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2009

20 November 2009 - Louisiana State University hosts SERPENT talk

Daniel Jones gave a guest lecture on SERPENT findings at Louisiana State University (LSU), Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Gulf SERPENT is based at the LSU.

19 November 2009 - SERPENT UK and Gulf SERPENT in joint visit to Oceaneering

SERPENT scientists Daniel Jones and Mark Benfield visited the Oceaneering ROV production and training facility at Morgan City, Louisiana.
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20 - 21 October 2009 - SERPENT at Manchester Science Festival

Year 8 students from schools in the West Midlands had the opportunity to take the controls of our Marine Simulation ROVsim™ Deep Seas Simulator at the vibrant Manchester Science Festival. As part of this exciting and high profile event, the "Speedy Science" schools’ programme ran from 20 to 21 October. Taking place in the Printworks (Pure nightclub and Odeon cinema) in central Manchester, schools were offered free places to attend a day of activity. The students enjoyed hands-on workshops, a science show and asked lots of questions on the SERPENT stand.
With many thanks to the British Science Association for supporting SERPENT at this event.

7 - 9 October 2009 - SERPENT attends the Total Port Cros Symposium

SERPENT scientist Daniel Jones attended the Total Port Cros Symposium on Marine Biodiversity, Porquerolles, France. The Port-Cros symposiums are intended to help raise awareness and provide information on biodiversity, with a view to identifying the important issues, as well as the measures necessary to preserve this vital heritage. The symposiums take place on the Ile of Porquerolles on the French Riviera. This venue represents a model in sustainable stewardship of marine resources.
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22 -23 September 2009 - SERPENT at the Biodiversidade Bacia de Santos in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Biodiversidade Bacia de Santos (Biodiversity of the Santos Basin) Conference was organised by Repsol and BG to initiate discussions toward collaborative environmental monitoring in the Santos Basin as hydrocarbon exploration increases in the area. The SERPENT project, which was represented by Dr Andrew Gates, and DELOS (Deep-ocean Environmental Long-term Observatory System), based at the University of Aberdeen, had the opportunity to highlight the international experience of collaboration with oil and gas. There was enthusiasm about both projects. The visit was successful in raising the profile of both the SERPENT and DELOS projects among oil and gas companies in South America.
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11 September 2009 - SERPENT is a hit at the British Science festival

The SERPENT project enjoyed an exciting and productive 6 days engaging with the public and schools at the British Science Festival in Guildford this week. Organised by the British Science Association it's one of Europe's largest science festivals that offers the latest in science, technology and engineering. The event ran from Saturday 5 - Thursday 10 September 2009 and showcased more than 350 of the most exciting and innovative science in the UK.
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30 June - 4 July 2009 - SERPENT at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition

What a week! The SERPENT project has been very popular with a constant stream of visitors hugely enjoying our amazing Marine Simulation LLC™ ROVsim® Deep Seas Simulator. We suspect the comfy racing chair on the simulator helped - most visitors were really grateful to take the weight off after wandering around the upstairs exhibits and especially on the hotter days, loved the cool of our downstairs exhibition area. Thanks to all our visitors who asked some very interesting and thought-provoking questions about the project. The show went on until Saturday for the first time this year, so it was great to see plenty of families enjoying an exciting and educational day out at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.
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19 June 2009 - Local schools visit NOCS in Oceans on Wheels event

Several local schools in the Hampshire and Dorset area visited the National Oceanography Centre today to enjoy the Oceans on Wheels roadshow. The children, excited and enthusiastic year 8 - 9 students found the SERPENT exhibit an irresistible draw and were reluctant to move on!

5 - 7 June 2009 - SERPENT makes a splash at the Times Cheltenham Science Festival

Described as a "Mind-tingling feast of debate and entertainment", the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK hosted the SERPENT project as part of the University of Southampton's "Oceans on Wheels" Roadshow. For three days at the beginning of June, SERPENT presented at the exciting and bustling Discovery Zone. Patient queues of children (along with some adults!) were rewarded with an opportunity to pilot a deep sea ROV using the SERPENT ROVsim® simulator designed by Marine Simulation LLC™. SERPENT teams were able to discuss the project with adults and children alike who were amazed at the huge diversity of the creatures found in the deep ocean and fascinated by the research being undertaken by the SERPENT project.
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12 May 2009 - SERPENT presents to IADC

SERPENT scientist Dr Andrew Gates today gave a presentation entitled "Effects of Drilling on Deep-Water Seabed Communities" to the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) at the 2009 IADC Environmental Conference & Exhibition at the Clarion Hotel in Stevanger, Norway.
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21 April 2009 - SERPENT at Queen Mary's college

Around 300 year 12 students at Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke, UK, had an exciting opportunity to have a go on the SERPENT Deep Sea Simulator today when the Oceans on Wheels Roadshow again unveiled it's fascinating range of deep sea science projects. The students developed skills by collecting specimens from the seafloor using the ROVsim® simulator designed and supplied by Marine Simulation LLC™ and learned about the work of the SERPENT project.

29 March to 4th April 2009 - Monterey Bay Aquarium is venue for SERPENT presentation

Daniel Jones presented images from SERPENT at the Marine image classification and identification workshop, at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Centre in California.

15 March 2009 - Oceans and Earth Day 2009

SERPENT unveiled our new Deep Seas Simulator at the National Oceanography Centre at the weekend. The stand was innundated with a constant stream of children who thoroughly enjoyed trying to capture sea creatures in the virtual environment provided by the excellent ROVsim® simulation software from SERPENT partner Marine Simulation LLC™. Many thanks to Shade-a-babe for generously providing the Nomad sun shelter for the stand.
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12 February 2009 - Science Aglow, Pembrokeshire

Rob Curry visited Pembrokeshire College at Haverforwest today to present the SERPENT project to 80 local Schoolchildren on the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth. The children, year 5 - 6 students, were fascinated by the images and asked lots of relevant questions. The event was organised by the The Darwin Centre for Biology and Medicine based at Pembrokeshire College and was broadcast on BBC Radio Wales.
Visit the Darwin Centre web site

21 - 23 January 2009 - Arctic Frontiers 2009, Tromsø

Dr. Andrew Gates and Dr. Daniel Jones attended the 2009 Arctic Frontiers Conference in Tromsø in Northern Norway.
Both presented posters about the effects of drilling disturbance on benthic organisms in the Poster Session at the conference. Dr. Jones displayed the initial results from a study of recovery from drilling in the Faroe-Shetland Channel while Dr. Gates’ work focussed on the changes to meiofaunal diversity following a drilling disturbance. The conference was a good opportunity to discuss SERPENT’s research with scientists working in similar areas.

Visit the Arctic Frontiers web site

2008

11 December 2008
SERPENT presentation to the Society for Underwater Technology AGM

Dr. Andrew Gates from the SERPENT Project gave a very well received presentation at the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) AGM on Thursday 11th December. The AGM took place on board the historic ship, the HQS Wellington moored on the Thames. Andrew spoke to an interested audience from all areas of the underwater technology industries about the SERPENT Project, bringing the SUT up-to-date with the work of SERPENT.
Visit the SUT site for more info
View the presentation

10 December 2008
SERPENT presentation at the Society for Underwater Technology Christmas Lectures

Dr. Daniel Jones, SERPENT project coordinator, delivered two presentations for the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) Christmas Lectures at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich today. Daniel spoke to GCSE and A-level students about Underwater Robotics and their use in science, with a particular focus on the SERPENT Project.

13 November 2008
Gulf SERPENT at Ocean Commotion

Ocean Commotion was held November 13 on the LSU campus. Gulf SERPENT was one of 68 exhibitors who hosted over 3000 elementary through high school students at this annual coastal education forum. Our booth featured the 2008 Highlights Video, a slide-show of what its like to work offshore, and a chance for students to try on personal protective equipment (FRC, hard hat, safety glasses). The foam ROVs and Innovator stickers donated by Saipem-America were a big hit! Judging by their enthusiasm, many of these kids will want to work offshore. They were particularly excited to learn that their video game skills may come in handy if they want to become ROV pilots!
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8th Oct 2008 - SERPENT talk at Herriot-Watt University

Daniel Jones gave a guest lecture at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh on the SERPENT project.

12 - 21 September 2008
SERPENT project and RV Callista join forces at Southampton Boat Show 2008

SERPENT was afloat this week at the Southampton Boat Show with an atmospheric display on board the RV Callista the National Oceanography coastal Research Vessel, along with a hands-on mini-ROV display on the Southampton University stand.

19 July 2008
Tall Ships, Deep Seas.

SERPENT had an exciting display in the NOCs marquee at the prestigious Tall Ships event in Liverpool. Families that visited our stand used a Mini ROV to try to fish for a coin in our big aquarium tank!

10 July 2008
Chevron Environment Week presentation in Aberdeen.

Dr Andrew Gates and Rob Curry of SERPENT put on a very well received presentation highlighting the biodiversity of life in the deep Faroe-Shetland channel this week at Chevrons Aberdeen facility today. The presentation highlighted research work undertaken on the Rosebank prospect at a depth of 1090m.

26 June 2008
SERPENT supports Science Fair in Dorchester.

The SERPENT project was invited to the Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester when it held its first Science Fair. Up to 250 children were treated to presentations and activities highlighting the work of SERPENT. The children, from 11 Dorset schools were amazed and facinated by the variety of creatures we had discovered.

19 June 2008
Tunza 2008 the UN’s International Children’s Conference on the Environment.

StatoilHydro, a leading partner of the SERPENT project was supporting the conference. 1000 participants from 106 countries attended. SERPENT along with StatoilHydro and Oceaneering, designed and delivered a highly successful workshop entitled “Deep sea species - what is actually down there?”

26 - 27 April 2008
SERPENT Project goes Caribbean.

Southampton City Council ran a Caribbean Festival and SERPENT were there to meet the public. More than 35,000 visitors enjoyed the two-day event. The SERPENT stand entertained and educated children and adults with images, videos and games linked to the project. This event generated another display at Thomas Hardye School (see above).

15 March 2008
SERPENT at NOC's Oceans and Earth Day.

The NOC hosted the 2008 National Science and Engineering Week event "Oceans and Earth Day". The SERPENT display was busy as more than 200 children became involved in the activities. There was a great deal of interest in the work of the SERPENT Project from adults, children and teachers alike.

11 - 13 March 2008
SERPENT at Oceanology International 2008.

SERPENT had a prominent position and much interest at the National Oceanography Centre stand at the Oceanology International 2008 exhibition at London's Excel Centre.

7 - 13 March 2008
SERPENT at “Set up Science” Cheshire.

As part of the National Science and Engineering Week 2008 SERPENT provided DVDs and presentations for use in three Cheshire Schools. More than 100 students aged 14-16 years were introduced to Oceanography through the engaging images and video footage.

23 - 25 January 2008
SERPENT at the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø.

Dr Andrew Gates presented a poster and gave a short talk about SERPENT’s work with StatoilHydro at the Tornerose well in the Barents Sea. Arctic Frontiers is an annual science and policy conference aimed at promoting sustainable human use of the Arctic

2007

14 August 2007
SERPENT at ICES Conference.

Gulf SERPENT's Dr Mark Benfield will be presenting at the annual ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) Science Conference in Helsinki in September. Mark will be giving a presentation on zooplankton community structure and biomass in the mesopelagic and deeper layers.

02 - 05 July 2007
SERPENT at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2007.

The SERPENT project was selected as an exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition which was open to the public. As the national academy of science of the UK and the Commonwealth, the Royal Society has a high profile in the public and scientific arenas.

01 June 2007
SERPENT presentation at the Linnean Society of London.

Dr Daniel Jones presented at 'Linnaeus' Wake: 300 years of marine discovery'. The meeting focused on marine systematic and taxonomic discoveries from the last three hundred years. It showed in the age of DNA sequencing and deep-sea robotic submarines, how much of marine science is still in the ‘discovery phase’, just as it was in Linnaeus’ day.

April 2007
Investigating the Ocean with Robots.

SERPENT put on an activity for the public and schools at the Community Outreach Day at the University of Sydney entitled “Investigating the Ocean with Robots”. Participants had to try to collect specimens from a tank using a range of methods, and evaluate the results.

02 - 04 April 2007
IADC Conference.

The International Association of Drilling Contractors held an Environmental Conference and Exhibition in Amsterdam. SERPENT were at the conference and gave talks at a constantly busy exhibit. It was a useful way of updating the industry on latest developments, and allowed us to make new contacts and re-energise existing relationships.

09 - 18 March 2007
National Science and Engineering Week.

The National Oceanography Centre held another successful Ocean and Earth Day, with over 1,200 visitors. SERPENT had a large exhibit at the day, with hands-on activities for kids as well as giving talks.

2006

09 - 14 July 2006
11th International Deep-Sea Biology Symposium.

SERPENT received generous coverage through the event, and distributed materials such as the Annual Report, as well as running the associated BP Kongsberg Image Competition which received worldwide media coverage. SERPENT received much interest through running and hosting the images on the website.

18 March 2006
National Science Week Ocean and Earth Day.

The Ocean and Earth Day was held at the NOC, Southampton. Around 2,400 visitors to the centre took part in a variety of activities, and the SERPENT stand was extremely busy all day. Two talks about the project were packed-out.

09 March 2006
SERPENT at the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth.

The National Marine Aquarium was the first aquarium in the United Kingdom to be set up solely for the purpose of education, conservation and research. A new section of the aquarium called “Exploreocean”., which opened in March 2006, houses an interactive exhibit about SERPENT.

27 February – 02 March 2006
School to Rig Pilot.

The aim of the school - rig programme is to raise awareness of deep sea exploration that is carried out by the SERPENT Project, made possible by partnerships with the oil and gas industry. Selected schools collaborate by designing scientific projects that are taken into deep waters attached to an ROV.

2005

20 October 2005
Successful SERPENT session at the IADC conference.

The International Association for Drilling Contractors held its first Environmental Conference from the 12-14th October in Norway. As part of the event SERPENT held a very successful dedicated half day session on the results of the project, our collaborations and ideas for the future.

2005
Southampton Boat Show

SERPENT had a display including a plasma screen showing video images at Southampton Boat Show.

2005
APPEA Meeting in Perth.

The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association hosted a meeting as part of their environmental grouping to showcase the work of SERPENT and to encourage a wider participation in the project within Australia.

2005
Transocean Environmental Forum.

SERPENT and our project partner the OEC (Offshore Energy Centre) gave presentations to stimulate new connections within Transocean and to expand the project into new areas. The meeting was a great success and some of our new projects for 2006 were generated by this event!

2005
TOTAL Symposium.

The SERPENT Project was invited to the kick off symposium in Port Cros, France, as a shining example of industry-science collaboration.

2004

April 2004
Image/Footage Competition launched.

For the first edition of SERPENT Scene we launched an image/footage competition for anyone interested in contributing to the SERPENT Project. Entries were showcased on the website and winning entries from the Underwater and Technology Sections were judged by our partners at the BBC and world renowned underwater photographers and awarded prizes.

15 March 2004
SERPENT at House of Commons.

SERPENT represented at SET for Britain event at House of Commons. This gave MPs a chance to see some of the exciting images and results we have obtained as part of the project.

02 March 2004
SERPENT Project Forum.

The SERPENT Project Forum took place at Transocean, Aberdeen on 2nd March 2004. The Forum showcased the latest work from the SERPENT project to current and future project partners within the oil and gas industry.

10 February 2004
Deep Blue Premier.

SERPENT Team attend the premiere of the BBC Film "Deep Blue" in Leicester Square, London, as part of our strengthening links with BBC's natural history unit.