NEWS IN DETAIL...
Students use scanning equipment to research seabed
Marine biology students from Falmouth Marine School will be working with the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) next week on their research projects.
IFCA, formally known as the Sea Fisheries Commission, will be supporting the national diploma and degree students with their Gylly bio blitz projects, in the form of expertise and equipment.
By using IFCA's boat, underwater cameras and £25,000 scanner the students will be able to record what is on our sea bed. Once the students have collated their data it will be shared with IFCA and added to their central database.
On May 11th IFCA delivered a presentation to interested students in Falmouth Marine School's marine laboratory. The purpose of the talk was to share their experience in competing underwater surveys and outlining parameters that the students needed to consider. The team also got the students excited about using the equipment, and shared their own research data.
Marine Science degree student Lindsay Grey said: "I'm particularly interested in mapping the maerl (calcified red seaweed) which is highly topical in Falmouth at the moment. It's amazing to be able to use such technically advanced and expensive kit and to work with industry experts. I've also gained so much direction with my project parameters today, it was definitely worth giving up my lunch break for."
One member of the IFCA team is graduate Kimara McCrindle who completed her Marine Science foundation degree at Falmouth Marine School three years prior. Kimara spoke to the students about her role as a scientific officer and how the course at Falmouth Marine School and the volunteering she undertook during the course prepared her for the role.
The Principal Scientific Officer, who employed Kimara, Samantha Davis said: "Knowing the background of the course at Falmouth Marine School and the practical experience that the students gain, I knew Kimara had a good grounding. That teamed with her volunteering experience secured her the position at IFCA.”
Programme Manager Dr Claire Eatock said: "The higher education and further education students will be working together to produce a true scientific survey of the unique ecology of our local marine environment at a commercial standard. We hope to work with IFCA on an annual basis, using this first set of data as a base line to assess changes to our local marine environment."
David Stedman, Head of Falmouth Marine School, said: "We are delighted that the students get to work with IFCA and will gain valuable experience by using the high tech equipment and accessing the team’s knowledge and experience."
