Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals
Julia Burrows
Duke University Marine Laboratory
Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Dunedin, New Zealand
I am extremely grateful to the Challenger Society for helping to support my attendance at the Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in Dunedin, New Zealand in December 2013.
There was a diversity of research presented at the conference. Oral and poster presentation topics included marine mammal conservation, behaviour, distribution and abundance, physiology, ecology, acoustics, health, population biology, and more. I presented a poster on my dissertation research on the fine-scale foraging behaviour of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Southeast Alaska. At the very crowded poster session, I met and discussed my research with many professionals in the field, where I shared and received ideas on analysis and future directions from colleagues doing similar research.
There were many opportunities for interaction with old and new friends and colleagues in more informal settings as well. During the weeklong conference, I was able to meet with collaborators from Alaska and socialize and network with former graduates of my master’s program. I attended a student affairs workshop where I met old friends and enjoyed an inspirational talk by the president of the Society on the wide variety of careers for which our PhD can prepare us (science and non-science alike). In addition to the conference and associated events, I had the opportunity to explore the lovely city of Dunedin, including the Otago Peninsula and its world-class wildlife viewing!
Overall, the conference was a wonderful experience. Thank you to the Challenger Society for helping to make it happen!
Julia Burrows
Duke University Marine Laboratory
Beaufort, NC, USA
Latest News
Potential Availability of NERC Ship Time During the 25/26 Programme Year
The NERC Marine Facilities Programme for 2025/2026 for the RRS Discovery and the RRS James Cook has been published on the Marine Facilities Planning website.
The RRS Discovery programme currently contains a 79 day alongside slot between the 2nd of November 2025 and the 19th of January 2026, which is available for science delivery if funded science projects can make use of this time. Due to the location of the vessel, the ship is most likely to be able to deliver fieldwork in the North and East Atlantic regions. Some support for science capability within the National Marine Equipment Pool is potentially available, although there is no capacity for use of autonomous vehicles or remotely operated vehicles. Any fieldwork within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) will need the appropriate diplomatic clearance submitted to coastal states at least 6 months in advance, and to NMF with sufficient lead time for processing via the FCDO.
If interested in making use of this ship time, please contact NERC Marine Planning (marineplanning@nerc.ukri.org) ASAP to start discussions.
THE MARINE FACILITIES ADVISORY BOARD – CAN YOU HELP?
The Marine Facilities Advisory Board advises the National Oceanography Centre on marine facilities and services, including the Natural Environment Research Council’s National Marine Equipment Pool (NMEP), the British Oceanographic Data Centre and the British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility.
NOC Association AGM 2025
NOC Association (NOCA) AGM 2025
The 14th AGM of the NOC Association will be held on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th May 2025. This free, on-line event will take place on Zoom, across two consecutive mornings, each starting at 10:00 and ending at 12:30. Although discussion topics are being finalised, we will focus on national capability (NC) science, ships, and autonomous vehicles, and how the community can engage. There will be an update on AtlantiS and on the new marine science scoping group. All are warmly welcome to join. To participate, please complete your registration here. For enquiries: Jackie Pearson, Secretary to NOCA: jfpea@noc.ac.uk