A group of state senators visited the Virginia Institute of Marine Science on Tuesday, July 24.

Five members of the education subcommittee of the Virginia Senate Finance Committee, led by chairman Thomas K. Norment (R-James City), received a waterfront tour of the Gloucester Point campus and then met in Chesapeake Bay Hall.

“VIMS is unique in its integration of research, education, and advisory service,” VIMS Dean and Director John Wells said as he led the tour aboard the research vessel Pelican. The visit provided school officials “the opportunity to share with the committee members the value that comes from involving graduate students in research, and in providing citizens and policymakers with the science-based knowledge needed to effectively address the challenges and opportunities facing Chesapeake Bay and its marine resources,” he added.

During the boat tour, VIMS master’s student Kelsey Fall described to the senato...