Work on the new Centre for Marine Sensors (ZfMarS) is progressing: the foundation stone for the extension building was laid today, Friday, at the Wilhelmshaven site of the Institute of Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM) in the presence of Lower Saxony's Science Minister Björn Thümler. Completion is planned for December 2020. Construction work on the new centre has already been underway for two months and the total costs amount to just under five million euros. Half of this will be financed by the university and half by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
"The University of Oldenburg has earned an excellent reputation for its research focus in environmental and sustainability research. The new centre for marine sensor technology will further strengthen the university on its way to becoming an important location for marine and climate research," explained Lower Saxony's Science Minister Björn Thümler at the laying of the foundation stone. The application-orientated research being conducted here, which directly serves the sustainable use of energy and raw material reserves or the increased environmental safety of sea transport, makes an important contribution to solving the current issues of our time, the Minister continued.
The extension adjoins the existing building to the north-east and expands the ICBM site on Schleusenstraße by around 600 square metres of floor space. "The new Centre for Marine Sensors offers space for more than 20 scientists and engineers who will work together on the development of automated and smart sensor systems, further strengthening our interdisciplinary research in marine sciences," explained University President Prof. Dr Dr Hans Michael Piper.
The scientific management of the ZfMarS is in the hands of Prof Dr Oliver Zielinski, with Prof Dr Oliver Wurl as deputy. "For our research, we need a flexible environment that allows a wide variety of experimental set-ups," emphasises Zielinski. Conditions that the new building fulfils in every respect: A large experimental area with water tanks and other large-scale equipment is planned for the top floor. Large sliding windows can be opened on both sides of the building to test remote sensing methods. Workshops and laboratories will be built on the basement and ground floor, while the first floor will house offices and meeting rooms as well as a situation centre for the ICBM's various globally active measurement platforms.
The Centre for Marine Sensors began its work on 1 January 2017. The researchers involved are developing particularly robust marine sensors and are researching, for example, how autonomous systems can be more effectively protected against the effects of fouling. They are also working on smart measuring devices, for example to monitor plastic or oil pollution remotely. The centre works closely with the Jade University of Applied Sciences and regional industry.