COOS BAY, OR – Southwestern Oregon Community College invites the community to join us on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 6:00 pm, for “Fossil whales of the Pacific Northwest and the evolution of baleen” with Dr. Robert Boessenecker. This is a free event; all ages are welcome.
Coos County residents can join us in-person in the Umpqua Hall lecture room (room 184) on the Coos Campus, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay.
Curry County residents can join us for a watch party on the Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway, Brookings.
For those not able to attend in person the lecture will be streamed live on the College’s YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/@southwesternOR/streams.
About the Lecture:
Baleen whales are the largest animals ever to evolve – unlocked by the evolution of baleen. Baleen is a soft tissue structure made of keratin (‘horn’) and allows these oceanic giants to feed on krill and other tiny zooplankton. Further strange is the complete loss of teeth in baleen whales. Where did baleen come from, and what happened to their teeth? Strange fossil whales from the Oligocene epoch (34-23 million years ago) of Oregon, Washington, and beyond showcase many clues about the loss of teeth and the evolution of baleen.
About the Presenter:
Robert W. Boessenecker, Ph.D., grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and began collecting fossils as an amateur in high school. He attended Montana State University in Bozeman for his Bachelor’s and Master’s programs, where he worked on marine mammal fossils from the Purisima Formation near Santa Cruz, California – and met his wife and fellow paleontologist, Sarah Michalies. He attended the University of Otago in New Zealand from 2012-2015 for his doctoral studies on eomysticetid whales from the Oligocene of New Zealand. From 2015-2024 he worked in Charleston, South Carolina, on early toothed baleen whales and echolocating dolphins from the same time period, and since 2024 has come full circle and renewed work on Purisima Formation marine mammals in California.
For more information about the lecture series contact Dr. Win McLaughlin, Assistant Professor, Geology at win.mclaughlin@socc.edu or 541-888-7002.
For more information on upcoming lectures contact Cassie Coyner, STEAM Pathways Coordinator, at 541-888-7416, or cassie.coyner@socc.edu .
To learn more about STEM degrees at Southwestern visit: https://www.socc.edu/programs-classes/stem/.
