Around 40 students and professors participated in the International Scientific Diving Education and Application Symposium (IDEAS) 2015 organised and sponsored by the State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution (SKLMP) at City University of Hong Kong.

 

IDEAS, held from 19 to 24 July, provided training in practical skills for scientific diving. The aim was to nurture tomorrow's marine scientists and raise awareness about marine conservation.

 

The participants were students and professors from secondary schools and tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, the mainland and the US. Lectures, diving skills training, field trips in Sai Kung, underwater marine biology classes, presentations and an open scientific forum were included in the training.

 

IDEAS, also sponsored by the Diving Adventure Limited and the Agriculture and Fisheries and Conservation Department, provided participants with a valuable opportunity for personal enrichment and the development of social awareness of, and responsibility to, the environment.