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The Expansion of The Swire Institute of Marine Science

Expansions of SWIMS

Meeting the challenges faced by marine ecosystems in Asia’s World City

The way of doing Science is dynamic. Enhancing our infrastructure and acquiring different skill sets are crucial for us to meet the challenges of the future for research and community outreach.Professor Gray A Williams, Director o SWIMS
Professor Gray A Williams, Director of SWIMS

 

Science is ever-evolving, and with discoveries comes new theories, ideas, and insights. However, this evolution cannot be sustained without constantly upgrading research infrastructure. Since its inception in 1990, SWIMS has been a driver of advances in both marine biology and ecology in Hong Kong and the surrounding region. After three decades since its launch, the time has come for SWIMS to modernise and this led to the construction of a new laboratory annex, supported by Swire Trust.

 
Vision beyond expansion
The new laboratory will comprise a molecular biology lab, a biodiversity centre, and an expanded seminar room, as well as provide the necessary space for new staff and research students. “It is hoped that through the addition of new facilities, SWIMS will be able to host more researchers from around the world and maintain its leading role in marine science research, while catering to the growing interest in local marine ecology and biodiversity being developed by citizens in Hong Kong,” said Professor Gray A Williams, Director of SWIMS, visualising the blueprint of the expansion project.
 
Another factor for SWIMS expansion is the incredibly swift developments taking place in Greater China. As one of the leading marine research institutes in the region, SWIMS is dedicated to protecting and sustaining the coastal marine ecosystem, as well as investigating the impacts made by development and finding solutions for mitigation, so as to achieve sustainable development.
 
New experiences
To achieve this, new outreach plans have been devised with the opening of a seminar room and biodiversity centre. “We will have facilities where we can hold seminars and workshops for students; and after that we can go downstairs to the centre, where we can interact with living organisms in the aquarium, as well as access the museum collections and on-line resources,” said Professor Williams. A more ambitious move is to engage local students, encouraging them to collect data and contribute to building a local database via citizen scientist programmes.
 
Future endeavours
As a top-notch research institute in Asia, the expansion of SWIMS will certainly cater to the growing needs of researchers. One of these is the establishment of a new molecular biology laboratory. In the past, ecological studies mainly consisted of field-based work, be they observation or pattern-driven studies. Today, with the rapid development of molecular and multi’omics techniques, scientists can reveal the fundamental genetic and physiological changes that occur in species. 
 
The opening of the new lab coincides with a number of ongoing local and global projects, which offer many exciting opportunities for further collaboration between organisations around the world. Links have also been established with prominent institutions in the Pan-Pearl River Delta region. Together, these projects bring insight from leading researchers around the world to solve imminent problems related to marine conservation — putting a global perspective on local struggles with the loss of biodiversity; or as Professor Williams would put it: “finding local solutions to global issues”.

An evolving scene
As the scale of environmental conservation expands and more actors become involved, SWIMS will continue to play a pivotal role in providing a sound scientific basis for future decisions made by other stakeholders when balancing economic development with conservation management. In addition, through outreach and education, SWIMS will carry on training passionate individuals who contribute to society. The new expansion will certainly play an important part in SWIMS’ continued evolution and support the discoveries, theories, and insights which SWIMS provides to help conserve and manage our rich marine biodiversity.
 
 
Article excerpted from the feature “Expansion of SWIMS Opens up Possibilities and Opportunities” by student reporter Mr Luke Ian Cuimin in the Faculty of Science Oak Anniversary Commemorative Volume 2019.