The U.S. Arctic Research Commission is holding its annual fall meeting today through Thursday at Oregon State University, where the seven commissioners will hear scientific presentations by more than a dozen OSU researchers.

The commission is an advisory body that recommends Arctic research policy to the president and Congress. It was established in 1984 to develop a federal program for basic and applied research related to the Arctic.

“OSU has a lot of important research focusing on the Arctic by faculty from a number of different colleges and academic backgrounds. Because of global warming concerns and discussions about drilling, the Arctic has been the focus of a lot of interest of late, so the timing for the visit couldn’t be better,” said Mark Abbott, dean of the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences.

The commissioners will spend today and Wednesday in Corvallis, where they will hear presentations from faculty. The meeting runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday at the CH2M-Hill Alumni Center. On Thursday, the commission will move to Newport for sessions at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center running from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The sessions are free and open to the public, though space may be limited.

A public discussion on Arctic research will begin at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.

The agenda for the three-day meeting is available online at www.coas.oregonstate.edu.