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Find out about PMSP Events

11 February 2010
Holistic approach for Marine Protected Areas
A report on the findings of a scientific workshop, published today, urges the Foreign Secretary to consider alternative options when deciding on the best strategy for the protection of the Chagos Archipelago.
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08 February 2010
Going green with the Blue Mile
Triple round-the world sailor Conrad Humphreys has launched the Blue Mile, which will share his passions for the water and the environment with hundreds who will swim, paddle, sail or simply walk around Plymouth Sound this summer. At the same time, a mile-long walk will link in with the National Marine Aquarium, so visitors can experience marine life while still on terra firma.
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05 February 2010
Sea drifters
Colourful close up images of plankton, the tiny creatures that hold the key to survival in the world's oceans, are going on show at London Zoo - as part of The Royal Society's 350th anniversary celebrations. They are to feature in a book being compiled by the man who captured them - Royal Society Research Fellow, Dr Richard Kirby from the University of Plymouth.
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03 February 2010
The Marine Biological Association (MBA) welcomes the launch of the UK Marine Science Strategy
The MBA has played an active role in the development of the Strategy and has been developing its own research, outreach and education activities which will help address the priorities outlined in the Strategy.
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03 February 2010
The UK Marine Science Strategy is launched
A 15 year strategic framework to support the development, co-ordination and focus of marine science in the UK, across Government, industry, Non-Governmental Organisations and other sectors.
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02 February 2010
PML aligned for supporting delivery of UK Marine Science
PML welcomes the publication this week of the UK Marine Science Strategy which will set out a framework for shaping, supporting, co-ordinating and enabling the delivery of world class marine science for the UK.
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29 January 2010
Lord Kingsland PML Fellowship Awarded for the first time
Dr Helen Findlay is the first recipient of the Lord Kingsland PML Fellowship, which was created in honour of Plymouth Marine Laboratory’s first Chairman, Lord Christopher Kingsland.
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28 January 2010
Aquarium 'can be one of the best in Europe'
The new boss of the National Marine Aquarium aims to make it one of the 'foremost aquariums in Europe' after revealing the attraction is now on a sound financial footing.
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19 January 2010
New collaboration provides one port of call for plankton collection and analysis
Chelsea Technologies Group Ltd (CTG) and the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) have teamed up to offer coastal and ocean monitoring authorities worldwide, a complete equipment and service provider for ship of opportunity (SOOP) based plankton sampling systems and training in plankton analysis and taxonomy.
Find out more >
14 January 2010
New Chair for exploring the sea
Dr Manuel Barange has been appointed as the new Chair of the Science Committee of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Dr Barange, who will also become Director of Science at PML from April 2010, will take up his ICES post from January 2010.
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13 January 2010
UK marine science researches ‘green’ applications
The UK’s marine science sector is flourishing, thanks to a solid infrastructure of marine-focussed research centres, pioneering companies and renowned universities.
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10 December 2009
New Managing Director for the NMA
The National Marine Aquarium has appointed Dr. David Gibson as its new Managing Director, replacing Andrew Robertson who leaves after two successful years at the aquarium.
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04 December 2009
Small team with a big challenge in Copenhagen
The Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) is supporting Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) in sending a team of three to the climate change talks being held in Copenhagen next week.
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04 December 2009
Ocean report warns Copenhagen Conference that climate change challenge is tougher than feared
A new report looking at the relationship between the world’s oceans and global warming is set to fire a stark warning shot across the bows ahead of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen.
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03 December 2009
SAHFOS Associated Researchers 2010
SAHFOS Council has approved applications for Associate Researchers for 2010.
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03 December 2009
The Suffocating Sea
PML and SAHFOS highlighted in Times article in the run up to the Copenhagen climate change conference.
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02 December 2009
Plymouth advises on Marine Bill implementation
The University of Plymouth’s marine research excellence is being drawn upon to help put in place the major changes required by the new Marine Bill. University of Plymouth Marine Institute scientist, Dr Jason Hall-Spencer has been appointed to the national Marine Protected Area (MPA) Science Advisory Panel which was announced by DEFRA yesterday.
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25 November 2009
Links with China strengthened
PML are proud to announce that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was agreed between PML, China's National Marine Environment Monitoring Centre (NMEMC) and the United Nations Development Programme Global Environment Facility (UNDP-GEF) Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Project Management Office (YSLME PMO).
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04 November 2009
PML joins the Willis Research Network
PML has become an associate member of the Willis Research Network (WRN), with 9 other leading scientific institutions from the UK and New Zealand, deepening the integration of public science with the risk and insurance sectors to confront the challenges of natural hazards and extreme events.
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02 November 2009
Celebrating the Marine Bill in the most appropriate place
Today Linda Gilroy MP and Professor Stephen de Mora, Chief Executive of Plymouth Marine Laboratory, took to the sea to mark the passing of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill through the final stages of completion.
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01 November 2009
Key Appointments at DDRC
DDRC has made two key managerial appointments at its Hyperbaric Medical Centre headquarters on the Tamar Science Park, Plymouth. Former clinical pharmacy technician and Emergency Department support manager at Derriford Hospital, Ria Fox-Brown joins DDRC as Centre Manager, and having spent 20 years as an accountant in industry, Anna Stillman has also joined DDRC as Finance Manager.
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28 October 2009
Meeting of polar minds
In a month when polar ice decline is headline news, Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) hosted the 2nd UK Polar Network Career Skills workshop, which was well attended by participants from the UK, Uruguay, Norway, Greece, France, Iceland and Canada.
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23 October 2009
New fish species arrive at the NMA
From Friday 23rd October you'll be able to see 18 new species of fish in the National Marine Aquarium’s (NMA) Atlantic Ocean tank - including Nurse Sharks, French Angel fish, Southern String rays, Parrot fish and Squirrel fish.
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21 October 2009
PMSP seeks a Science Administrator
Plymouth Marine Sciences Partnership is seeking a Science Administrator to support the work of the PMSP Secretariat. The post holder will assist the PMSP Corporate Administrator in running the Secretariat and working with partners in developing areas of work.
Link to Job Description (PDF file) >
15 October 2009
PML team's mission across the Atlantic
PML scientists are leading a mission south to Chile in a bid to collect data on how the oceans are changing. This is the latest research cruise in a 14 year study, funded through the Natural Environment Research Council’s (NERC) Oceans 2025 Programme, investigating the biological, chemical and physical conditions of the Atlantic Ocean.
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01 October 2009
Marine Update 62
Marine Update 62 is a summary of WWF's Marine Health Check 2009 Report. The report and Marine Update take a look at six of the flagship species and habitats covered in the 2005 Marine Health Check Report and takes a snapshot view of how they are faring. The Marine Life Information Network (MarLIN) produced the 2009 report.
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29 September 2009
Climate change and the challenge for shipping
The stormy seas of climate change and the major challenge facing the shipping industry was the theme for the World Maritime Day 2009 celebration hosted by the University of Plymouth. This topical event comes ahead of the United Nations Climate Change meeting in Copenhagen in December to consider a new regime to follow the Kyoto Protocol.
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22 September 2009
Wave Hub expertise showcased to regional businesses
The research team behind the Wave Hub showcased its world-class expertise at a regional business event hosted by the University of Plymouth. The Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE) is driving forward the southwest’s position as a leader in marine renewables and this conference offered businesses the opportunity to find out how they can be part of this exciting agenda.
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20 August 2009
MarLIN voted amongst the BBC's best wildlife websites
The BBC's Countryfile has voted MarLIN amongst its top wildlife websites. Receiving an extremely complimentary review the Marine Life Information Network website was listed in the best marine life websites.
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14 August 2009
Having a blooming good time in Cornwall
Algal blooms are a regular occurance in UK waters and across the world, however, they often go un-noticed by casual sea-gazers as they are caused by microscopic plant-like organisms. If the environmental conditions are correct these blooms can become extremely concentrated and some species can cause what is often referred to as a “Red Tide”. The residents of St Austell Bay, Cornwall experienced such an event first-hand during the early part of August 2009.
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06 August 2009
Tsunami research highlights threats to tropical coasts
Since the tsunami struck Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) scientists coordinated an EU funded project to assess damage to the coastal ecosystems, within the Laem Son Marine National Park in Thailand, and follow their subsequent recovery.
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06 August 2009
The ecological status of the North Atlantic environment based on observations from the Continuous Plankton Recorder survey
The latest Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) Ecological Status Report 2007/2008 is now available to download. The report provides indicators for the ecological status of the North Atlantic Ocean and supplies information for important marine issues such as climate warming impacts, biodiversity, pollution and fisheries.
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16 July 2009
Double accolade for Plymouth school
A group of students from Ridgeway School in Plymouth have received two more accolades for a DVD animated film they made to highlight the spectre of ocean acidification.
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14 July 2009
Lord Kingsland: Chairman of the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) Board of Trustees 2004 - 2009
It is with great sadness that the PML Board of Trustees and staff learned of the death of Lord Kingsland this week. In addition to his work for PML he also chaired Plymouth Marine Sciences Partnership summits, to help advance a vision of collective marine science and technology in Plymouth.
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07 July 2009
Ports and the Environment
In early July the University of Plymouth Marine Institute was host to the British Ports Association, Environmental Contacts Group. The British Ports Association (BPA) was founded in 1992 to represent the interests of its membership of more than 90 ports and port terminal operators in the United Kingdom. Protecting the marine environment and ensuring the commercial needs of the port are met is a challenge to all ports and one in which the BPA Environmental Contacts Group is concerned.
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02 July 2009
South West receives £10.3m funding for marine energy research
An exciting marine renewable energy project, involving the University of Plymouth, has received £10.3m in funding to support the 15 world-class academic staff, 60 researchers and dedicated technology transfer team of the Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE). It will also provide substantial capital for new equipment, including wave / tidal measuring devices, wave-making facilities, subsea electrical equipment, collision avoidance, monitoring equipment and research into the environmental impact / benefits of marine renewable energy. This is a major boost for the South West's ambition to be a global centre for harnessing energy from the sea.
Find out more>
15 June 2009
Best selling author praises Plymouth's marine science
International best selling author Alanna Mitchell highlighted the world-class vision of Plymouth's marine science community during a return visit to launch her new book, Seasick. Alanna first visited partners from PMSP in 2008, during her tour of the leading marine science centres around the world, and was drawn to Plymouth where she met and interviewed researchers from the city. Alanna says she was delighted to return to the city and give a public lecture at the University of Plymouth to share her conclusions with the very scientists who helped shape her understanding.
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19 May 2009
Partners host Dr J. Craig Venter and crew from the Sorcerer II expedition
Dr J. Craig Venter, who has been described as the "best known scientist on the planet" and the only man who has decoded and published his own genome, recently visited Plymouth with crew from his 95 foot sailing laboratory. The visit marked the start of the European leg of a voyage that will spend two years discovering new marine microorganisms that could have huge benefit to humankind.
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18 May 2009
University of Plymouth's Marine Institute appoints new Director
Professor Martin Attrill takes up the challenging new leadership role with the vision to become recognised as one of the world's leading university-based research institutes.
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21 April 2009
Partnership visit from the European Commission Directorate General for Research
Mr Waddah Saab, on behalf of the European Commission Directorate General for Research, visited the Partnership to gain a better understanding of the marine science undertaken in Plymouth, which could feed the development of the European Strategy for Maritime and Marine Research. Feedback from the visit was that the day was a great success and an extremely good reflection on what Plymouth has to offer the Commission
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23 March 2009
Student film highlights plight of the oceans
A group of students from Ridgeway School in Plymouth have made their concerns about the state of the world’s oceans clear through a hard hitting film. ‘The Other CO2 Problem’ is a seven and a half minute animation starring characters from King Poseidon’s Kingdom beneath the sea and laments the fact that Doctorpus, Britney Star, Michelle Mussel, Derek the Diatom and other subsea creatures are suffering as the ocean becomes more acidic as a result of human activities; the film ends with Poseidon demanding that we terrestrials sort the problem out and stop pumping more and more CO2 into the atmosphere to be absorbed by the sea, with potentially disastrous consequences.
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18 March 2009
Marine Biodiversity Records
The Marine Biological Association and Cambridge University Press are delighted to announce the new online journal, Marine Biodiversity Records, that covers all aspects of biological diversity in aquatic environments. The development of this journal has been in response to the growing interest in research on the identification of marine organisms in locations where they have not formerly been found, as well as the effects of human activities on the ecology and distribution of aquatic species.
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18 March 2009
Nature's great events
During 2008 the BBC’s Natural History Unit visited PML to obtain close-up footage of zooplankton that make up a large part of the annual arctic plankton bloom; a vast cloud of microscopic plants and animals that provides a feast for a huge range of marine creatures, many of which will not feed again to this extent until the following year.
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12 March 2009
All change at the top of PML
It's all change at Plymouth Marine Laboratory as Lord Christopher Kingsland steps down to be replaced by eminent surgeon Terence Lewis as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Lord Kingsland took the laboratory from being a government run operation into an independent charity-based research organisation that is held in high regard internationally.
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10 February 2009
Link discovered between extreme weather event and marine ecological change
Plymouth scientists have discovered evidence of a direct link between extreme weather events associated with climate change and episodic changes to the ecological conditions and processes of the marine environment of the Western English Channel.
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06 February 2009
The Jellyfish nursery
Scientists at the Marine Biological Association have succeeded in in culturing moon jellyfish from tiny juveniles to adults in the lab, a difficult procedure as jellyfish do not thrive in static waters. The jellyfish will be used in a novel experiment that will look for similarities in the movement of very different marine animals.
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30 January 2009
Plymouth Scientists sign up to international declaration to combat climate change
A team of scientists from PML have added their support to a call for measures to combat the threat of our oceans becoming more acidic. The six scientists all of whom are working directly on researching how the increases in carbon dioxide (C02) is changing the chemistry of the seas, attended an international conference last October, hosted and supported by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.
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21 January 2009
DDRC CEO Karena Pring talks to BBC Radio Devon
DDRC CEO Karena Pring was recently invited to speak to Gordon Sparks on BBC Radio Devon’s morning breakfast show. Karena was invited onto the show after the Lord Mayor of Plymouth had visited DDRC and seen first hand some of the great work that goes on at DDRC.
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13 January 2009
PML part of £1.1 billion project to battle climate change
Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) has been selected as a partner in a £1.1 billion initiative, announced today, that will seek to develop technologies specifically to combat climate change and help meet the UK’s challenging targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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12 January 2009
Animating climate issues
Students from Ridgeway Community School have been working with experts from Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and the National Marine Aquarium (NMA) to mastermind and produce an informative animation on a major climate issue, know as ocean acidification - the other CO2 problem.
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09 January 2009
Plymouth Marine Laboratory and Marine Biological Association work with Google
Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Marine Biological Association have been working with Google to help populate the new version of Google Earth (v5.0 beta), which contains ocean floor, column and surface data from marine experts around the world.
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08-09 January 2009
Developing Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER) Science in the UK
PMSP sponsored a reception at a two day conference held at the University of Plymouth, to which almost 100 scientists attended, to consider the oceans response to global change and its impact on the earth and human society.
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05 January 2009
MarCLIM data catalogue online
The MarClim metadata catalogue with details of survey dates and locations is now searchable online as part of the United Kingdom Directory of Marine Observing Systems, UKDMOS.
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19 December 2008
New PML Chief Executive meets local MP
Today local MP Linda Gilroy met with PML’s new Chief Executive, Dr Stephen de Mora, to reaffirm PML’s long-standing relationship with the Member and her office.
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16 December 2008
Western English Channel Fixation
A trio of scientists from PML and the National Oceanography Centre have discovered that the biological fixation of nitrogen in the marine environment may be far greater than was previously thought, and thus could quash the current school of thought on the role of shelf seas such as the English Channel and the North Sea in global nitrogen cycling.
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01 December 2008
An interview with Dr Trevor Platt, POGO's Executive Director
PML is please to announce the arrival of Dr Trevor Platt to PML as a Professorial Fellow and Executive Director of the recently awarded Partnership for Observation for the Global Oceans (POGO) Secretariat.
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21 November 2008
Scientists meet "Angels" in wine bar
Scientists from PML and a group of ‘Angel’ Investors met up in Taunton this month to explore potential areas of mutual interest. Under the aegis of BioApproaches South West and the South West Angel Investors’ Network (SWAIN), the informal meeting took place in Taunton over a meal and a drink.
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13 November 2008
Cold comfort for cold loving species
Research carried out by MBA scientists on rocky shores between Stavanger and Bergen in Norway has shown that space for migrating cold-water shoreline plants and animals is extremely limited, adding to the pressures they already face from warming seas.
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31 October 2008
New point of contact for PMSP
PMSP is delighted to announce the recent appointment of Rosie Carr as Corporate Administrator, replacing Liz Humphreys. Rosie joins PMSP from a marine science and administrative background and will now be the main point of contact for the partnership.
16 October 2008
The EU MEECE project is launched
Last month the Marine Ecosystem Evolution in a Changing Environment (MEECE), coordinated by Plymouth Marine Laboratory, was launched in San Sebastian, Spain. This European Comision Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) aims to investigate the potential responses and sensitivities of marine ecosystems to both climatic change and the direct effects of humans.
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15 October 2008
Aliens in UK Waters
Jack Sewell of the Marine Life Information Network (MarLIN) at the Marine Biological Association was interviewed as part of the BBC’s Non-native Species series running all this week. Jack talks about a selection of non-native species and their potential affects on the marine environment.
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10 October 2008
New MBA President
Sir Geoffrey Holland KCB has been confirmed as the next President of the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth. He will become the 14th president in 2009 which coincides with the organization's historic 125th year.
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09 October 2008
The Atlantic Meridional Transect research cruise departs
Six Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) scientists have this week departed on one of the UK’s most prominent research cruise to the Falkland Islands.
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04 October 2008
Frontiers in Plankton
Dr Priscilla Licandro, Research Fellow at the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) was selected by the Royal Society to represent the UK marine science community at the prestigious Frontiers of Science, which takes place in Japan from 4th - 6th October 2008. Frontiers of Science meetings bring together the brightest scientific minds from around the world working on the latest advances in their field. Dr Licandro will present work on Jellyfish Ecology.
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01 October 2008
South West Climate Change Champion visits Plymouth
The South West Climate Change Champion, 15-year-old Shirley Halse who was awarded the title by the Prime Minister in February 2008, joined world leading scientists at Plymouth Marine Laboratory to investigate the possible effects of climate change on our seas.
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05 September 2008
New CEO takes up post at PML
PML is pleased to announce that its new Chief Executive, Dr Stephen de Mora took up his post this week. Dr de Mora relishes the challenge of leading one of the world’s most highly regarded marine science institutes and is keen to maintain and grow its position both in the UK and more widely.
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04 August 2008
Plymouth Scientists Secure Lyme Bay Contract
A consortium made up of Plymouth Marine Sciences Partnership members has secured a major Defra contract to monitor the ecological and socio-economic impact of the Lyme Bay 60 square mile exclusion zone. The successful bid was led by the University of Plymouth Marine Institute with expert input from the Marine Biological Association and Plymouth Marine Laboratory.
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BBC news interview
01 August 2008
5 year extension awarded to the UK's, Plymouth hosted Earth observation data service
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has confirmed that the NERC Earth Observation Data Acquisition and Analysis Service (NEODAAS), co-hosted by Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the University of Dundee, has had its funding renewed until 2014. In March the service was awarded five out of five in all four review categories.
Find out more >
23 July 2008
New collaboration provides one port of call for plankton collection and analysis
The Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) and Chelsea Technologies Group Ltd (CTG) have teamed up to offer coastal and ocean monitoring authorities worldwide a complete equipment and service provider for ship of opportunity (SOOP) based plankton sampling systems and training in plankton analysis and taxonomy.
Find out more >
26 June 2008
Turning great science into great business
The i-G Peninsula project led by Plymouth Marine Laboratory has been awarded £1m under the Public Sector Research and Exploitation Fund (PSRE). Awards totaling £68m were announced earlier this week. Funds are awarded to support activities developing commercial applications from public sector funded research.
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i-G Peninsula
Public Sector Research and Exploitation Fund