Stanford University
Stanford Report, October 4, 2006

Sharks, whales, giant tuna to be featured topics at marine center open house

BY MARK SHWARTZ

L.A. Cicero Hopkins open house

Faculty, staff and students from eight laboratories will be on hand to discuss their studies on migratory fish, marine mammals, giant kelp and other subjects as part of an open house scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, at Hopkins Marine Station. The event is free and open to the public.

Hopkins Marine Station, the oldest marine science research center on the West Coast, will open its doors to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14. Visitors to the free open house are invited to get a firsthand look at the wide variety of research projects there. Hopkins is located at Oceanview Boulevard and Dewey Street in Pacific Grove, Calif., about 90 miles south of the main Stanford University campus.

Faculty, staff and students from eight laboratories will be on hand to discuss and demonstrate their work, including ongoing studies on migratory fish, marine mammals, giant kelp, invertebrates and climate change. Among the scheduled events will be two feedings of captive tuna and a short video about the marine station, which was established by Stanford in 1892 and relocated to its present site in 1917.

Parking at Hopkins will be restricted to vehicles with handicap permits, so most visitors will need to find street parking nearby. For directions and more details, visit http://hopkins.stanford.edu/ or call (831) 655-6200.

The following events will be held at Hopkins Marine Station:

  • 10 a.m.: Hopkins director George Somero, the David and Lucile Packard Professor in Marine Sciences, on the history of the lab
  • 10:30 a.m.: Video presentations about Hopkins and about the untold history of Monterey's Chinese fishing communities
  • 10:45 a.m.: Feeding of captive tuna
  • 11 a.m.: Somero on the impact of climate change on the marine environment
  • 11:30 a.m.: Stanford graduate student Kevin Weng on the migration of great whites and other sharks
  • Noon: David Epel, the Jane and Marshall Steel Jr. Professor in Marine Sciences, on oceanic pollution and the health of the seas
  • 12:30 p.m.: Hopkins librarian Joe Wible on the history of the marine station
  • 12:45 p.m.: Feeding of captive tuna
  • 1 p.m.: Bill Gilly, professor of biological sciences, on encounters between sperm whales and squid in the wild
  • 1:30 p.m.: Fio Micheli, assistant professor of biological sciences, on reef ecology and conservation
  • 2 p.m.: Stuart Thompson, professor of biological sciences, on how animals sense their environment
  • 2:30 p.m.: Barbara Block, the Charles and Elizabeth Prothro Professor in Marine Sciences, on tracking migratory fish across the planet
  • 3 p.m.: Mark Denny, the John B. and Jean De Nault Professor in Marine Sciences, on how animals are built to survive the surf
  • 3:30 p.m.: Jim Watanabe, lecturer, on the growth and harvesting of giant kelp

    • SR