About the Marine Sciences Division
Established by the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees in March,
1965, the Marine Sciences Research Center (MSRC) was the predecessor of today’s School
of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS). Now subsumed within SoMAS, the Marine
Sciences Division remains the designated locus for research, education and outreach
in the marine sciences for the entire 64-campus SUNY network. Our scientists conduct
research across the spectrum of disciplines that constitute the marine sciences, including
physical oceanography, fisheries science, marine biology, marine chemistry, and geological
oceanography. Much of our research is interdisciplinary, reflecting the inherent complexities
of the ocean and the interaction of processes through which it functions. Our research
is undertaken via a two-pronged approach: first, we seek to increase our basic understanding
of the oceanic ecosphere; second, we apply these understandings to resolve environmental
problems at local, national and global scales.
Some of this work is conducted under the auspices of one of several institutes encompassed by the Marine Sciences Division. The Center for Clean Water Technology, the Living Marine Resources Institute, Groundwater Research Institute, Waste Reduction and Management Institute, Institute for Ocean Conservation Science and the Coastal Ocean Strategies Institute enhance and lend focus to the Center’s research capabilities in specific high-priority thematic areas.
