Virginia Institute of Marine Science

08/27/2026

Meet the new students joining the VIMS & Batten School community!

This fall, 32 new students are joining William & Mary’s VIMS & Batten School, including 18 graduate students and 14 undergraduate Stravitz Scholars.

Students will conduct meaningful research as they develop the academic and professional skills necessary to address society's most pressing current and future needs. 🔬🌊

👉 Get to know the newest cohorts and learn more about the students joining VIMS & the Batten school this fall. Read the new article at the link 🔗

32 new students are joining VIMS & the Batten School this fall, including 18 graduate students entering M.A., M.S. and Ph.D. programs and 14 undergraduate students entering as the second cohort of Stravitz Scholars majoring in coastal and marine sciences.

08/26/2026

Happy FDOC! 📚✏️
 
Students, faculty and our dean & director are ready to dive into a new semester!
 
Wishing everyone a fin-tastic school year! 😉🐟

08/25/2026

🔬 What makes a scientist? 🥼

Science education is about more than memorizing facts. It’s about asking questions, investigating the world around us and discovering your inner scientist.

At William & Mary’s VIMS & Batten School, outreach and education programs are creating hands-on opportunities for learners to explore, ask questions and engage with marine science in meaningful ways.

From summer camps and K–12 field experiences to public programs and teacher professional development, these experiences can help participants see themselves not just as observers of science, but as contributors to it.

👉 Read our newest blog post to find out how immersive learning is helping inspire the next generation of scientists! https://www.vims.edu/blog/blog-posts/stem-literacy.php 🔗

08/24/2026

Summer may be winding down, but the memories will last! ☀️🎣🌊

As our summer camps wrap up, we’re sending a big good luck to all of our campers as they head back to school! We hope you had an incredible summer filled with new discoveries, hands-on learning, new friends and plenty of time exploring the amazing world of marine science. 🐟🦀🔬

08/19/2026

Our social media manager may be out in the field, but don’t worry, we still got the pics. 📸

She tagged along for Graduate Student Orientation at our Eastern Shore Laboratory and captured a little behind-the-scenes look at the newest cohort of graduate students as they met, explored and got their first taste of fieldwork at VIMS ESL. 🌊🔬

08/17/2026

🥾🌊 Breaking down barriers and breaking in boots.

For coastal and marine science students, hands-on fieldwork is an essential part of learning. But specialized gear like muck boots, hip waders and chest waders can be expensive, especially if they're only needed for one course.

Thanks to a William & Mary Provost Mid-Career Leadership Grant, VIMS & the Batten School have established Field Booteries at both the Eastern Shore Laboratory and Gloucester Point campuses. Now, students have access to over 200 pairs of boots and waders so they can focus on science and not buying expensive footwear.

This might seem like a modest addition, but behind every pair of boots is a student collecting their first field samples, exploring a barrier island for the first time or discovering a marine organism they've only seen in a textbook.

Read more the link 🔗

Thanks to a William & Mary Provost Mid-Career Leadership Grant, VIMS & the Batten School have established Field Booteries at both the Eastern Shore Laboratory in Wachapreague and the Gloucester Point campus. Together, they provide students with shared access to specialized footwear that can be expen...

08/13/2026

Marine science is a pretty chic field if you ask me ✨🌊

08/12/2026

What happens when you give young scientists the chance to explore the coast? You get Seaside Scholars! 🌊🔬

This summer, Eastern Shore students ages 9–13 got a closer look at the marine life and coastal ecosystems in the region they call home. At William & Mary’s VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory, campers had access to lessons not found in their usual classrooms: fish dissections and analysis, marsh survey research and much more.

Opportunities like Seaside Scholars give curious young minds a firsthand look at the science happening in their own backyard while inspiring the next generation of marine scientists.

👉 Read the full story and learn how philanthropic giving helps make programs like Seaside Scholars possible! https://www.vims.edu/newsandevents/topstories/2026/seaside-scholars.php

08/11/2026

💧 What if we could predict a cyberattack before it disrupts a community’s water supply?

To help address this emerging threat, a team of William & Mary researchers received a $170,000 award through the university’s Applied Research & Innovation Initiative (ARII).

The project brings together researchers across disciplines, including Karinna Nunez, senior research scientist with the Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) at William & Mary’s VIMS & Batten School.

The team is developing PROPHETESS, a new framework that combines cyberattack data, news reports, technical information and geospatial imagery to identify vulnerabilities, model potential attacks and predict how disruptions could affect communities, the environment and the economy.

For CCRM, this work builds on its expertise in working with coastal communities and partners to strengthen resilience and prepare for emerging threats.

By connecting cybersecurity, coastal resilience and community expertise, the research aims to help communities prepare for threats to critical water infrastructure before they become crises.

🔗 Read more about the project:

William & Mary researchers received a $170,000 award through the university's Applied Research & Innovation Initiative to develop a new approach for predicting, understanding and preparing for cyberattacks on water infrastructure.

08/05/2026

🦪 Celebrate National Oyster Day with us and go behind the scenes at William & Mary’s VIMS & Batten School’s oyster research farms, where science is helping shape the future of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay and beyond! 🎥