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Our Exalted Financial Goddess
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Penny Oswalt at Copper River Nouveau. Photo by Chelsea Haisman |
As our twenty-ninth anniversary approaches on April 22, we would like to pay tribute to our Finance Director of 29 years, Penelope Oswalt (aka The Exalted Financial Goddess). Penny will be moving on from the Science Center this spring to pursue other interests, have more adventures, and spend more time with her grandchildren.
Penny was one of the first employees of the Science Center when it was incorporated, just weeks after the 1989
Exxon Valdez
oil spill. Motivated by her desire to be proactive during a tumultuous time in the community, she left her job at the post office to work for the Science Center. This was a risky move, as there was no money to pay any employees yet. But from the very start,
Penny
was committed to the vision and mission of the Science Center and has remained dedicated to its long-term success ever since.
For 29 years, Penny has been responsible for all financial activities at the Science Center. Among her many tasks, she has helped coordinate grants, administer contracts, prepare budgets and financial reports for the president and board of directors, and prepare for annual audits of the Center's finances.
More than that, Penny has been an incredible source of historical knowledge about the Science Center over the years. She has volunteered countless hours for our long-standing fundraiser, Copper River Nouveau. She is an integral part of the Science Center family and we wish her the best of luck in her next chapter. We know we haven't seen the last of her around here, but we will miss her daily presence.
Thank you, Penny, from all of us at the Science Center!
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LIVE WEATHER BUOY DATA NOW AVAILABLE!
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The weather buoy in its new home by Naked Island. Photo by Rob Campbell. |
Earlier this month, Dr. Rob Campbell deployed a new weather buoy in western PWS, about five miles due east of Naked Island. The buoy was deployed as part of a collaborative project with the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council.
Equipped with a full suite of weather instruments (temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, solar radiation, wind speed, and direction), it also has a wave sensor and measures near-surface currents.
The observations are sent out via cellular internet every hour to a data server at the Science Center. These updates are now live, providing better wave and weather information in that part of the sound for all mariners.
Check it out here!
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SURVEYING PACIFIC HERRING IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND
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Research Technician Neil Durco adds weights to the tow-fin to adjust for rolling, which is important to get good acoustic data. Photo by Pete Rand. |
Every spring, researchers from ADF&G and the PWSSC work together to estimate the spawning biomass of Pacific herring in Prince William Sound. Spawning biomass (the mass of the entire spawning population) is calculated using two methods: aerial surveys, which cover a lot of ground, and hydroacoustic surveys that look deeper under the surface.
Headed up by Dr. Pete Rand of the PWSSC, the main goal of the acoustic monitoring project is to find out how many thousands of metric tons of herring are in the sound for ADF&G's stock assessment models, but the data is also used to look at distribution changes.
"There has been a shift," Dr. Rand observed. "There used to be a lot more fish in the western part of the sound, now most of them are spawning in the eastern part of the sound. Sometimes there are herring spread across several bays, but in recent years we're only finding fish in Gravina."
This project is part of a greater effort by the Herring Research and Monitoring program to track the recovery of herring since its decline in 1993. Read the full story here.
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2018 SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE IS AVAILABLE!
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Three day campers enjoy a day at the Copper River. |
Looking for fun and adventure?
Check out our 2018 summer camp programs!
The Science Center's environmental science camps are an opportunity for campers to experience the amazing landscape that surrounds us in an educational and exciting way. Through camp experiences, we'll hike in the rainforest, observe glaciers up close, canoe through the wetlands, and explore the tide pools and ocean. We are dedicated to helping campers develop their understanding of the world around them through scientific inquiry, positive outdoor experiences, leadership skills and ecosystem stewardship.
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The Science Center is committed to understanding how one place on earth can maintain a reliable economy and natural environment for the longterm.
We invite you--
donors, researchers, partners, funders, elected officials, citizens--to join us in better understanding one of the world's last, great natural regions, home of the world's richest waters.
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Join Our List
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