Beam Reach

Your research project

At Beam Reach you get to develop and answer your own question, within a few parameters. You have to stick to the research theme: acoustic exploration of endangered killer whales and their marine environment.

Within the theme, some students choose to ask biological questions, like how do the orcas communicate? Or how do they hunt? Other students ask applied questions like how does vessel noise affect an orca’s ability to hunt? Or how do the declining salmon populations affect killer whale recovery?

Your individual project in Marine Field Research can be completely unique or can build upon previous work by local scientists and past Beam Reach students. Check out past student research topics:

spring 2011 | fall 2010 | spring 2010 | spring 2009 | spring 2008 | fall 2007 | fall 2006 | fall 2005

Or peruse the Beam Reach library of published scientific literature:

Group Service Project

At Beam Reach you’ll work with your peers to support a local organizations through a service project. An ideal project lets you explore your interests and provides a meaningful service to the local community.

Some students have volunteered with a marine mammal rehabilitation clinic. Others have helped teach visitors at The Whale Museum.

The 2005 project constructed a portable radio that lets tourists listen to a hydrophone while watching orcas from Lime Kiln State Park.  In 2006, some students mapped creosote logs; others helped collect water quality data for the Friends of the San Juans to understand eel grass decline; and a few wrote “orca bios” used by The Whale Museum to enrich their orca adoption program’s monthly reports.

The Curriculum

The Beam Reach curriculum lets you practice science as you learn about critical marine and environmental issues. It’s designed to let you experience the scientific process and intensive field work.

The curriculum is divided into 2 courses:
Marine Field Research 10 quarter credits and
Practicing Sustainability Science 8 quarter credits

Practicing research methods on land will prepare you for your research at sea. Field trips will help you develop the broad societal (vs. scientific) motivation for your main research project.

You’ll also get first-hand experience with real-world marine policy issues and the technologies that can help to mitigate marine environmental problems. You’ll meet local decision-makers and learn how they use scientific information to define and work toward marine sustainability.