Admission is free, and the public is invited to attend. The lecture is sponsored by OCC's Marine Mammal Research Group and the college's Association for Women in Science. Heyning is coordinator of the Marine Mammal Stranding Program, and has done marine research in Baja California, Antarctica, Alaska, British Columbia, Japan and Kenya. OCC boasts the largest marine science program of any community college in the nation. Approximately 1,400 students enroll in marine science classes each semester.
Students conduct research off Southern California's coast.