A Royal Visit to BIOS

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, toured BIOS this month during a visit to Bermuda to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the country’s Duke Of Edinburgh International Award.

During his three-day visit to the island, Prince Edward met with various government agencies and community partners, including BIOS. As a royal patron of the Central Caribbean Marine Institute, he has a long-standing interest in marine science and conservation. During his short tour of BIOS on March 3, Prince Edward met with faculty and staff to learn more about ongoing research and education programs.

“We were delighted to showcase our research and education activities for Prince Edward,” said Bill Curry, BIOS president and CEO. “His visit served as an excellent opportunity to highlight BIOS’s role in better understanding current and future changes in the ocean-climate system, human impacts on coral reef health, and the important ways that marine science education can foster science literacy among the youth of Bermuda.”

Nick Bates, BIOS senior scientist and chemical oceanographer, had the opportunity to speak with Prince Edward about the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) program—the world’s longest running open ocean time series. “It was a great pleasure to share a history of scientific research and the importance of long-term observations of the ocean from Bermuda,” said Bates.

During his stay on island, Prince Edward presented 17 young Bermudians with Gold Awards, an achievement award designed to provide young people with transformative learning experiences outside the classroom. Program participants, ages 14 to 24, complete activities in four areas—community service, development of practical and social skills, physical recreation, and adventurous journey—with an additional residential project required for those aged 16 and older.

Prince Edward’s visit also included a World Cup Golf pre-tournament luncheon, a gala event at the Fairmont Southampton, a church service, a private sailing excursion with Ben Ainslie Racing, and The Duke of Edinburgh Cup golf tournament.