Latest news with #SAMS
The National
09-07-2025
- Science
- The National
Scots urged to help scientists track endangered fish with free app
A FREE mobile app is being used to determine the population of the endangered flapper skates around Scotland's coasts – thanks to their unique patterns. The flapper skate is a species of fish belonging to the elasmobranch/shark family. They enjoy deep muddy habitats where they eat prawns, smaller skates and sharks. The SkateSpotter app is now being used to get a clear picture of how the flapper skate populations are faring around Scottish coastlines. The new app is available now on the Google Play store and the App Store on Android and IOS devices. The SkateSpotter mobile app builds on the success of the Online Flapper Skate Database, which began when charter angler skipper Ronnie Campbell sent 400 digital photos of flapper skates to the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in 2018. Seven years later, SkateSpotter, curated by NatureScot with contributions by even more anglers, contains more than 4000 photos of more than 2500 individual Flapper Skates recognisable by their distinctive spot patterns matched with the help of AI. NatureScot's elasmobranch specialist Jane Dodd said: 'We encourage anglers, divers, fishermen and marine surveyors from all over Scotland to download the SkateSpotter app and become citizen scientists, helping us to understand and restore these amazing animals. "An army of volunteers using SkateSpotter could generate a much more significant amount of data than a handful of scientists. "Flapper skates are generally resident or show site fidelity (leaving and coming back to a site), but they do travel longer distances and we might be underestimating these because most of our SkateSpotter submissions come from specific areas. Imagine being the person who submits a photo of a skate from Shetland only to find the skate originated from Orkney or the west coast of Scotland!' NatureScot is now asking anyone fishing, diving, angling or walking on the beach to take a photo of any Flapper Skate they see and report it on the app along with its gender and location. Older photos may also be used as the app recognises the date and time the photo was taken. Once submitted to SkateSpotter, AI either matches it to a photo already in the database or adds the skate in the photo as a new individual. Contributors to the app will then be updated about 'their' skate if it is reported again. Steven Benjamins of SAMS said: 'Most of the data in SkateSpotter is from flapper skate angling in the Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura Marine Protected Area (MPA) because that's where most of our contributing skippers are based, with some photos from Orkney and Shetland, the Mull of Galloway and Ireland. "With the addition of AI to help us match photos, it was time for an app to make it easier for people from all over Scotland to contribute photos of skate and hopefully help us further understand the longer distance movements of these amazing fish.' The data from SkateSpotter has already proven valuable. It was used by scientists at Marine Directorate in Aberdeen to model the population of Flapper Skate in the Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura Marine Protected Area last year. This MPA spans 286 square miles and includes the waters of Loch Sunart, the Sound of Mull, the Firth of Lorne and the Sound of Jura. The model showed that flapper skate are recovering faster inside this MPA than outside.
The Herald Scotland
08-07-2025
- Science
- The Herald Scotland
NatureScot launches app to track Flapper Skate across Scotland
The species belong to the shark family and tend to frequent the same areas – but are also knownto travel long distances. NatureScot has now released a 'Skatespotter' app, which it is hoped will help track the marine creatures as they move across Scotland and give an indication of their numbers. Anglers, divers, fishermen, marine surveyors and beachwalkers are all encouraged to download the app and use it to upload any pictures they take of the fish so it can be cross-referenced with other snaps taken elsewhere. The SkateSpotter mobile app builds on the success of the online flapper skate photo database, which began when angling charter skipper Ronnie Campbell gave 400 digital photos of the fishto the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in 2018. Seven years later, SkateSpotter, curated by NatureScot with contributions by even more anglers, contains more than 4,000 photos of around 2,500 individual flapper skates - recognisable by their distinctive spot patterns matched with the help of AI. The app can be accessed through a mobile phone (Image: NatureScot) The mobile phone app is designed to make it easier for the public to submit photos on the go, but older photos can also be uploaded since the app recognises the date and time the photo was taken. The data from Skatespotter has already proven valuable and was used by scientists at Marine Directorate in Aberdeen to model the population of flapper skate in the Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura Marine Protected Area (MPA) last year. The model showed that flapper skate are recovering faster inside the MPA than outside. Jane Dodd, NatureScot's elasmobranch specialist, said: 'An army of volunteers using SkateSpotter could generate a much more significant amount of data than a handful of scientists. 'Flapper skate are generally resident, but they do travel longer distances and we might be underestimating these because most of our SkateSpotter submissions come from specific areas. 'It was time for an app to make it easier for people from all over Scotland to contribute photos of skate and hopefully help us further understand the longer distance movements of these amazing fish.' Anyone encountering a flapper skate, either when angling, diving, fishing, surveying or walking on the beach, can submit a photo via the app. They will then be asked for additional information on the general area where the skate was seen, whether it is male or female and its size. Once the photo is submitted, it will be matched against others already in the database by AI or added as a new individual.
Time of India
07-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Govt releases first cut off list for Class XI admissions
1 2 Bhubaneswar: State govt on Monday released the first cut-off list for Class XI admissions across the state, with Ravenshaw Higher Secondary School (HSS) in Cuttack once again topping the charts for having the highest cut-off marks in science, arts, and commerce streams, according to the Directorate of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE). The admission process is being conducted through the Student Academic Management System (SAMS) for 4,74,881 seats in 2,415 higher secondary schools. Out of 4,46,205 students who applied in Phase-I, about 92.75% or 4,13,804 students were selected for admission. Among the selected students, girls outnumbered boys, with 2,17,529 female and 1,96,268 male students, along with seven identifying as others. A total of 32,401 students were not allotted seats and will have another chance in the second selection and spot admission rounds. In the science stream, the cut-off marks at Ravenshaw HSS are 91.83%, followed by Buxi Jagabandhu HSS in Bhubaneswar with 89.40% and Fakir Mohan HSS at Balasore with 87.50%. Ravenshaw also has the highest cut-off of 81.33% for the arts stream, followed by Government HSS, Rourkela, with 77.33% and BJB HSS with 76.86%. For commerce, the cut-off marks are 80.20% at Ravenshaw HSS, 78.67% at Government HSS, Rourkela, and 73.50% at BJB HSS. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo B N Sanskrit HSS, Anandapur, has the highest cut-off of 60.43% for the Upashastri course in the Sanskrit stream. Vocational courses are also gaining importance, with the highest cut-off marks at Government Vocational HSS, Rasalpur, and FM HSS, Balasore, at 71.67%. Dharmagarh Vocational HSS has the second-highest cut-off at 70.83%, official sources said. Sources added that of the total students who applied for admission, 4,13,395 passed their Class X from the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, of whom 3,82,424 were selected. "Getting selected for my first choice and my preferred institute, BJB Higher Secondary School (HSS), feels like a dream come true. I am relieved and excited to attend classes," said Supriti Nayak, who secured 85% in the Class X board exam. The reporting of admission updates at higher secondary schools will begin from July 8 and continue until July 15. Classes will commenceon July 24.
New Indian Express
28-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
BEd, MEd admissions halted over test score row in Odisha
BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Friday suspended admissions for two-year BEd (Bachelor of education in Arts/Science), BHEd (Bachelor of Hindi education) and Master of Education (MEd) courses under SAMS for the 2025-26 academic year in view of grievances received regarding alleged discrepancies in entrance test scores. According to a notification issued by the Higher Education department, the State Selection Board (SSB) has been asked to constitute subject-wise expert committees to reverify the answer keys. 'Pending completion of the process all admission to these courses will remain temporarily suspended,' the notification stated. The department said the revised admission schedule will be notified in the SAMS portal and publicised through newspaper advertisement and advised the educational institutions and students to stay updated only through the official channel. According to official sources, BEd colleges in the state have 2,750 seats and more than 1.29 lakh students had appeared the entrance examinations. Several student organisations had raised the issue of irregularities in exam results. Besides, merit list for the examination result was not published which created problems for admission. Those who had appeared in the entrance had no chance to assess their result as there was no dedicated portal for it. Student bodies had also demanded that a grievance portal should be opened for the students to report the discrepancies.
Indian Express
23-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
SAMS Odisha Plus 3 Second Allotment List 2025: Second round results at results.samsodisha.gov.in; confirm seats by June 25
SAMS Odisha Plus 3 Second Allotment List 2025: The Higher Education Department, Government of Odisha, has published the second round seat allotment results for Student Academic Management System (SAMS) Odisha +3 Admission 2025. Students who applied for undergraduate (UG) programmes via the Student Academic Management System (SAMS) can now check their allotment status on the official website at or Earlier, a notice on the SAMS portal had informed that the second round of seat allotment, initially scheduled for 11 am, had been rescheduled to 7 pm on Sunday. To view their results, candidates must log in using their barcode number, registered mobile number, and the captcha code displayed on the screen. To access the seat allotment result, candidates can follow these steps: Step 1: Visit Step 2: On the homepage, click on the 'Know Your Status (Second Selection)' link. Step 3: Enter your barcode number, registered mobile number, and captcha code. Step 4: The second selection allotment status will appear on the screen. Step 5: Download and save a copy for future reference. Candidates allotted seats in the second round must take further action between June 22 and June 25, 2025, by choosing one of three options — freeze, float, or slide — based on their preference. To accept the allotted seat, candidates must select 'freeze', pay the admission acceptance fee online, and report physically to the allotted institution for document verification between June 23 and June 25. Students selecting 'float' retain their current seat while remaining eligible for upgradation in the upcoming rounds. The 'slide' option allows candidates to seek better programme options within the same institution in the next rounds.
