The summer holidays are now fast approaching, although it was hailing when I cycled home on Monday. As always, we have a very busy time now at the end of the semester, when many students have submitted their master’s theses and are ready for exams, while the study section and supervisors are frantically looking for examiners and supervisors. In the subject group environmental and aquaculture biology, we have 11 students who will have their exams this June, which gives great opportunities for the rest of the institute to learn a bit more about biological mechanisms and challenges in the aquaculture industry, an industry that is becoming increasingly important to the nation.
Last week I was lucky enough to contribute a lecture at the Michael Sars centre’s symposium, the third in a row, which this year was organized together with the Nordic Association for Developmental Biology. A number of international outstanding researchers participated in the conference over 4 days at Media City Bergen. It is fantastic to see how this field has developed in recent years and how different model organisms, many also marine, are used to understand basic biological mechanisms and adaptations. Such a comparative approach provides an extra dimension for learning about the breadth of biology and seeing biological processes in humans in a larger context.
There are also exciting changes underway in the master’s degree in biology, where one is thinking of “removing” the formal fields of study, but maintaining existing teaching topics and subject areas. Perhaps this also provides an opportunity to incorporate molecular biology more widely at BIO, as a form of cross-pollination. Our students should then be able to take a “subject package” in molecular biology in combination with biology, e.g. marine biology and become molecular marine biologists. Just a thought that our new manager can take with him going forward.
Hilsen
Jon Vidar