Founded in 1868, Oregon State University is ranked in the Carnegie Foundation’s top tier for “very high research activity” and is one of only two research universities in the U.S. to hold the federal land, sea, space and sun grant designations simultaneously. Oregon State is Oregon’s largest public research university with $261.7 million in external funding in the 2011 fiscal year. In 2011, Oregon State’s contributions in education, research and community engagement were estimated at $1.9 billion in Oregon and $2.06 billion worldwide.
Oregon State is one of the leading oceanic and atmospheric sciences institutions in the nation. Federal agencies are funding Oregon State research on tsunamis, marine ecosystems, wave energy, ocean observing, invasive species and acidification.
Oregon State’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, located on a 49-acre campus in Newport, Ore., supports diverse research in ocean sciences and collaborations between 120 Oregon State and 180 state and federal researchers, including researchers at the NOAA Marine Operations Center- Pacific. Oregon State’s ocean sciences research is supported by three ocean-going research vessels: the R/V Oceanus, R/V Pacific Storm and R/V Elakha. Since 1959, Oregon State has awarded 828 M.S. and 381 Ph.D. degrees in ocean and coastal sciences.