Review: Hatfield Marine Science Center
Date of visit: December 7th, 2013.
Home | Hatfield Marine Science Center | Oregon State University
Hatfield Marine Science Center is located in Newport, Oregon, and it is literally right next door to the stellar Oregon Coast Aquarium. A visit to the science center is by donation only and it makes a nice combo with the adjacent aquarium. There is a misconception that the center is only an academic offshoot of the Oregon State University, which it is, but at the same time it is an aquarium in its own right with more than 20 tanks spread throughout the building. The 49-acre campus has been in existence for about 50 years and while much of it is for university officials there is a single visitor center that offers up a terrific introduction to the Oregon coastline.
The centerpiece attraction is a Pacific Octopus tank in the main foyer, and there are talks throughout the day about the behavior of the resident creature. A large touch tank with a mock-rock exterior has many tiny critters to be analyzed, and a Wave Laboratory has a plethora of hands-on activities for youngsters. There is a room with a rotating globe that focuses on water currents around the world; a series of tanks featuring fish used in biomedical research; and a quartet of mini coral reef exhibits. A set of skulls, bones and books are found in a corner; a Sustainable Fisheries display offers up information about fishing options for an environmentally-friendly industry; a High Seas Stowaways display is intriguing; there is an Invaders-themed zone; a research lab with data screens on local tides; lots of smaller tanks, and a variety of other odds n’ ends.
One of the highlights is a series of large tanks that are all perhaps 8 feet in height: Near Shore, Off Shore, Kelp Forest and Open Sea. These are 4 impressive exhibits that showcase the diverse aquatic life off of the coast of Oregon. Spending 45 minutes or so touring the facility and checking out the 20+ tanks is a nice diversion before driving down the street for 1 minute and entering the top-class Oregon Coast Aquarium.
Date of visit: December 7th, 2013.
Home | Hatfield Marine Science Center | Oregon State University
Hatfield Marine Science Center is located in Newport, Oregon, and it is literally right next door to the stellar Oregon Coast Aquarium. A visit to the science center is by donation only and it makes a nice combo with the adjacent aquarium. There is a misconception that the center is only an academic offshoot of the Oregon State University, which it is, but at the same time it is an aquarium in its own right with more than 20 tanks spread throughout the building. The 49-acre campus has been in existence for about 50 years and while much of it is for university officials there is a single visitor center that offers up a terrific introduction to the Oregon coastline.
The centerpiece attraction is a Pacific Octopus tank in the main foyer, and there are talks throughout the day about the behavior of the resident creature. A large touch tank with a mock-rock exterior has many tiny critters to be analyzed, and a Wave Laboratory has a plethora of hands-on activities for youngsters. There is a room with a rotating globe that focuses on water currents around the world; a series of tanks featuring fish used in biomedical research; and a quartet of mini coral reef exhibits. A set of skulls, bones and books are found in a corner; a Sustainable Fisheries display offers up information about fishing options for an environmentally-friendly industry; a High Seas Stowaways display is intriguing; there is an Invaders-themed zone; a research lab with data screens on local tides; lots of smaller tanks, and a variety of other odds n’ ends.
One of the highlights is a series of large tanks that are all perhaps 8 feet in height: Near Shore, Off Shore, Kelp Forest and Open Sea. These are 4 impressive exhibits that showcase the diverse aquatic life off of the coast of Oregon. Spending 45 minutes or so touring the facility and checking out the 20+ tanks is a nice diversion before driving down the street for 1 minute and entering the top-class Oregon Coast Aquarium.
