SAMS news room

SAMS meeting is 'turning point' for Scottish research network

The annual meeting of a Scottish research community, held at the Oban-based Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), has been described as a ‘turning point’ for the network of scientists.

The Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment and Society (SAGES) pools world-leading expertise in geoscience and environmental science from across Scotland’s research base, creating an alliance at the forefront of earth and environmental research.

During the organisation’s two-day annual meeting on August 22-23, SAGES Director Professor Mark Inall outlined his vision for the network, encouraging delegates to work closely with public and private organisations in order to share knowledge in an ever-changing research environment.

Afterwards, Professor Inall (right), principal investigator in physical oceanography at SAMS, said: “With a packed room and packed schedule I think this meeting marked a turning point in the revitalisation of SAGES. All the key ingredients for our second phase were brought to the fore: redesigning our themes, speaking more clearly to societal needs and more accurately reflecting our research.”

SAGES used the annual meeting to launch of the new SAGES Small Grants Scheme (SSGS) and the SAGES PhD studentship scheme. The latter announcement was made by Dr John Howe, another SAMS scientist, in one of his first public duties as the new SAGES Graduate School convenor.

There was also an announcement of a SAGES Impact and Innovation partnership with the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation.

Full details of the new SAGES initiatives will appear on the SAGES website.
Forums held during the meeting discussed ongoing research around key environmental issues: water, terrestrial, marine carbon and ice/ocean interaction.

Professor Inall added: “We had a fabulous range of research talks during the annual meeting, covering the age and topic spectra – from robots under ice sheets, to managing water to our homes – and from a first year PhD student to the most experienced professor.

“Thanks to everyone who contributed to a great networking event.”