CORVALLIS, Ore. — Felicia Olmeta-Schult, a marine and social scientist, is the new coastal hazards specialist with Oregon Sea Grant and the Oregon State University Extension Service.
Olmeta-Schult succeeds Patrick Corcoran, who retired in 2020 after 32 years with Sea Grant Extension.
"Public service is meaningful and useful and highly rewarding. In this position I will serve as a liaison between scientists and the public, and get information to people who need it the most."
She previously served as an Oregon Sea Grant-funded resilience fellow. In that role, she created the Oregon Coastal Hazards Ready Library and Mapper, an online collection of case studies showing how Oregon’s coastal communities are addressing the impacts of climate change and natural hazards such as erosion, landslides, flooding and the threat of a tsunami.
"What truly interested me in this position was that I’m always looking for ways to make science accessible to the general public," Olmeta-Schult said. "Public service is meaningful and useful and highly rewarding. In this position I will serve as a liaison between scientists and the public, and get information to people who need it the most."
Olmeta-Schult, an assistant professor of practice, will help educate and prepare coastal residents and visitors for the predicted Cascadia Earthquake and resulting tsunami, a devastating natural disaster that could occur in the next 50 years.
Her responsibilities include:
- Increasing collaboration among coastal decision-makers and researchers to develop data and tools for monitoring and adapting to natural hazards
- Assessing community needs for education on climate change and coastal hazards
- Educating people on the impacts of climate change and coastal hazards and assessing their vulnerability
- Raising awareness among decision-makers of data observation systems and other tools to protect lives and infrastructure
Education and outreach
Olmeta-Schult earned a bachelor’s degree in oceanography from Hawaii Pacific University, a master’s in marine affairs from the University of Rhode Island, and a doctorate in environmental and natural resource sciences from Washington State University. She was a 2018–19 Washington Sea Grant Hershman Fellow.
Previously titled Marine scientist hired as new Oregon Sea Grant Extension coastal hazards specialist
