During February’s Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM), Bigelow Laboratory President and CEO Deb Bronk recorded an episode of the Scottish Association for Marine Science’s Ocean Explorer podcast.
Deb and Janice Lachance, chief executive and director of the American Geophysical Union, discussed the current state of ocean research, including the impact of funding cuts on discovery and innovation. Deb and Janice also inferred what the future might hold for ocean science, including the role of AI in helping to understand the smallest forms of marine life.
The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban, Scotland is an ocean research charity and investigates various elements of our marine environment, from algae to oceanography. In this podcast, we meet staff and students from SAMS to learn more about our vast and mysterious ocean.
Please consider supporting this important work https://www.sams.ac.uk/support-sams/
In a very special episode of the SAMS Ocean Explorer podcast, recorded at the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2026 in Glasgow, we discuss the current state of ocean research as it navigates reductions in funding while facing an urgent demand for new knowledge.
We explore the impact of U.S. federal government cuts to environmental science and ask: Can scientists be political? What actions are needed to address the challenges of climate change? What might the future hold for ocean science? And, is Scotland really the centre of the oceanographic universe..?!
Our guests are two leading figures in global marine science:Â
Janice Lachance is Chief Executive and Director of the American Geophysical Union, a U.S. based international community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in the Earth and space sciences. She has previously held senior roles in the U.S. Government.
Deborah Bronk is President and CEO of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and has served in a number of senior roles across marine science. In 2020, she was recognized as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, for her substantial research advances on the marine nitrogen cycle and for her leadership in the ocean science research community.
The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research charity and partner of UHI based in Oban.
In each episode, we take a deep dive into marine science topics with SAMS scientists and special guests.
Interested in working or studying with us, or helping with our work? Visit www.sams.ac.uk to find out more.
As we look ahead, we’re also grateful to give a final parting glance to #OSM26. Check out these fun behind-the-scenes snaps of Bigelowians at the event in Glasgow last month!
Photos:
- Colleagues supporting projects across the Center for Seafood Solutions pose in front of the OSM sign. Back row (left to right): Jeremy Rich (Kelp Blue Carbon), Dave Ernst (Mussel eRNA), Robin Sleith (Kelp Blue Carbon), Kyle Oliveira (Kelp Blue Carbon), Sarah Douglas (Kelp Blue Carbon). Front row: Melissa Melendez (Team HALO), Nichole Price (all projects), Brittney Honisch (Mussel eRNA, Kelp Blue Carbon, Team HALO, Coast-Cow-Consumer), Sophia Riazi-Sekowski (Kelp Blue Carbon & Team HALO), Evelyn Marchand (Kelp Blue Carbon), Aurora Ricart (Team HALO).
- Sydney Greenlee, a UMaine PhD student, presents her poster Uncovering Seasonal Patterns of Microbial Diversity in a Changing Gulf of Maine with Environmental DNA at OSM.
- Senior Research Scientist Karen Stamieszkin leads a presentation about the Gulf of Maine North Atlantic Time Series in front of a packed room.
- Daniel Clements, Rebekah Shunmugapandi, Kyle Oliveira, and Hannah Blair pose at OSM.
- Bigelow Laboratory President and CEO Deborah Bronk served on a panel to help early career researchers prepare resumes during OSM.
