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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. NR.09.23.10.ScholarlyPres-Ocean-JMu
September 23, 2010
Scholarly Presentation to Focus on 'Mysteries of Open Ocean'
The College of the Canyons scholarly presentation “Mysteries of the Open Ocean” will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, on the main stage of the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center (PAC) at College of the Canyons.
Presented by COC biology instructor Amy Foote, this all-ages event will take audiences on a voyage to the darkest depths of a unique and biologically diverse underwater world that is sure to illuminate the imagination.
“Since the surface of the Earth is approximately 71 percent water and mainly made up of our oceans, I feel it’s very important to educate the community on the many important features of this vast entity,” Foote said.
“Only a few scientists have ventured to the mid depths of the ocean,” added Foote. “Through this presentation I will share some of their findings that will absolutely amaze you.”
The presentation will begin by providing audience members with some background about the physical and chemical characteristics of the open ocean, and the many different types of creatures and organisms that live in the open ocean communities.
However, the main focus of the presentation will be a discussion about how these features change -- and how the organisms adapt -- as the depth of the ocean increases.
“Past the 500 to 1000 meter mark the ocean is dark, because light cannot travel that deep,” Foote said. “But have you ever wondered how this affects the organisms that live at those levels? How do they eat? How do they communicate? How do they reproduce, especially if they cannot see each other? Again, the answer’s will amaze you!”
The presentation will also address the daily human affects on the world’s oceans, including last summer’s BP oil spill and the threat that disaster continues to pose to the various animals and organisms included in the ocean’s massive food web.
“As humans we do many things that affect our oceans, but probably the largest is the lack of education out there about our oceans,” Foote said. “It takes education and information for people to understand that when the water is polluted there are consequences.”
Foote joined the College of the Canyons biology department in 1999 and has taught a multitude of biology courses and labs ranging from organismal and environmental biology and human genetics, to oceanography and marine biology.
She holds a bachelor of science in marine biology, as well as a master of science in biology with a marine emphasis from California State University, Northridge.
“I was brought up around the ocean and on boats my entire life,” Foote said. “One semester in college I decided to take a marine biology course. From there it was just a question of where I wanted to study marine biology.
“Now I get to teach and share information about the largest and most dynamic natural phenomena on earth,” Foote exclaimed.
The scholarly presentation “Mysteries of the Open Ocean” is being presented by the College of the Canyons Foundation.
Admission to the event is free, however seating may be limited.
A pre-presentation reception sponsored by the Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will be held in the PAC lobby beginning at 6 p.m. the day of the event.
For more information about the College of the Canyons Scholarly Presentation “Mysteries of the Open Ocean,” please contact the College of the Canyons Foundation at (661) 362-3434.
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