Mara Orescanin, Ph. D.

Dr. Mara M. Orescanin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Oceanography at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) as well as the Director of the Consortium for Robotics and Unmanned Systems Education and Research.  Here, her research focuses on coastal physical oceanography relating to exchange between land and sea through rivers, inlets, marshes, and estuaries. She is currently supervising Master’s students whose projects span ephemeral rivers using novel UAV imaging techniques, plume/wave hydrodynamics, as well as numerically modeling storm surge in small tidal inlet systems.  She believes in an hands-on approach to teaching and mentoring geared at stimulating active learning and has mentored students at all levels from middle school through graduate school.  Prof. Orescanin also teaches several classes to active duty naval METOC (meteorology and oceanography) officers at NPS including Nearshore Processes, Ocean Dynamics II: Waves and Instabilities, Wave and Surf Forecasting, and Littoral Field Methods.