Scott Meyerink MSci Oceanography, 2010

Interviewed as a final year student

Hi, I'm Scott Meyerink and I studied MSci Oceanography within Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton at the University of Southampton.

Deciding to study oceanography at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made! I attended one of the open days and the enthusiasm of the staff and the atmosphere of the place led me to apply for a course here.

I’ve always had a passion for marine sciences ever since I left school in Australia, however at the time, none of the courses there really appealed to me. I moved to the UK in 2002 for work and travel and subsequently attended one of the open days at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS) in 2005. It was the enthusiasm of the staff and the atmosphere of the place that drove me to apply for a course here.

I’m now a fourth-year Master of Oceanography student, beginning my time at the University of Southampton as a foundation year student. I followed a general pathway and specialised in ocean chemistry after the second year. Things really started getting exciting during the field course in Falmouth where we were asked to do a full survey of the Falmouth Estuary and ascertain its physical, chemical and biological properties. I especially enjoyed playing the role of 'principal scientific officer' during the offshore work where I was instructing the skipper of the research vessel Callista on where to collect samples. However, I also discovered that I easily get seasick! Since then I now prefer the confines of the laboratory to the more ‘fluid’ environment of a boat. Despite this I still log some boat time and have also volunteered for work on the Pride of Bilbao ferry.

My current research project involves looking for natural feedbacks in the Earth-ocean system that could potentially lessen the impacts of climate change. Although difficult, my research project keeps me incredibly interested, and I have gained several new skills along the way that involve the analysis of trace gases and the culturing of marine bacteria. Deciding to study oceanography at the NOCS is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made! Studying at Southampton is an absolute joy and most lecturers in Ocean and Earth Science operate an open door policy so help is never far away. After graduation I hope to eventually do a PhD and continue to push the boundaries of scientific knowledge.