I SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM OF STUDENTS OF MARINE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (SACMA 2015) OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CÁDIZ (SPAIN)

During May 2015, the Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences of the University of Cádiz held the 1st Scientific Symposium of Students of Marine and Environmental Sciences (SACMA 2015). This activity was organized as a conference in which students collaborating in any of the departments of the Faculty could present their research to their colleagues. This way, research could be taken out from the laboratories of the Faculty to be put in common with the students in the different degrees, masters and PhD programs taught in the Center.

The Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences is a multidisciplinary center in which the study programs are also multidisciplinary. For this reason, participant students could have information about what is being done in departments and laboratories working in different areas of research. The main aim of the conference was that speakers and presenters during the conference were their colleagues. This fact helped to promote the interest on the activity for other students, as well as to show them that they could also participate in the research activities carried out in the departments of their Faculty.

SACMA 2015 was highly welcomed by students of the different programs taught in the Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences but also by professors. As a result, interaction between professors/researchers and students was highly profitable in terms of sharing experiences and to motivate students to work in research.

For this first edition of SACMA, 64 students were inscribed in at least one of the categories available: oral presentation, poster, monologue and participation as attendant without communication. The activity was announced by e-mail, posting banners and also using social networks as twitter or facebook, and to let students know how to participate and present their work, the Organization Committee published the rules for participation in the website of the Faculty. All students presenting a communication were supervised by a professor during the development of the work and also in the preparation of the presentation.

More than 40 communications were received, from which 10 were selected for oral presentation by the scientific committee -formed by professors-. Finally 10 oral communications, 35 posters and 3 monologues were presented. The best communications and monologues were awarded at the end of the Symposium. The Scientific Committee agreed that the general level of quality of presented works was considerably high, showing that students and also their supervisors were actually involved in the activity.

The Symposium was organized as I it was a real scientific conference, the scientific program was published but also a book of abstracts was elaborated and published in the institutional repository of the University of Cádiz. During the conference day, a plenary lecture from a researcher opened the session that was closed with a round table to discuss with students about their role as scientist at the University and at the end of their studies.

Taking into account the acceptance of the activity by students and professors of the Faculty, the next edition of SACMA is being currently prepared, but in this case participation will not be limited only to students of the Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, so it will be opened to all students of the University of Cádiz working in some areas related to Environmental or Marine disciplines.