	Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre
	Canada's premier coastal and marine facility for teaching and research

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Teaching and Research Facilities - Overview

The Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre provides undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers with a state-of-the-art research facility and first-class learning environment, balancing the convenience of a modern laboratory with the advantages of a field station.

Almost 3000 m 2 of space provides flexible research support with specialized laboratories for physical ecology, hydrodynamics, animal behavior, plant and animal ecology, molecular biology, comparative fish physiology, neurophysiology, developmental biology, and aquaculture.

Summary of Facilities

	Fluid Dynamics Laboratory – CFI funded facility includes a 12 m flume chamber, wet labs including a preparation room (35 m 2), a swim tunnel, and a laser-induced fluorescence system for studying flow dynamics.
	Rix Centre for Ocean Discoveries – includes an Environmental Integrity Lab (85 m 2) with high-quality seawater and non-chlorinated freshwater; Biotechnology Lab (85 m 2) to support molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry and physiology; Digital Imaging Facility (25m 2) with aconfocal laser scanning microscope, a compound microscope with differential interference contrast optics, and other microscopes for larger specimens; two Analytical Equipment Labs (60 m 2), Computer Lab (30 m 2) and office space.
	Ecophysiology Building – supports neurophysiology, animal physiology and molecular biology (five labs totaling 220m 2).
	Main Building – Administrative activities, Library services, and most Teaching activities are carried out in the main building (1100 m 2 lab space). Teaching facilities include two Teaching Labs with flow-through seawater tanks, a Computer Lab, Biohazards Lab, and Microimaging Lab.
	Whale Lab - The main laboratory facility for the Public Education Department, includes a teaching lab with video conferencing technology, flow-through sea water tanks, and other equipment such as microscopes.
	Research Support Boats – an offshore vessel, the M/V Alta (13 m), operates bottom trawls, dredges, and hydrographic instrumentation; a new high-speed dive tender, M/V Barkley Star (10 m), supports diving and the ROV. Both vessels carry 12 researchers plus crew. Nine smaller boats (from 5 to 8 m) support field work.
	Underwater Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) – a new Deep Ocean Engineering Phantom HD2+ with 165 m tether (rated to 300 m), includes a high-resolution video camera, lasers for scaling, electronic depth sensor, electronic navigation system and top-side monitors.
	Scientific Diving Facility – equipped with showers, storage lockers, 20 dive cylinders and twin compressor filling station. MORE….
	Canopy Research – a five-hectare rainforest houses a 45 m red-cedar canopy research system and aerial walkway.
	Seawater System – a newly upgraded (2004) 91,000 l seawater system supplies 3,000 litres of water/minute to all areas of the Centre. The water is of such high quality that BMSC is one of the few marine research facilities that can successfully house sensitive organisms.
	Aquaria – total aquaria space exceeds 800 m 2, including a large seawater tank, 11 meters in diameter, 2.4 meters deep, with a volume of about 912,000 litres.
	Core Equipment – core equipment includes thermal cyclers, hydrographic equipment, spectrophotometers, most types of centrifuge, UV microscopes, scintillation counters, laminar flow hoods, refrigerated microtome, DNA analysis (PCR), C/N analyzer, Cl a analyzer, ion exchange water system and a broad range of field instruments.
	Science Stores - BMSC operates a small scientific stores carrying preservatives, glassware, photographic materials, standard supplies and stationery for the convenience of station users.
	Scientific Computing & Networking – three computer laboratories (103 m 2), as well as most office space, have dedicated high-speed (5 MBit/s), and dedicated high-speed (100 MBS) LAN based on a system of Cisco Fast Ethernet switches providing 240 connections throughout the Centre. MORE…
	Library – houses 35 journals and 6,000 books and provides on-line access to databases and journals.
	Other Support – includes a newly upgraded freshwater system (2004) (118,000 l), synoptic reference collection of coastal biodiversity, science stores, 500 m 2 storage facility, general maintenance shop (225m 2) and boat maintenance shop (88 m 2), a 25KV electrical system feeding five transformers and backed up by three diesel generators.
	Housing and Food Services – Eight fully-equipped townhouses (including kitchens) can accommodate 60 researchers and instructional staff, and the new 98-bed Buchanan Lodge and a 32-bed lodge provide student housing and overflow capabilities. The permanently staffed cafeteria can serve 150 diners per sitting.