Students take up partnerships at Cefas

Four local students have begun a new science ‘partnership’ scheme this autumn at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) in Lowestoft.

The Science Student Partnership is aimed at the brightest science students from Suffolk and Norfolk and was launched at a Cefas science master class in February 2004. The Partnership scheme offers pupils the opportunity to gain valuable scientific work experience, guided throughout their final school year by world-class scientists. Local young people were invited to apply for just two partnerships, and faced an interview panel comprised of Cefas scientists. In the end, the standard was so high that Cefas invited four students to take part in the scheme.

Three Kirkley High School students and one from Bungay High School impressed the interview panel. The students and the subjects they are studying at Cefas are:

• Carl Clarke (Kirkley): sediment processes and eutrophication (over-fertilisation of water that can lead to a lack of oxygen)
• William Lawrance (Kirkley): cod behaviour research and data storage tag analysis
• Adam Clarke (Kirkley): long-term variations in coastal temperatures
• Helen Mackenzie (Bungay): fish pheromones and the ecology of salmon and freshwater species.

The students will work at Cefas for one half-day per week during their final academic year. Cefas scientists will mentor them and report progress to their school tutors. At the end of the academic year the students will be awarded book tokens and/or cash to put towards university course materials. It is hoped the experience will stimulate the students’ interest in applied science and lead to further scientific studies at university level.

Notes to editors

1. Cefas is an internationally renowned scientific research and advisory establishment, based at Lowestoft since 1902. It also has laboratories at Burnham-on-Crouch and Weymouth, and a number of other facilities around the UK. It became an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 1997.  
2. Cefas undertakes work on fisheries management, environmental protection and aquaculture. It offers a wide range of research, advisory, consultancy, monitoring and training activities to government departments (UK and foreign, central and local), international agencies, commercial companies and aid organisations.
3. The Science Student Partnership is a new Cefas initiative. The agency hopes to continue the scheme after this first trial year, and to extend it to encompass opportunities at its other two laboratories in Essex and Dorset.  
4. Digital photographs of the students are available on request.

Press contact: Anne McClarnon on 01502 524370 / anne.mcclarnon@cefas.co.uk