Scottish Association for Marine Science

Coordinates: 56°27′04″N 5°26′27″W / 56.45115°N 5.440741°W / 56.45115; -5.440741
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Scottish Association for Marine Science
SAMS
TypeResearch institute
University
Established1884
Administrative staff
ca 150
Students160
Undergraduates100
Postgraduates30
30
Location,
56°27′04″N 5°26′27″W / 56.45115°N 5.440741°W / 56.45115; -5.440741
CampusDunbeg
DirectorProf N Owens
AffiliationsUHI
UNU
NERC
MASTS
Websitewww.sams.ac.uk

The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) is one of Europe's leading marine science research organisations, one of the oldest oceanographic organisations in the world and is Scotland's largest and oldest independent marine science organisation.

Sited on the Dunstaffnage peninsula, beside Dunstaffnage Castle and near Oban, Argyll on the Scottish west coast, SAMS marine research and teaching portfolio is diverse in topic and discipline, global in outlook and relevance, and delivered in partnership with academic, business, government, regulatory, voluntary and civic society colleagues.

Advanced research is carried out in the marine environment, including polar research in the Arctic[1] and Antarctic, climate change and marine biological research.

SAMS is an academic partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands and delivers BSc, Masters and doctorate programmes in the marine science field. It is also a member of the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS), and one of its staff is the director of the Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment and Society (SAGES).

History

The Association was founded in 1884 by

isle of Cumbrae on the west coast. In 1894 a local committee undertook fundraising in order to construct a building onshore.[2] This station, situated near Keppel Pier, was completed in 1897.[2] In 1901 the committee transformed itself into the Marine Biological Association of the West of Scotland by adopting a formal constitution.[2] In 1914 the association was incorporated as a not-for-profit company and renamed the Scottish Marine Biological Association.[3]

After 80 years of investigations of the Firth of Clyde area and an island location, the Association relocated to the mainland in 1967 and built new facilities near Oban where it has easy access to a variety of oceanographic environments. In 1992 the Association was renamed as the Scottish Association for Marine Science.

SAMS Laboratory in 2007

The research laboratories at Dunstaffnage were rebuilt and re-equipped in 2004 and new teaching facilities were provided in 2010.[4] The Ocean Explorer Centre,[5] at Dunbeg, allows visitors to learn about the marine environment and the academic research going on at SAMS.[6]

In 2014 the Ocean Explorer Centre was opened by Michael Russell MSP, then Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, to serve as a visitor and outreach facility for SAMS.[7]

Research

SAMS science focuses on three major and urgent challenges which humankind and our natural world must face:

  • to discover the physical, chemical, geological and biological processes that drive the marine system so that we have the knowledge needed
  • to describe and quantify how our coastal environment, where more than half the human population resides, responds to ever-increasing man-made pressures such as and to work with society on developing and testing mitigation and adaptation measures and finally
  • to develop a sustainable blue economy so that we can use the marine environment for the benefit of people without degrading its health and productivity
  • to address these major challenges SAMS science is multi-disciplinary, drawing on the expertise from physicists, mathematicians, biologists, geologists, chemists, social scientists, computer scientists, technologists, engineers and communicators.

In addition to marine research, in the fields of marine processes and climate change,

mining impacts, the institute has a commercial branch[8] and an education department.[9]

Business

SAMS Research Services Ltd (SRSL) is the wholly owned trading subsidiary of SAMS and is also based at the Scottish Marine Institute, Dunstaffange. SRSL has been a part of the SAMS Group since 2002. The subsidiary delivers specialist marine consultancy and survey services, underpinned by the scientific research taking place at the research institute. SRSL aims to mitigate the risks involved in industry interaction with the marine environment, while promoting sustainable and productive oceans. SRSL provides environmental services to multiple industries, including aquaculture, renewable energy, marine mining, oil & gas (decommissioning), seafood security and marine biotechnology. The company also manufactures devices for autonomous snow and ice measurement used in polar environments.

Facilities

Robotics facility

Using a multitude of flying and diving robots, the experienced and skilled staff and students at SAMS' Scottish Marine Robotics Facility develop, adapt, deploy and operate latest smart technologies to answer pressing environmental science questions. These new technologies drive marine science forward and the new knowledge enables people to plan how we interact with the marine realm more sustainably. The facility has an exceptional range of capabilities that support academic, regulatory and commercial projects. From aerial mapping to surface fluxes and the properties of deep water, the Scottish Marine Robotics Facility has technologies that span the atmosphere, ocean and ice.

Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa

The CCAP is the most diverse collection of algae and protists in Europe. It supports SAMS' research, currently with a focus on algal diseases [10]

Education

SAMS offers students a complete educational pathway from undergraduate through to PhD studies.

Undergraduate

Undergraduate studies at SAMS offer three Bachelor's degree options to incoming students:

  • Marine Science BSc (Hons)
  • Marine Science with Arctic Studies BSc
  • Marine Science with Oceanography & Marine Robotics BSc

Postgraduate

Postgraduate studies at SAMS offer three master-s degree options for incoming students:

PhD

SAMS offer differing PhD studentships over the course of the year when projects or funding becomes available. There is also the opportunity for students who want to self-fund a PhD project.

References

  1. ^ "On patrol in the Arctic". BBC News. 3 September 2008.
  2. ^
    S2CID 57514649
    .
  3. ^ "An account of our history". Scottish Association of Marine Science. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory". Association of European Marine Laboratories. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  5. ^ Ocean Explorer Centre
  6. Press and Journal
    . Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  7. ^ Campbell, Rita (16 June 2014). "New Ocean Explorer Centre offers "edutainment"". Press and Journal. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  8. ^ SAMS Research Services Limited
  9. ^ SAMS Education
  10. PMID 20833575
    .

External links