SWOCC release - COOS BAY, Ore. – Southwestern Oregon Community College invites the community to join us on Thursday, October 29, 2026, 6:00 pm, for “Take to the Skies: A New Modern Albatross from the Pacific Northwest” with Will Coultley. This is a free event; all ages are welcome.  Coos County residents can join us in-person in the Umpqua Hall lecture room (room 184) on the Coos Campus, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay.  Curry County residents can join us for a watch party in the Community Room on the Curry Campus, 96082 Lone Ranch Parkway, Brookings.  For those not able to attend in person the lecture will be streamed live on the College’s YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/@southwesternOR/streams.  About the Lecture:  How do scientists know when they have discovered a new species? What can fossils tell us about life from the distant past? In Take to the Skies: A New Modern Albatross from the Pacific Northwest, researcher Will Coultley will take audiences behind the scenes of paleontological discovery. Attendees will learn how fossil evidence is used to identify new species and reconstruct the habitats and behaviors of ancient animals that once lived along the Pacific Northwest coast.  About the Speaker:  Will Coultley (they/them) holds a bachelor’s degree in forensic archaeology, a master’s degree in biology with a focus on the behavior, kinematics, and performance of flightless ducks, and a second master’s degree in paleontology focused on the paleobiology and paleoecology of fossil albatrosses in the Pacific Northwest.  For more information about the lecture series contact Dr. Win McLaughlin, Assistant Professor, Geology at [email protected] or 541-888-7002.  For more information on upcoming lectures contact Krystal Hopper Meyers, STEAM Pathways Administrator, at 541-888-1518, or [email protected].  To learn more about STEM degrees at Southwestern visit: https://www.socc.edu/programs-classes/stem/.