The National Science Foundation Division of Integrative Organismal Systems awarded Oregon State University $107,407 on February 1, 2026, for collaborative research modeling organismal responses to changing ecological regimes through investigation of stress, growth, and reproduction in bowhead whales, the longest-lived mammal species.
The project analyzes historical museum specimens of whale baleen collected from the 1800s through the 1980s using newly developed techniques to extract hormonal, carbon, and nitrogen signatures that reveal individual whales' reproductive history, stress levels, general health, diet, and migration patterns across decades. Statistical modeling contextualizes results to illuminate how whales and other long-lived mammals respond to environmental change over time. The research engages approximately 40 undergraduates in Smithsonian-based research and trains a postdoctoral researcher and PhD student. Deliverables include public talks at participating museums, results distributed to Native Alaskan communities whose ancestors originally collected the specimens, presentations at scientific conferences, and peer-reviewed publications.
Performance runs through August 31, 2027, at Corvallis, Oregon. The award falls under NSF's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074), which supports basic and applied research to strengthen the Nation's scientific enterprise and enhance understanding of major problems confronting the country.