Foto: Eivind Senneset
The calendar says May, and spring finally seems to be arriving in full force in Bergen. We recently organized a two-day student workshop in BIO316 (Selected Topics in Environmental Toxicology) at the Marine Biological Station (MBS, Espegrend) in Blomsterdalen. For those of you who haven’t been out there, the station is beautifully situated in scenic surroundings in the Raunefjord, just a 25-minute drive from BIO.
The Espegrend station has long been internationally recognized for its specialized research facilities (especially mesocosm studies), but it also has a laboratory, a course room, and a lecture hall that can be used for teaching. Notably, the course room and lecture hall have recently been upgraded with new and much-needed A/V systems. The station can also accommodate 20 people overnight and features a well-equipped communal kitchen where you can prepare your own culinary creations.
At a time when we are facing another round of space reductions at our institute, it is important to make use of the resources and facilities that BIO still has. For the BIO316 workshop, the Espegrend station made it possible to move students off campus and bring them together in natural surroundings to talk, explore, practise, and discuss the subject, both in the classroom and along the shoreline. Perhaps this is an opportunity more people might want to take advantage of?
Espegrend can also be an ideal low-cost location for hosting research group or subject group meetings, a place to organize research schools or workshops, or simply as a destination for an excursion to a beautiful natural area. It’s a valuable space and infrastructure that BIO possesses, and one we might consider making greater use of (and perhaps even renting out?).
We are very pleased to note that the department has received a grant from the UiB Climate Fund to do some minor upgrades and tidy up the area. Another very happy news is that the Plastics network also received funding for a plastics cleaning day in the area around Hellesøy in Øygarden. The plastics cleaning day is now a well-established tradition, and we hope many BIO staff and students will participate.
I den sammenhengen er det svært gledelig at vi har fått 40.000 kr i støtte fra UiBs Klimafond for å gjennomføre rydding og diverse oppgraderinger ved MBS. Vi er også glade for at Plastnettverket har fått støtte til å gjennomføre strandryddedag for plastforsøpling også i 2025. Årets aksjon vil foregå i området ved Hellesøy i Øygarden, vi håper mange fra BIO vil delta.
Greetings from Vienna, participating on the SETAC (Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry) conference.
PS! If you want to read more about the BIO316 workshop, you can do so here.