Scientific equipment purchased using our grant of £50,000 has arrived at the Nautilus Marine Laboratory in Gibraltar. Our grant funded a range of vital equipment including a spectrophotometer, to analyse water chemistry, pipettes to obtain subsamples of water to run through the spectrophotometer, a manta trawl for sampling microplastic and plankton, a computer with specific software to interface with the scientific equipment, and other IT and furniture requirements for the wider laboratory installation.
Gibraltar’s location is ideal for developing marine science programmes and industries, however opportunities in this field have previously been limited. Local charity “The Nautilus Project” provides opportunities for A-level students to complete fieldwork and learn the key laboratory skills that are required by UCAS applications and future careers in marine science. It also provides practical and accessible projects for all secondary school students doing GCSEs and A-Levels, as well as for students looking to experience marine biology and oceanography courses before signing up to a degree, and University students seeking to gain work-experience in the field.