Janet Hodder DUE 9550861 Oregon Inst of Mar Biol FY1995 $ 18,400 Charleston, OR 97420 ILI - Instrumentation Project: Life Sciences Title: Instrument Aquisition in Support of Marine Biology Curriculum Development The University of Oregon's Institute of Marine Biology has a well recognized program for undergraduates. Courses are attended by students from both the University of Oregon and from institutions throughout the nation. We offer students intense field oriented courses that cover a variety of marine science disciplines. The problem addressed in this proposal relates primarily to two of our process oriented courses, biological oceanography and estuarine biology. These courses should include an investigation of the open waters of the nearshore ocean and estuary. We have neither had boats for access to these habitats nor the appropriate equipment to allow students to sample these areas and gain a full understanding of the processes involved in open water habitats. The recent acquisition of suitable boats at OIMB now enables us to take students on to the water. This has allowed us to plan laboratory exercises in these courses giving undergraduates the opportunity to conduct investigations, using modern oceanographic equipment, of these open waters. With this proposal we seek funding for equipment to facilitate the development of these laboratory exercises. The funds will provide field and laboratory equipment for students to answer questions about oceanographic and estuarine processes. We propose to expand the biological oceanography and estuarine biology courses to include activities that investigate the physical and biological parameters of open water using modern instrumentation and techniques. Students will obtain hands-on experience in the co llection of data in the field, and will have the opportunity to process these data in both field and lab settings. This will provide them with a more complete picture of the biology of coastal and estuarine habitats.
