Once a year, Oregon State University’s Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts hosts an event best described as a concert meets science experiment.
It’s called Big Fish Fest, and organizers say it’s the world’s only live-music accompanied shark dissection.
This is the third year of the event, and it was created by the OSU Big Fish Lab as an approachable way to teach about ocean conservation.
Taylor Chapple is the head of the Big Fish Lab. He said the event is popular because a shark dissection isn’t something you’d typically be able to see.
“I mean, how often do you see, you know, these giant livers of a shark that are like 30% of their body weight,” said Chapple.
Chapple said adding the live music element brings a different sensory experience to a typical educational dissection.
Big Fish Fest III is adding a new element and additional dissection to the line up. In collaboration with OSU’s Little Bird Lab, attendees will also be able to watch the dissection of a robin.
Jamie Cornelius is an associate professor at OSU and the head of the Little Bird Lab. She said she and Chapple liked the idea of comparing and contrasting two very different animals that live in completely opposite environments.
“It's almost as far apart as you can get to organisms,” said Cornelius. “So we plan to just go through some of the challenges that animals face in their worlds and how birds and sharks have evolved to cope with those.”
Cornelius was excited at the opportunity to take part in this year’s event, because she believes science and art should be put together more often. She hopes people learn that both disciplines can enhance one another.
“I think when you engage in them together at the same time, that you can elevate your science and ask better questions,” said Cornelius.
Big Fish Fest III is Saturday, Sept. 12 from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event starts with a tailgate outside of PRAx, where scientists from both labs will be available to answer questions about their current research. The dissections will start at 2:30 p.m.
No animals are harmed for the event, as both the shark and birds died of other causes before the dissection.
This year’s band is Afro-Fusion group Fikira, who will play live during the dissections.
Chapple hopes people take the opportunity to come and learn more about the research happening at OSU in this unique format.
“It's an opportunity to come out and listen to some music, chat with the folks in the Big Fish Lab or the Little Bird Lab about the research that we do, and really get to know more about the science,” said Chapple.
