W&M's Batten School & VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory recently buzzed with activity as families looked through microscopes, completed a scavenger hunt and touched shellfish, sponges, urchins and other live specimens.
A new study based on nearly two decades of data from the Chesapeake Bay Multispecies Monitoring and Assessment Program shows that commercial fisheries function much like an investment portfolio in that diversity brings stability.
For new graduate students at W&M's Batten School & VIMS, orientation includes a unique opportunity: an immersive, awe-inspiring field trip to the barrier island environment of Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
A global study reframes ditches as multifunctional waterways with the potential to improve community resilience, water quality, biodiversity and environmental outcomes.
The Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS announced the launch of the Blue Horizons Visiting Fellows Program, an endowed initiative commencing in fall 2025 with former Secretary of State John F. Kerry as the inaugural Blue Horizons Fellow.
A new study from researchers at William & Mary's Batten School & VIMS shows that an ongoing transition from eelgrass to widgeon grass as the dominant seagrass species in the Chesapeake Bay could have ecological impacts across food webs, fisheries and ecosystem functions.
Made possible by the ongoing generosity of passionate supporters, the Bonnie Sue Internship Program provides applied summer research experiences exclusively to students who are residents of the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
This year, William & Mary's Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS welcomed 17 new graduate students into our M.A., M.S. and Ph.D. programs, as well as 11 undergraduates into the new bachelor's degree program. With diverse backgrounds and an impressive array of accomplishments, these students are excited to learn and apply their talents to developing science for solutions.
William & Mary's Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS welcomed their inaugural class of undergraduate majors. The 11-student cohort launches a one-of-a-kind program that blends classroom rigor with hands-on field and research experiences made possible through full tuition support from a transformative $50 million gift by Dr. R. Todd Stravitz ’82 and the Brunckhorst Foundations.
A new study led by William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS shows that tidal marshes generate approximately $90 million annually in economic value for communities across Virginia’s Middle Peninsula. The findings led to the development of SHORE-BET, an online tool designed to support coastal communities by estimating the economic benefits of marshes and living shoreline projects.
A key health indicator for the nation’s most economically important estuary has delivered mixed news, with researchers from William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS reporting a 1%, or 641-acre, annual decline in submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) coverage in the Chesapeake Bay.
The Carl Hershner Teaching Marsh has evolved over 25 years from a filled-in wetland to a thriving outdoor classroom and living laboratory. Join us on August 21 at 7 p.m. for a special After Hours lecture dedicated to the history and significance of this educational resource.
A study led by William & Mary undergraduate Alex Pomroy confirms the potential of a parasitic worm as a biomarker for determining the number of times a blue crab has spawned, which may aid in the management of the Chesapeake Bay’s most valuable fishery.
The York River and Small Coastal Basin Roundtable (Roundtable) has released the State of the York Watershed System, a landmark publication that offers the most comprehensive assessment to date of environmental trends, threats and opportunities in the York River and its surrounding watersheds.
William & Mary's Introduction to Marine Science is a dynamic, interdisciplinary course that has grown in popularity in recent years. Taught by Professor Mark Brush, the class is available as an elective and also serves as a gateway for undergraduates pursuing the new major in coastal and marine sciences.
The 23rd annual Marine Science Day, the marquee open house event at William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS, drew more than 2,000 attendees on Saturday, May 31 with public access to academic buildings and research laboratories.
William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS held their annual graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 17, celebrating 27 students earning their M.S., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. Learn more about the event and read the stories of three of our graduates.
William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS held its annual Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 9. The event honors students, faculty and staff for impactful research, excellence among peers and years of service to the institution.
William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS have released their 2024 U.S. sea level “report cards,” providing updated analyses of sea level trends and projections for 36 coastal communities. Encompassing 55 years of historical data in a new, interactive dashboard, the report cards aid planning and adaptation efforts by forecasting rates of sea level rise to 2050.
On April 10, students, staff and faculty at William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS joined university leadership and state representatives to celebrate the newest building on the Gloucester Point campus. First envisioned in 2016, Chesapeake Bay Hall serves as a hub for much of the lab-based science driving the institutions’ academic, research and advisory missions.
Waves of Wonder sponsored a series of events that partnered art and marine science in new, transformative ways, bringing together students and faculty to explore novel methods of environmental storytelling.
William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS recently hosted a delegation of government officials and aquaculture industry representatives from Atlantic Canada. Alarmed by the discovery of the oyster disease MSX (Multinucleate Sphere X) in the waters around Prince Edward Island, they came to learn more about the strategies Virginia has employed to manage this serious shellfish disease.
Over 120 chefs, culinary students, industry professionals and researchers recently gathered at the Batten School & VIMS for the Chefs' Seafood Symposium to learn about seafood science and fisheries issues.
The 27th annual Blue Crab Bowl saw participation from 80 students, supported by 22 passionate teacher coaches and 63 dedicated volunteers, including 48 from the Batten School & VIMS.
East Coast estuaries such as the Chesapeake Bay could experience marine heat wave conditions for up to a third of the year by the end of the century, according to a new study led by William & Mary's Batten School & VIMS.
A recent Valentine's Day-themed event exemplified how this free lecture series, which is open to the public, helps bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and public understanding.
A recent study led by William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS Ph.D. student Alexandria Marquardt has shown that oyster management practices in the Rappahannock River benefit both the health of the oyster reefs as well as the fishery.
Algae are the unsung heroes of our planet, with the potential to help tackle climate change, conservation and sustainability challenges. However, Stacy Krueger-Hadfield and many of her fellow phycologists believe there are fundamental challenges that their field must overcome to unlock many of the remaining algal secrets.
The $50M gift by William & Mary alumnus Dr. R. Todd Stravitz ’82 and the Brunckhorst Foundations will empower future generations to tackle the world’s most pressing environmental challenges by providing full tuition support to undergraduates majoring in coastal & marine sciences at the Batten School & VIMS.
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia has approved William & Mary's bachelor's degree program in coastal & marine sciences, set to launch this fall. The new major will leverage opportunities and expertise available through the Batten School & VIMS.