VIMS is unique among marine science institutions in its legal mandate to provide research, education, and advisory service to government, citizens, and industry. Graduate students in the School of Marine Science at VIMS have an unparalleled opportunity to conduct research that matters. Research at VIMS extends from inland watersheds to the open ocean, with a primary emphasis on coastal and estuarine science.

Mission

VIMS provides research, education, and advisory service in marine science to Virginia, the nation, and the world. Learn more.

Academics

The School of Marine Science (SMS) at VIMS is the graduate school in marine science for the College of William and Mary. The SMS includes 4 academic departments: Biological Sciences, Environmental and Aquatic Animal Health, Fisheries Science, and Physical Sciences. The school confers both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in marine science.

Outstanding, Diverse Students

• 113 graduate students in the School of Marine Science
• 3 VIMS students have won W&M’s Thatcher Prize for Excellence in Graduate Study since its inception in 2001
• 68% of Knauss Fellowships awarded in Virginia by the National Sea Grant office have come from VIMS
• 7 STAR fellowships from the Environmental Protection Agency since 2000
• Frequent winners of “Best Poster” and “Best Presentation” awards at national and international scientific meetings
• Recent student was associate editor of leading fisheries journal while still enrolled at VIMS

Exceptional Faculty and Staff

• Authored 3 of the 10 most highly cited works in coastal biogeochemistry between 1971 and 2003
• 5 winners of the Commonwealth's Outstanding Faculty Award
• 3 winners of the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award from W&M
• 3 recipients of Virginia’s Life Achievement in Science Award
• 17 papers in Science or Nature during the last decade
• 3 featured in the Oceanography Society’s special issue on Women in Oceanography
• 2 Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellows
• 3 presidents of leading marine science societies this decade
• Winners of the President’s Award from the National Marine Educators Association for the Bridge website
• Winners of NOAA’s Coastal America Spirit Award and Environmental Hero Award

Alumni

VIMS has an enviable record of producing graduates who take on leading roles in academia, government, and industry. VIMS grads head up the University of Maryland Center of Environmental Science, the Virginia Seafood Council, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, one of the leading environmental consulting and engineering firms in the northeastern U.S., and the Smithsonian’s new Ocean Hall, among many other leadership positions.

Facilities

• Seawater Research Lab is the largest facility of its kind in the nation, providing 800-gallons per minute to an acre of research tanks and lab space
• New storm-resistant pier reaches 300 feet into the York River
• The William J. Hargis Library houses more than 88,000 volumes, 70,000 pages of scientific reports by VIMS and other agencies, and provides electronic access to marine literature worldwide
• Visitor Center with aquaria and life-sized models shows how VIMS research benefits Chesapeake Bay and the ocean
• Chesapeake Bay Hall and Andrews Hall provide state-of-the-art lab and teaching space in marine science
• Fish collection features more than 125,000 specimens in 247 families from Chesapeake Bay and surrounding waters
• Boat Basin provides safe harbor for VIMS fleet, including the 74’ R/V Pelican, a converted Navy landing craft.
• Diving facility includes diver training room and classrooms to support our 20-member AAUS-certified dive team
• Autonomous Systems Lab houses Fetch, the world’s first commercially available underwater robot
• Geotek® core logger allows study of past climates, seafloor erosion, and the bottom-dwelling communities that nurture marine food webs

Federal Partners

VIMS is home to 4 federally funded marine programs whose expert staff, cutting-edge facilities and equipment, and highly regarded information products help enrich and expand VIMS' own mission of research, education, and advisory service:

• Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia (CBNERRVA)
• Virginia Sea Grant and Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program
• NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office in Virginia (NOAA CBO)
•  Cooperative Marine Education and Research Program (CMER)

Vessels & Ocean Observing

VIMS has a fleet of 40 research vessels, including its 65-foot flagship R/V Bay Eagle. VIMS also operates the Virginia Estuarine and Coastal Ocean Observing System, the Dataflow and Acrobat sensors, and the autonomous underwater vehicle Fetch II.

History

• Established in 1940 as the Virginia Fisheries Laboratory
• Our 1950s oyster research remains the seminal work on the ecology of these shellfish
• We began our juvenile fish and blue crab surveys in Chesapeake Bay in 1955, key fishery management tools that continue today
• VIMS scientists were leaders in establishing the national Sea Grant and Coastal Zone Management programs in the 1960s
• Established Eastern Shore Lab in 1962, research there jumpstarted Virginia’s now multi-million dollar hard clam industry
• Began our annual shark survey in 1973; it’s now the world’s longest-running
• Our seagrass restoration efforts are the most successful in the world, with 1,400 acres restored to Virginia’s coastal bays
• We continue to lead the way in developing oyster aquaculture in Chesapeake Bay and the mid-Atlantic seaboard

Campus

• Our 40-acre main campus in Gloucester Point, Virginia is located near the confluence of the York River and Chesapeake Bay, with ready access to the Atlantic Ocean
• Gloucester Point is part of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, a system of parks, wildlife refuges, and historic sites administered by the National Park Service
• Campus views include the Coleman Bridge, the world's largest double swing-span overpass
• Yorktown, site of the decisive battle of the Revolutionary war, lies just across the York River
• Battleships and the occasional submarine regularly sail past on their way to the US Naval Weapons Station
• Our Eastern Shore campus provides ready access to Virginia’s pristine barrier islands and lagoons
• Our Kauffman Aquaculture Center provides state-of-the-art quarantine facilities for work with non-native species