Alumni Chair’s Message

“It seems like only yesterday that I wrote my last letter for The Bridge but what a lot has or has not happened since. We now have a good idea of the impact that COVID-19 has had and we do have some inkling about the impact it will have in the future. Further, here in the UK, Brexit looms.”

“But no-one really knows what the future holds. Personally, I am not too phased by uncertainty and change but I know a lot of people are. I therefore hope you are all well and not struggling to badly with these issues. So, that is my last mention of the C or B word.

With everything that is happening in the world, the Alumni Association has taken a bit of a back seat over the past year or so. That said, I did take the opportunity to spend a few hours with the ‘new’ Head of School, John Turner, in early September when my wife, Christine, and I visited North Wales for a week. John and I had a very positive conversation about how the Alumni Association and The School of Ocean Sciences can collaborate in the future to support the School and aid its development. (You can read more about this under Career Opportunities a few pages further on.)

On a personal front, our visit to North Wales (something we have done annually for many years) was a momentous occasion in that Christine and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary with a meal at Harry’s Bistro (a favourite of ours) at Henllys near Beaumaris. You may or may not know that we met in the coffee room at the School of Ocean Sciences (or Marine Sciences Laboratory

as it was called then) in 1978. I had just begun my MSc in marine geophysics, geotechnics and oceanography. Christine was working as a Research Assistant for Dr Peter Spencer, having graduated from Bangor University in Marine Biology and Biochemistry in 1976. And the rest is history. Not only did I gain an MSc which led directly to a very fulfilling career in marine science

but more importantly I gained a wife and a best friend with whom I have enjoyed the past 40+ years together.

Since semi-retiring in 2008, I have had held many positions and fulfilled many roles in a part-

time capacity. One of the voluntary roles I hold is that of Council Member and Treasurer of the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) – a multidisciplinary, international, learned Society with charitable status that brings together organisations and individuals with a common interest in underwater technology, ocean science and offshore engineering. At the heart of the SUT

is a suite of Special Interest Groups (SIGs); one of which is the Offshore Site Investigation and

Geotechnics (OSIG) which was formed 40+ years ago and comprises many Bangor SOS alumni including myself and Dei Huws, Senior Lecturer in Ocean Sciences at the SOS.

With the increasing importance of the environment in a burgeoning offshore development

sector, we are in the process of setting up a Marine Environmental Science SIG. Should any staff, students or alumni be interested in joining this special interest group then please do not

hesitate to contact me at mick@mickcook.com The intention is to hold an inaugural on-line meeting shortly where the remit of the SIG will be discussed. Early involvement will enable you to shape the group to the mutual benefit of its members.

Stay safe and keep well.”

Mick Cook