The biennial Challenger Conference attracts over 300 leading UK marine scientists and science managers. As well as showcasing cutting edge marine science and technology, the conference is noted for its training of young scientists and networking events, including a public lecture by an eminent authority on relevant societal marine issues. The 2012 conference will feature a mini-expo with opportunities for companies to promote their products and services not only to the 300+ delegates but also to the East Anglia area.

The Marine Biological Association (MBA) and The Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) are delighted to announce that they are jointly running the 2nd International Marine Phytoplankton Identification Workshop. The workshop is aimed at all those working in the marine phytoplankton field and participants will be expected to have a basic knowledge of microalgae.

SUT London Evening Meeting

SUT Aberdeen Branch Evening Meeting

50th Marine Measurement Forum - 12 June 2012 The next Marine Measurement Forum (MMF) will be number 50 in the series. To celebrate the milestone, the MMF Steering Group has announced that MMF50 will be held on Tuesday 12th June 2012 within the prestigious Princess Royal Gallery at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The theme of MMF50 will combine anecdotal reviews of progress in “measuring in the marine environment” over the last 30 years supplemented with crystal ball gazing towards the next 30 years. In amongst there will also be consideration of the status quo and a specially themed presentation from a Royal Naval Museum expert. Opportunities will be also be available to explore some of the many attractions of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

Graduate level course in Marine and Fisheries Sciences at the University of Iceland The University of Iceland offers a series of intensive graduate level courses in Marine and Fisheries Sciences during summer, aimed at students pursuing a degree in fisheries science, marine ecology, or biological oceanography. The program is focused on providing graduate students a one of a kind, immersive experience in fisheries ecology, marine resource management and marine conservation, within the perspective of climate change. Courses and hands-on fieldwork are conducted at various locations in Iceland, to take advantage of the geographical diversity and enable students to experience a few of the many ‘University Nature Centres’ established in fishing villages throughout Iceland. It is a great opportunity to experience the magic of the long summer ‘nights’ of midnight sun and the natural wonders of Iceland while taking courses and making international connections that will prove useful in your graduate studies and beyond. All lectures are conducted in English by professors and researchers at the University of Iceland. Additional lectures are conducted by invited guest speakers internationally recognized for their outstanding achievements in their respective fields. Courses vary in size from 2–8 ECTs and each lasts a period of 1–3 weeks. Each course consists of a mixture of formal lectures, discussion groups, field or laboratory exercises, and computer modelling. In some of the courses, students are expected to complete 1–2 weeks of preparation prior to their arrival in Iceland. Fisheries Ecology: Management and Conservation of Marine Resources in a Changing Ocean In order to reliably define the conditions under which fisheries can sustainably operate in the long-term, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of the influence of human activities and ocean climate on the ecology of the stocks in question. Climatic variation has been shown to affect behaviour and distribution of marine organisms. Changes in all of our major fish stocks have occurred in recent decades due to trends in ocean climate. Commercial fishing has also altered those which are exploited, at both the inter- and intra-stock levels. Most often, mortality imposed by fishing is considerably higher than that which occurs naturally. In addition, fishing is inherently selective. Accumulating evidence indicates that fishing has influenced the phenotypic and genetic structure, production, sustainability and recovery potential of harvested stocks. This course will focus on the ecology of exploited marine fish resources, with particular emphasis on the effects that ocean climate and human activities have on the physiology, biology and behaviour of fish populations. By the end of this course the students should be able to: i) Identify where the effects of climate change are most likely to manifest themselves within the biological hierarchy; ii) Recognize the potential impact of changing climate to conservation and management strategies; iii) Discuss the importance of considering both biotic and abiotic aspects of marine ecosystems for conservation and management of marine resources; iv) Integrate biological and ecological concepts into conservation and management strategies; v) Evaluate the effectiveness of marine conservation and management strategies in the face of a changing climate; vi) Demonstrate the ability to collect, analyze, interpret, and present (in a written form) data as part of a collaborative team. Other courses on offer in 2012: Data Analysis for Scientists using R (May 28 – June 4) Studying Marine mammals in the Wild (June 23 – July 2)

This meeting of the Scottish Marine Group, run in collaboration with the MASTS graduate school, is dedicated to presentations by postgraduate students from across the Scotland that are undertaking research relating to marine science. SAMS awards a £100 prize for the best postgraduate oral presentation with other prizes for the best visual presentation and the best poster. For general enquiries please email ScottishMarineGroup@sams.ac.uk or call the convenor, Prof. Axel Miller on 01631 559263.

Graduate level summer course at the University of Iceland This course will take students through the whole process of collecting, analysing and publishing data using a modern computer system. Emphasis will be placed on seeing the computer as a tool that improves the integrity of data, making it easier to replicate studies and guarantee correctness; and on working in a manner that makes it easy to transfer numerical methods and results into academic publications. We will begin by discussing how data should be collected to make it suitable for analysis, how files on the computer should be organised, methods to deal with the large number of different data sources dealt with by most scientists, and ensuring that data integrity is retained and that an audit trail is recorded. We will then learn how to analyse data using R. After installing the (free) software on their own computers, students will learn to write short scripts to do their analysis. This will ensure that their methods can be repeated with alternative data, and that an accurate record of statistical methods and data sources is available when writing scientific papers. Finally, the process of using R to produce professional quality figures will be explained. The course will end with three days for the students to analyse their own data, producing results and figures aimed at a particular journal. By the end of this course, students should be able to: i) Store many data files on a computer in an organised manner; ii) Keep track of the source of data, changes to data and methods recorded in laboratory notebooks; iii) Understand the differences between types of data files; iv) Install R on a personal computer; v) Load data from different sources into R, and perform statistical analyses; vi) Implement data analyses using R script files; vii) Write up data analyses and results for a journal, based on R script files; viii) Produce figures to publication standard using R. University of Iceland - Graduate level courses in Marine and Fisheries Sciences 2012: Fisheries Ecology: Management and Conservation of Marine Resources in a Changing Ocean (June 6 – 18) Studying Marine mammals in the Wild (June 23 – July 2)

SUT North of England Branch Evening Meeting

This 10-day festival celebrates the marine environment with talks, workshops, exhibitions, excursions, open days, marine sports, debates and conferences. The Festival is coordinated by SAMS.

SUT London Evening Meeting

‘Scottish Sea Lochs and Adjacent Waters’ will address all aspects of the sciences and management of the fjordic systems of Scotland. Indicative sessions for the meeting include: Geomorphology, palaeoceanography and sea-bed mapping Physical processes Ecological function and dynamics Management, policy and communities Biogeochemical processes Environmental science of aquaculture and marine renewables This local meeting of the Estuarine and Coastal Sciences Association will be held at the Scottish Marine Institute, home of SAMS.

This five-day Course has been designed to be suitable for engineers new to the offshore industry, those transferring from other disciplines within the industry and engineers who have worked in subsea previously but would benefit from a refresher course and exposure to the latest technology. The modules are presented by key supply and service companies in the subsea sector. Whilst most of the course will be presented in a ‘classroom’ environment, the sessions will be interactive, with the opportunity to ask questions and discuss what has been learnt. In particular, hands-on and visual components have been included wherever possible to enable delegates to view software models and products destined for subsea service.

SUT Aberdeen Branch Evening Meeting

A GIS In Ecology-approved course titled 'An Introduction To Using GIS In Cetacean Research' will be held in San Patricio-Melaque, Jalisco, México on the 5th and 6th of May 2012. This is a pre-meeting course that has been organised in association with the "XXXIII International Meeting For The Study Of Marine Mammals" (http://www.somemma.org/somemma/XXXIIIReunion/programa.html) of "La SOCIEDAD MEXICANA DE MASTOZOOLOGÍA MARINA (SOMEMMA, A.C.)" (http://www.somemma.org). The course will be taught by GIS In Ecology-trained instructors Wezddy Del Toro Orozco and Carlos Troche Souza based on materials provided by GIS In Ecology. This course will run over two consecutive days. It will cover the basics of using GIS for cetacean research. It is aimed at those just starting to use GIS in their research and who have little or no existing knowledge of this subject area. All the practical exercises will be done using a standard data set so you do not need to have your own data to do this course. The course will be based around ArcGIS 10 software, although it will also cater for users of ArcGIS 9.3. Participants are required to bring along their own laptop with a working version of one of these software packages already installed on it. Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 12 people.

Meeting of the 2nd joint Underwater Sound Forum/Military Underwater Sound Forum at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. For more information contact Anne Brazier abb@noc.ac.uk

Three–day course, Aberdeen, UK

SUT Aberdeen Branch Evening Meeting

The third annual CAMERAS conference is being hosted by Scottish Natural Heritage and the theme this year is ‘Maximising our Collective Impact’: How do we maximise the impact of our evidence and analysis? What are the benefits of collaborative working? What can we learn from real world experience? How can creativity increase our impact? In a world of tighter budgets how can we make best use of our collective resource? The conference aims to bring together staff from across the partnership to explore these questions and others. Through a combination of presentations, interactive sessions, workshops, exhibitions and a knowledge café, delegates will have the opportunity to learn more about the scientific activity of CAMERAS partners, explore areas for collaboration and help shape future CAMERAS activity by sharing their knowledge and experience.

SUT international subsea technical conference