That means increased pressures on fragile coastal ecosystems, and a whopping job for those charged with stewardship over those systems. The Marine Science Center public wing has been providing that kind of information for decades, initially as a modest aquarium where kids could get a close-up peek at living sea urchins, anemones and a long succession of octopi. After the opening of the nearby, private Oregon Coast Aquarium, the OSU center refocused its mission toward science, and hands-on exhibits that explain basic scientific concepts and the work of researchers housed at the Marine Science Center. The public wing is in good company. Other Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers to date are the Florida Aquarium, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Mystic Marinelife Aquarium, New York Aquarium for Wildlife Conservation, National Aquarium in Baltimore, New England Aquarium and the Texas State Aquarium.
Admission is free, but donations are accepted.
OSU President Paul G. Risser.