Established by the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees in March, 1965, the Marine Sciences Research Center (MSRC) was the predecessor of School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS). Now subsumed within SoMAS, MSRC remains the designated locus for research, education and outreach in the marine sciences for the entire 64-campus SUNY network. The MSRC is also more currently known as the Marine Sciences Division within SoMAS. MSRC scientists conduct research across the spectrum of disciplines that constitute the marine sciences, including physical oceanography, fisheries science, marine biology, marine chemistry, and geological oceanography. Much of the research conducted at MSRC is interdisciplinary, reflecting the inherent complexities of the ocean and the interaction of processes through which it functions. Research at MSRC is undertaken via a two-pronged approach: first, we seek to increase our basic understanding of the oceanic ecosphere; second, we apply these understandings to resolve environmental problems at local, national and global scales. 

Some of MSRC’s work is conducted under the auspices of one of several institutes encompassed by the Center. The Living Marine Resources Institute, Groundwater Research Institute, Waste Reduction and Management Institute, Institute for Ocean Conservation Science and the Coastal Ocean Strategies Institute enhance and lend focus to the Center’s research capabilities in specific high-priority thematic areas.