Wednesday, 08 September 2010
FIRST NEW BRUNSWICK STUDENT COMES TO NAFC MARINE CENTRE
The NAFC Marine Centre is delighted to welcome its first student from The University of New Brunswick in Canada, a move which cements the collaborative partnership of sharing resources and ideas between the two institutions. Andrew Flewelling will be based at the Centre for the next four months as he undertakes the first part of his research for his Master’s thesis.
Andrew (age 22) is looking to isolate the fungus that lives in the tissues of seaweed. Fungus can produce chemicals that can potentially act as antibiotics or anti-microbial compounds. These chemicals are known to fight major diseases.
“The first part of my project involves going to beaches and shorelines to collect a large number of different species of seaweed and bring these back to the lab”, Andrew explained. “I’ll sterilise the surface of the seaweed and then cut it up into small pieces and place in petri dishes. Different nutrients will then be added to help the fungus grow out of the seaweed. It will take time for me to get as pure a sample as possible, at which point I’ll transport the samples back to Canada.
“New Brunswick and Shetland are both located in the North Atlantic Ocean and so I’m assuming I’ll find similar species of seaweed in both locations. I’ve already done a study on New Brunswick seaweed and I’m hoping to draw comparisons between the two areas.
“I’m part of the New Brunswick lab group, which looks for biologically active natural products that can kill bacteria or have anti-bacterial effects on disease and infection, hence the subject matter for my thesis. When I get back to Canada I’ll extract the chemicals that these fungi naturally produce and test these against bacteria to monitor outcomes.”
When asked what the advantages of being based at the NAFC Marine Centre are, Andrew continued: “This is a marine institute so there’s a lot of knowledge from other researchers which I can draw on. The other staff know the area and have already provided suggestions on who to talk to regarding locations for collecting seaweed.
“As well as the wealth of knowledge at the Centre, I also have access to a full lab space to work in and all the supplies I need.
“I’ll be able to share what I know with colleagues here and, likewise, people here will be able to share what they know with me – and that’s exactly what the collaboration is all about.”
Later this month, Director of the NAFC Marine Centre, Professor David Gray, will visit New Brunswick to deliver a variety of presentations to the University and the local Provincial Government.
Professor David Gray added: “I’ll be talking about this collaborative project as well as other areas of mutual interest, including aquaculture. I’m going to talk to the local Provincial Government about Shetland as a whole. I’ll also deliver a presentation on UHI to the University Senate, who are particularly interested in the innovative way it is structured and developed.
“One of our key objectives is to forge collaborative partnerships with like-minded institutions through research and training. I hope that the new links between Shetland and North East Canada will prove mutually beneficial.”
This project is jointly funded by the Shetland Island Council Economic Development Unit and The University of New Brunswick.
Further information:
Further information from: Professor David Gray, NAFC Marine Centre, tel 01595 772000, email david.gray@nafc.uhi.ac.uk or visit www.nafc.ac.uk
Or, Louise Rosie, Shaw Marketing and Design Ltd, tel 01595 692465, email louise.rosie@shaw-online.com or visit www.shaw-online.com