Open House Welcomes Enthusiastic Visitors to Santa Cruz Office

By Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center January 31, 2018

Scientists at the USGS offices in Santa Cruz, California participated in the Open House on Saturday, December 9, 2017, excited to share their science with the community.

Sound Waves Newsletter - January 2018

A woman shows visitors how she uses sediment sieves. — USGS research geologist Amy East shows onlookers how to sift sand to determine its size.

In 2004, shortly after moving into new USGS offices in Santa Cruz, California, we hosted a large open house. Then we skipped a few years. Quite a few years.

On Saturday, December 9, 2017, we held our second open house at this location. Roughly 300 people interacted with 14 displays on topics ranging from seabird biology to mapping coastal landslides with drones. Scientists from the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC), California Water Science Center (CAWSC), and Western Ecological Research Center (WERC) eagerly shared their science with the community, including many children.

“The public was excited to see what we do,” said PCMSC Director Guy Gelfenbaum, “and many were engaged in interesting and meaningful conversations about the science.”

Exhibits and presenters included:

Marine Geohazards - Alicia Balster-Gee, Geophysicist, PCMSC
Sediment Along Our Coasts - Amy East, Research Geologist, PCMSC
Measuring River Flows - Anthony Guerriero, Supervisory Hydrologic Technician, CAWSC
USGS Does Biology, Too! - Emma Kelsey, Wildlife Biologist, WERC
Assessing Thermal Erosion in the Arctic - Ferdinand Oberle, Mendenhall Research Fellow, PCMSC
Tools for Seafloor Video Collection - Gerry Hatcher, Ocean Engineer, PCMSC
California Seafloor Mapping Program- Guy Cochrane, Research Geophysicist, PCMSC
Mapping the Surf Zone with Personal Watercraft- Jackson Currie, Physical Scientist, PCMSC
Drones Map a Big Sur Landslide - Joshua Logan, Physical Scientist, PCMSC
Coastal Erosion in Alaska- Li Erikson, Research Oceanographer, PCMSC
Seafloor Minerals - Marine Minerals Team, PCMSC
Seafloor Videos and Photos - Nadine Golden, Geographer, PCMSC
California Coastal Flood Projections - Patrick Barnard, Research Geologist, PCMSC
Eyes on the Coast- Shawn Harrison, Oceanographer, PCMSC

Several other USGS scientists and staff pitched in to create, set up, operate, and clean up the displays.

A USGS employee kneels near a small, yellow, torpedo-shaped device that is hanging in front of him. — On December 9, 2017, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California set up displays and demonstrated equipment and data collection techniques at an Open House event. Here, USGS hydrologist Anthony Guerriero lets a visitor spin the propeller of a current meter that, when underwater, turns according to how fast the water pushes past it. You can "listen" to the ticking sounds that the current meter makes with each revolution of its propeller. The ticking sound is transmitted to a computer, and based on how many ticks per second are "heard" by the computer, water velocity (meters per second) can be calculated.

A USGS employee describes what is shown on the computer screen while visitors use a computer with a mouse. — On December 9, 2017, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California opened its (lobby) doors to the public at an Open House event. Here, USGS geographer Nadine Golden helps visitors to navigate around the USGS coastal and marine video and photo online “portal” or web site.

USGS Ocean Engineer Gerry Hatcher explains his equipment for collecting underwater video to a visitor. — On December 9, 2017, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California opened its (lobby) doors to the public at an Open House event. Here, USGS Ocean Engineer Gerry Hatcher explains his seafloor video equipment and techniques to a visitor.

A man and two women crouch around a table with a computer screen that one of the women is pointing to while she talks. — Visitors watched closely as Alicia Balster-Gee (in green vest) presented our research on marine geohazards in Alaska.

A woman facing the camera talks to two men with their backs to the camera. — Members of the PCMSC Marine Minerals Team, including physical science technician Kira Mizell (center), took turns describing the importance of seafloor minerals.

A man at right talks about and gestures at a rock on a table to another man who is squatting in front of the rock. — Research geologist Jim Hein (right) gave a hands-on explanation of seafloor mineral deposits.

Geologist Jim Hein and Physical Science Technician Kira Mizell stand with their display of seafloor minerals for an event. — On December 9, 2017, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California opened its (lobby) doors to the public at an Open House event. Here, geologist Jim Hein and physical science technician Kira Mizell pose with their display on seafloor minerals.

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January 16, 2018

Enthusiastic response to open house at the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz

USGS scientists at the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, spoke with an estimated 300 visitors during a December 9...

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