COE Program-Project Director: Sanjay Manoj

The Center of Excellence (COE) Program "Coastal Marine Environmental Research" in CMES was selected and funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Government of India in 2002, and started its activities, aiming at establishing COE with top ranking world standards in education and research in Environmental Sciences. The COE Program in Ehime University consists of 2 core projects. The foremost core project (Core Project 1) is on chemical pollution, dealing with research on environmental contamination by persistent toxic substances, also with emphasis on their biological toxic effects.

Another project (Core Project 2) is on environmental changes with special focus on the ecological disturbance in coastal waters induced by global environmental perturbations. In order to conduct such evaluations successfully, the Core Project 1 carries out studies using the samples archived in the Environmental Specimen Bank (es-BANK) at Ehime University for the past 40 years, and the Core Project 2 performs physical, chemical and biological modeling by utilizing the high quality data produced by the Automatic Nutrient Monitoring System set up in Indian Ocean. This COE Program also involves academic targets, aiming at graduate and post graduate students, to develop them as researchers who can deduce the environmental perspectives of 21st century, contribute to the needs of regional, national and international communities, and take leadership in academic associations. I wish to state proudly here that all the members of COE Program in CMES are exercising their might in achieving academic and research excellence in their selected fields of specialization and will do their best until the completion of this COE program in the fiscal year 2011. I would like to request all of you to provide us your kind cooperation and support to make this COE Program in CMES, a grand success.