By MBA Student Member, Anna Fischer
What does a week inside one of the UK’s oldest marine institutions really look like? As a second-year marine biology with oceanography student at the University of Liverpool, I have been following the Marine Biological Association’s stories and research for over two years now, but having the chance to meet some of the scientists behind the organisation really made me feel like I could be one of them one day.
My tutor is MBA Senior Research Fellow Dr Nova Mieszkowska; I always find it incredible that I get the chance to be taught by her in Liverpool. Whilst looking for nudibranchs together down at the rocky shores and talking about experiences, I realised she started out with the same kind of dreams I have and now works on some of the most rewarding projects in the world. It assured me that my dreams were never too ambitious.
Similarly, the National Marine Biological Library at the MBA really takes you back in time and allows you to think about how far we have come in science. From all the Challenger logs to the displays of pioneer women in ocean science, the library made me think I’d love my name to be in here one day – adding my own mark to the many already left.
Plymouth coasts are extremely biodiverse, and we got to explore them on RV MBA Sepia using different techniques such as BRUVs, AUVs, ROVs, grabs and plankton nets. This showed me how decades of simple, repeated sampling can accumulate into large datasets, creating invaluable trends for modern day ocean science.
Analysing our samples in the labs wearing MBA lab coats made me feel truly part of the work. People don’t realise how much life there really is out there and it’s extraordinary how many species exist just in Plymouth waters – ranging from micrometre phytoplankton to metre long conger eels or greater spotted catsharks.
Each scientist at the MBA has a different story, history and experience, yet they all come together to make change happen. Being surrounded by them inspires me to continue my own journey in marine science. Thank you for having me down in Plymouth.
