affiliated with the Alaska Fisheries Science Center,[11] Northwest Fisheries Science Center, or the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, all of which are headquartered in Seattle, Washington.