Scottish Association for Marine Science

SAMS was founded over 110 years ago, in 1884 as the Scottish Marine Station by Dr (later Sir) John Murray, a marine scientist who took part in the Challenger Expedition (1872 - 1876), the first major oceanographic expedition of the world. The organisation grew in importance and the name was changed to the Scottish Marine Biological Association in 1914. This name stayed with the association for the next 69 years. Developments in marine science and technology in the last few years have lead to such an expansion in the science studied by researchers that the name was changed again to the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in 1993 to reflect the wider scientific interests of the Association. , , Today, scientists at SAMS continue the long tradition of scientific excellence, conducting internationally recognised research in so many subjects, including deep sea fisheries, biogeochemistry and climate change. , , The Association currently has over 525 members from corporate, individual and student membership (525, including 80 students) covers the full spectrum from universities, private and other organisations to members of the public.