Third-level students join the Marine Institute for Summer Bursary Programme

The Marine Institute has welcomed twenty-one undergraduate students as part of the 2019 Summer Bursary Programme. The students will gain valuable practical experience across the field of marine science and related areas.

Students from a variety of disciplines and seven different third-level institutions across Ireland are participating in this year's Bursary Programme. The students will gain experience in many different fields of marine science including marine fisheries, aquaculture, communications, archiving, ecology, chemistry and catchment research. The Bursary Programme is well underway with placements running for 8 to 12 weeks.

"The work experience programme enables students from a wide variety of disciplines to further their knowledge and research in their particular area of interest. It also offers students the opportunity to expand their professional networks, by meeting fellow students from other universities as well as work with experts in the their field and across the marine sector," said Ms Helen McCormick, Senior Laboratory Analyst at the Marine Institute and co-ordinator of the bursary programme.

"Previous bursars have gained various positions within the Marine Institute at all grades up to and including Director level," she added.

While many of the bursars will be based in the laboratories and offices at the Marine Institute's headquarters in Oranmore, some students are also stationed at the Institute's catchment research facility in Newport, Co. Mayo, where they will work with salmonids and eels, while others will be based in Castletownbere Co. Cork sampling fish and shellfish catches. Some bursar students also took part in SeaFest 2019, Ireland's national maritime festival, which took place from the 7th to 9th June in Cork.

Dr Peter Heffernan, CEO of the Marine Institute said, "Our Bursary Programme has been running for over 30 years, providing essential career development and support, and inspiring the next generation of marine scientists and experts. The bursary programme helps to equip students with the skills to become ocean leaders and marine champions of the future, and is a key initiative of the Marine Institute's new Strategic Plan 2018-2022: Building Ocean Knowledge, Delivering Ocean Services."

ENDS