Kerckhoff Marine Laboratory

History

The Kerckhoff Marine Laboratory is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). It’s location is at 101 Dahlia Street in the Corona del Mar district of Newport Beach, Orange County CA. This lab is one of the oldest marine labs located on the West Coast since 1929 and was initially established in 1928 by biologist and Nobel prize winner Thomas Hunt Morgan. The facility was later purchased by Caltech in 1929. Dr. Wheeler North conducted several ecology studies from 1962 to 2002. The current director of the marine lab is Victoria Orphan and the current manager is Stephen Ranson. The lab has been primarily used for research in cell and molecular biology using marine animals, mostly sear urchins.

More info about the Marine Lab can be found on Caltech’s Kerckoff Marine Laboratory website here.

NEOC Rotary Restoration Project

The NEOC Rotary Leadership Club is dedicated to help raise funds for the laboratory and increase community awareness so that the Kerckhoff Marine Lab can thrive as an ongoing research facility. By raising funding for the marine lab, it will function as an innovative site for research, collaboration, and education for Orange County and beyond.

Dive Deep Build High Event

Our first hands-on event was held on July 9th, 2023 with the Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa. Those that attended the public event decorated Styrofoam cups and mannequin heads. Dr. Orphan took these with her on a deep sea expedition on July 14th where they shrank down due to the ocean pressure. A return event is to be held on August 12th where Dr. Orphan will give the Styrofoam cups and mannequin heads back to the original owner to observe the results. During the event, we also had a sandcastle building competition overseen by Chris Crosson — an expert at sandcastle and sculpture building of Balboa Island. To add to the excitement of the event, raffle prizes were given out among lucky winners. These prizes included tickets to marine-themed experiences to beach supplies. Those who attended also got to experience the marine lab through interactive touch-tanks (star fish), seawater chemistry demonstrations and lab tours.

This first event held by NEOC Rotary was our first stepping stone for young minds to develop an appreciation for the ocean and the importance of preserving it. The Kerckoff Marine Lab hopes to continue its outreach efforts towards marine education and to serve as a focal point in the community.