Memorial University’s faculty of science has added a new department, the first since 1979.
The Ocean Sciences Centre (OSC) has been approved for a status change from a research unit to an academic unit.
The change comes after extensive consultation throughout the faculty of science, Dr. Mark Abrahams, dean of the science faculty, said in a news release.
“Through this process, the faculty of science has developed a vision and plan that will allow us to develop undergraduate and graduate courses that will give Memorial students access to the expertise at the OSC,” he said.
Graduate and undergraduate programs are currently being developed for the new Department of Ocean Sciences.
The Ocean Sciences Department head Dr. Garth Fletcher said the plan is for the new department to be interdisciplinary.
“Since the disciplines of the 15 OSC faculty range from biological/chemical oceanography to marine genomics, the potential for developing a successful academic program in marine science that links with the academic programs of other departments within the Faculty of Science is considerable,” he said.
The goal is to make MUN a top destination for the study of ocean and marine sciences, said Fletcher.
The Marine Science Research Laboratory was constructed in the 1960s to serve as a marine science research facility for all university faculty interested in marine organisms. It became operational in 1968.
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