Bend, OR

The OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center gives a different meaning to dealing with science. The center has a different approach to help visitors better understand the why’s of the actions that are taken when it comes to marine science. The way the different sciences are explained and shown are easy to understand, even for the younger children. While most children would not understand the complexity of sciences the Marine center has interactive displays with easy to understand interpretive signs This makes it a bit more enjoyable for the kids and even for adults who learn more through hands on learning, like me, than on than visualizations.

I didn’t know, before coming here, just how big sea anemones got. They really don’t stay the small green, tentacled creatures you see in the tide pools. One of their anemones was almost a foot long and approximately 8” in diameter and to me that was huge and it caught me off guard. Another one of their displays was of the walrus skull. The tusks were gigantic in comparison to the size I had become used to seeing and this wasn’t prehistoric which would have been my first guess. The wave machine was one of my favorites as it really gave a good interpretation of how a wave does move and what I really liked was the fact that currently wave machines, on a much larger scale are being built so as to generate electricity. Lord knows we need more renewable sources and if it is able to come from a constant source, without depletion then I’m all for it.

Some of the other exhibits include an interactive video where you are a diver and are diving to the many different hot springs formed by the underwater volcanoes. There are several exhibits of different marine animals as well as my favorite, Robbie.

Robbie is a small octopus and his current home sits right inside the entrance and you can’t miss her. Yes, she is a she despite the name. She has a lot of character. I spent quite some time with her as I realized she would follow me around even though all the while she was in her aquarium. I spoke with her and learned that before they put the tarping over the top of her aquarium that at night she used to get out and they would have to go looking for her each morning. What an experience that must have been the first time.

The octopus’s are released back to sea every 6 months. They arrive by way of the fishermens nets. Once caught, they are brought here. Unknown to me at the time but a good friend of mine who fishes several months out of the year and lives in the same town as I do happened to be the one who caught Robbie.

This is a great place to learn and an easy one. Everyone was so helpful and even though the science center is quite small it is packed with a ton of information. There is no admission but a suggested donation. The science center is also located in Newport, right off of the bay front. Once in Newport there are several signs on 101 that direct you to where they are located.