technology

The first Chief Scientist for the national facility developing and providing autonomous vehicles for UK marine research has been appointed.

Dr Russell Wynn will act as the focal point between the Marine Autonomous and Robotics Systems (MARS) group - which went live in April 2012 at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) - and its user community.

An organisation representing operators of the world’s scientific research ship fleet holds its landmark 25th annual meeting in Southampton later this month.

The International Research Ship Operators (IRSO) meeting takes place at the Southampton waterfront headquarters of the UK’s National Oceanography Centre from Wednesday 17 to Friday 19 October.

An ingenious device that speeds up the task of attaching oceanographic instruments to cables has been successfully licensed to a commercial company by the National Oceanography Centre.

Quick-Clamp™ was developed several years ago by Dave Jones, a Liverpool-based member of the National Oceanography Centre’s Ocean Technology and Engineering team.