Hatfield Marine Science Center
The Hatfield Marine Science Center has more than 45 years of accomplishment in research, education, and outreach. Originally established as a marine laboratory for Oregon State University, it has grown to encompass a large group of partners on its 49-acre site on Yaquina Bay in Newport, Oregon. Within OSU, HMSC includes researchers, students, and faculty from six colleges. It serves as home to several University programs, including the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station, the Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies, and the Marine Mammal Institute. It also includes important components of the Oregon Sea Grant program and the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center. Our onsite partners include six state and federal agencies involved in research and management of the marine environment, and our cooperation includes faculty appointments for agency staff as well as opportunities for students to work with agency scientists. We work closely with local coastal communities, including the fishing industry. HMSC’s Visitor Center is a key site for public education.
The dynamic nature of HMSC’s programs is reflected in our mission statement:
The Hatfield Marine Science Center is Oregon State University’s campus for research, education, and outreach in marine and coastal sciences. Through its partnerships, HMSC improves scientific understanding of marine systems, coastal processes and resources, and applies this knowledge to social, economic, and environmental issues.
HMSC brings OSU’s diverse marine science programs together for effective collaboration and higher national and international visibility. The center plays an integral role in marine and estuarine research and instruction, as a unique laboratory facility serving resident scientists and students, and as a base for oceanographic research. With a combined budget in excess of $45M, HMSC also plays an important economic role on the Oregon Coast.
Research facilities on the HMSC campus serve students and staff of OSU, partnering state and federal agencies, and visiting scientists from other institutions. Main buildings provide 200,000 square feet of office, library, classroom, wet and dry laboratory space and a Visitor Center. Ship support facilities and dock areas of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences serve the R/V Oceanus, R/V Elakha, R/V Pacific Storm and other research vessels. There are also housing and kitchen facilities for up to 82 students and visiting scientists on the HMSC campus.
The university encourages all marine science research, instruction, or extension activities to take advantage of the center’s unique facilities.
Partners represented on the HMSC campus in Newport, Oregon:
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center
- Alaska Fisheries Science Center
- Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
- US Environmental Protection Agency
- US Fish and Wildlife Service
- US Geological Survey
- USDA Agricultural Research Service
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Oregon State University
- College of Agricultural Sciences
- College of Engineering
- College of Forestry
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
- College of Science
- College of Veterinary Medicine
- Extension Service and Oregon Sea Grant
- Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station
- Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies
- Marine Mammal Institute
- Northwest National Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC)
