SoMAS Welcomes New Graduate Students

On Tuesday, August 24, SoMAS held a day-long orientation event to familiarize new graduate students with SoMAS resources and introduce them to the SoMAS community. This fall, 21 new students entered the M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and eight students enrolled in the new Master of Arts Program in Marine Conservation and Policy.

This is the first year that the Master of Arts Program in Marine Conservation and Policy is being offered at SoMAS. The program—which received approval from the State Board of Higher Education at the end of the spring semester—is a12-month interdisciplinary program designed to give students a broad base of scientific knowledge about marine ecosystems, enhanced communication skills, and perspective on the economic, legal, and/or policy challenges of marine conservation.

“Despite the short notice [between the approval of the degree program and the start of the fall semester], we are very pleased that the M.A. program has attracted an excellent group of students with a diverse range of interests who share a passion for environmental conservation,” said Graduate Program Director Anne McElroy. “Among the first class of students we have graduates from three different SUNY campuses (Stony Brook, Old Westbury and Cortland) and a student from the University of California at Santa Barbara.”

Next year, SoMAS expects an entering class of about 20 students to the Master of Arts Program in Marine Conservation and Policy, Dr. McElroy explained.

At the orientation reception, SoMAS Dean Minghua Zhang welcomed the new graduate students to the SoMAS community and recommended how best to take advantage of the resources and faculty expertise at SoMAS. “Take your own initiative. Challenge your professors, your classmates, and yourself,” he advised. “Most of all, cultivate curiosity. Curiosity not only motivates your research, but also makes learning a lifetime enjoyment.”