Whales spend the vast majority of their time underwater and can move great distances in short periods of time.
How do we know where they go, and why?
Professor Kate Stafford talks about how she listens to blue whales in this short video module for teaching young learners about wildlife science.
Many more videos, activities, and virtual field trips can be found on the Blue Whale Education Modules page.
Clara Bird is a graduate student at the Marine Mammal Institute. Her current research is focused on using drones to study how gray whale behavior varies across space, time, and individuals off the coast of Oregon. She has also done work with the Duke University Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab using drones to study Adelie penguins, humpback whales, and minke whales along the Western Antarctic Peninsula.
MMI graduate student Kaimyn O'Neill provided the scientific expertise for an Oregon Coast STEM Hub lesson plan, which asks, Are there enough individuals of reproductive age in the Cook Inlet beluga whale population to promote recovery without human intervention?
Access the lesson plan, activities, and materials on the searchable Oregon Sea Grant K–12 Curriculum website.
MMI graduate student Karen Lohman provided the scientific expertise for an Oregon Coast STEM Hub lesson plan, which asks, How does population genetics inform marine policy and management?
Access the lesson plan, activities, and materials on the searchable Oregon Sea Grant K–12 Curriculum website.
Elizabeth Daly provided the scientific expertise for an Oregon Coast STEM Hub lesson plan, which asks, How is the decreasing population of Southern Resident killer whales connected to prey selection and availability?
Access the lesson plan, activities, and materials on the searchable Oregon Sea Grant K–12 Curriculum website.
By Vicki Osis, Susan Leach Snyder, Rachel Gross, Bill Hastie, Beth Broadhurst
Produced by the OSU Marine Mammal Institute, 2008
This lesson book uses the appeal of whales to help teach science and math. Topics include an introduction to whales, whale habitats, exploitation of whales, current threats to whales, whale investigations, and whale research. The book is available for free download, or you may purchase a printed copy for $21. To order a printed copy, please send a check made payable to Oregon State University to Marine Mammal Institute, 2030 SE Marine Science Dr., Newport OR 97365.
The Marine Mammal Institute is located at the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) in Newport, Oregon. The Hatfield Marine Science Center and Oregon Sea Grant Visitor Center offer hands-on activities, youth education, a marine mammal skeleton collection, public science events, lectures, and more. MMI also participates in the annual Hatfield Marine Science Day open house. If you would like to schedule a tour for a prospective student or an event, please visit the Tours and Events page for details.
Join live broadcasts of the HMSC Research Seminars each Thursday from 3:30-4:30 pm Pacific time. Topics range the scientific spectrum and focus on marine and coastal research from the lead investigators at Hatfield to experts worldwide. Check the OSU Newport calendar for upcoming research seminars and Science on Tap presentations.
Each winter, MMI instructors introduce gray whale biology and behavior to volunteers of Oregon Whale Watch, a program of Oregon State Parks. These volunteers help guide thousands of Oregon Coast visitors during peak gray whale migration. For information about becoming an Oregon Whale Watch volunteer, visit the Oregon Whale Watch website.
