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NEWPORT - Summer visitors to Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center can take part in the latest research at sea.

The center is a major ocean science facility for the university and its sprawling campus at Newport's South Beach area covers more than 200,000 square feet. It is home to 11 federal, state and other agencies sharing space with five OSU programs. The Visitor Center is HMSC's window to the world, a 10,000-square-foot display area where people can learn about how science works and what it has taught us about the ocean. Admission to the visitor center is free, with a donation requested.

The centerpiece of this summer's activities is OceanQuest, according to Bill Hanshumaker, marine education specialist at the center. OceanQuest is a connection between ongoing marine research and the HMSC Visitor Center. Beginning July 1, there will be a presentation about what's going on at sea based on the most current data posted daily from the research vessel at sea. The hourlong programs begin at 1:30 p.m. and will be offered seven days a week.

"It's as current as we can make it," Hanshumaker said. "It will focus on the researcher, the research vessel, the scientific question, the equipment, and how they're going to answer that question."

At the end of the summer, Hanshumaker will switch places, going from the Henning Auditorium to the R/V Thompson, which is studying ocean vents. Hanshumaker will send digital pictures of research each day, as scientists explore Oregon's undersea volcanoes and geothermal vents through Sept. 10.

Also at the Visitor Center this summer will be free daily guided walking tours of the Yaquina Bay estuary. The HMSC manages 250 acres of estuary habitat. The daily walking tour begins every day at 11 a.m. and will last about an hour. It will cover a paved, wheelchair accessible path. Topics will include plants, the mudflats, birds and other wildlife, and how the center staff manages them.

The Visitor Center also features touch tanks featuring live sea and tidepool animals, including an octopus, and an interactive ROPOS exhibit. ROPOS, the Remotely Operated Platform for Science, is an undersea vehicle used to explore the ocean's depths. The exhibit simulates a ROPOS dive, with the operator sitting at a console with a joystick, watching videos shot at the bottom of the ocean through interactive computer software.

The HMSC Visitor Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week, including the Fourth of July.