Inspiration Dissemination

Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus)  are the largest animals that have ever existed on Earth. Despite this, they feed exclusively on krill (Nyctiphanes australis) which are typically no larger than 2 cm. Thus, they must consume massive amounts of these tiny organisms to support the large energy requirements of their life history processes. Researchers are interested in understanding how predator-prey dynamics between blue whales and krill may shift with changing ocean conditions. Nicole Principe is a 2nd year PhD student in the Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna (GEMM) Lab at the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute, led by Dr. Leigh Torres. Her PhD work is part of the SAPPHIRE (Synthesis of Acoustics, Physiology, Prey, and Habitat in A Rapidly Changing Environment) Project and will focus on blue whales in the South Taranaki Bight in Aotearoa (New Zealand). This interdisciplinary work involves using oceanographic data, active acoustics for prey, drone imagery (i.e., photogrammetry), and hormone analysis to investigate the availability of krill and blue whale health and population resilience to climate change. 

What is Inspiration Dissemination?

Inspiration Dissemination is an award-winning radio program that occurs Sunday nights at 7PM Pacific on KBVR Corvallis, 88.7FM. Each week on the program, we host a different graduate student worker from Oregon State University to talk about their lives and passion for research here at the university. By presenting these stories, we can present the diverse, human element of graduate research that is often hidden from the public view.

Please find us on social media!

Twitter: twitter.com/kbvrID

facebook: www.facebook.com/InspirationDissemination/

Blog: blogs.oregonstate.edu/inspiration/

Radio Station: www.orangemedianetwork.com/kbvr_fm

Host University: oregonstate.edu

This show was founded in 2012 by Joey Hulbert and Zhian Kamvar. It has been made possible by all the current and former hosts of the show, Orange Media Network, the KBVR-FM students and staff, and of course the amazing graduate students at Oregon State University.