Endeavour Society
The Endeavour Society was established in 1965 by John Gray, a postgraduate student. Named after the ship in which Captain Cook sailed round the world, the Society was intended 'to stimulate interest in the science of the sea in all its aspects'. Since then, it has become increasingly influential in establishing and maintaining links between the School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor and the wider marine scientific community. In particular it gives undergraduates the opportunity to meet and talk to experts from outside SOS and to get an idea of the wide range of interests and opportunities available in marine science.
The Society's activity is centred around a programme of Thursday evening meetings at which speakers come and talk to students and staff.
These meetings are followed by a session at the nearby Auckland Arms where anybody interested can chat to the speakers in a more informal setting over drinks and sandwiches. In its more active periods, the Society has also assisted with or organized local projects, such as beach clean-ups and marine mammal stranding workshops.
Run by students with financial and logistic support from the SOS, the Endeavour Society is unique in the academic marine science world. Over the years, many distinguished and exciting speakers have spoken at meetings. Although the majority come from the marine scientific world, the Society has also welcomed media personalities such as filmmaker Barry Paine and photographer Paul Kay, campaigners like Sian Pullen from the WWF and experts in fields as varied as marine archaeology, property ownership and deep sea drilling.