BAMSI FORGING DEEPER PARTNERSHIP WITH SHEDD

BAHAMAS Agriculture & Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) officials met with their counterparts from the Shedd Aquarium, a Chicago-based non-profit, for a two-day meeting in Grand Bahama to discuss their growing partnership.

The tie-up is focused on providing broader opportunities for Bahamian students focused on marine science, and issues related to conservation and marine life studies. Dr Raveenia Roberts-Hanna, BAMSI’s executive director, who was in Freeport to meet with Shedd, said the Institute’s students are already benefiting from the collaboration through internships and research opportunities with the US research team. She described the relationship between the two organisations as a strategic partnership, with BAMSI students able to take advantage of the relationship through greater exposure to global research initiatives.

“I look forward to a long working relationship with them, and it’s really important for BAMSI because, yes, our training is country specific, but this type of exposure really gives our students that global perspective,” Dr RobertsHanna said. While in Grand Bahama, the Shedd team also met with representatives from the University of the Bahamas and toured several marine-focused facilities.

REPRESENTING BAMSI were Dr Raveenia Roberts-Hanna, its executive director, and Sherese Cunningham, registrar.

The delegation visited The Bahamas on an 80-foot research vessel, the R/V Coral Reef II. The vessel allows researchers to explore remote parts of the archipelago over extended periods of time.

Shedd Aquarium, which focuses on environmental, education and animal care issues, has been conducting extensive research in The Bahamas for some 30 years, investing significant resources into examining sharks, conch, lobster, grouper, iguanas and coral.