The OSU Marine Mammal Institute is a multi-disciplinary facility incorporating the work of academics from Engineering, Genetics, Agriculture, Aquatics, Ecology, Veterinary Medicine, Biology, and Communications. As the only institute of its kind, the Marine Mammal Institute combines the efforts of top researchers from around the world to continue the legacy of discovery and preservation of critical habitats of target species and understanding how they interact with their environment and human activities.
Using satellite-monitored radio tags to determine the distribution and critical habitats of endangered whales.
Exploring the genome of whales and dolphins to understand the past, assess the present and conserve the future.
Ecology, behavioral physiology, and conservation biology of pinnipeds.
Documenting occurrences and investigating the causes of marine mammal strandings in Oregon.
One of the highlights of the two training sessions they attended in Newport was the presentations by Dr. Bruce Mate, director of the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute, Flugum said.“That’s one of the big perks of being a volunteer is being in on one of his sessions,” she said. “Bruce Mate is a world-renowned gray whale researcher, and he’s an individual that gets so excited about what he’s talking about, and at times, he’s in tears.”
Scott Baker, a marine biologist at Oregon State University and a co-author of the paper who has studied whales and dolphins for 30 years, saw his first live, open-ocean beaked whale just last month, in Samoa. The sighting lasted about 4 seconds before the animal dove — too brief to tell if it was a spade-toothed. “Their environment is very remote,” he says. “It’s deep water, and they’re submerged for maybe 96% of their lives.”
The Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute is currently recruiting for two full-time Assistant/Associate Professor faculty positions: Cetacean Ecologist, and Marine Mammal Behavioral Ecologist / Sea Grant Extension Specialist. For information about the positions, please visit our Career Opportunities page.
