Royal opening of new teaching facility at SAMS

The development brings state-of-the-art facilities to the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), a partner of the UHI Millennium Institute.

The existing world-class marine institute at SAMS was completed in 2004 and houses approximately 140 staff, but was custom-built for research.

SAMS director Professor Laurence Mee said: “To accommodate the rapidly growing number of students studying marine science courses, we needed this new facility. It provides undergraduate and postgraduate students, and professionals on tailored professional development courses, with the space to learn.” “Scotland's seas provide a major potential for developing a stronger marine-based economy. We have much of the necessary knowledge and there is willingness to engage but there is a significant skills gap. We hope to attract up to 800 people to our courses by the middle of the decade. This outstanding new teaching facility is a critical step in implementing this strategy.” The building will be named after Sheina Marshall, one of Scotland’s leading female marine scientists who worked at the Scottish Marine Biological Association (forerunner of the Scottish Association for Marine Science) for over 50 years.