Great rating for Stockholm University´s marine field station

The survey was sent to those who used the Askö Laboratory field station or the research vessel R/V Electra in 2024 – for research, course activities or meetings.

These users came from eight different universities in three countries, and from four other Swedish organizations. Seven different departments at Stockholm University have used the resources.

Positive responses and comments

The response rate was 64 percent, and the results showed very satisfied users and very few low ratings. Many made comments to the questions – both constructive comments and pleasant cheers such as "The staff is fantastic!" and "Askö is a wonderful place".

All respondents thought that the preparations before the visit went smoothly and were satisfied with their stay. They regarded the opportunity to use these resources as very valuable for their activities and they also would like to return.

Some comments from the survey:

• "The staff at Askö are very easy to reach and discuss with, they are interested, professional and solution-oriented. That's how most things get solved..."
• "It could be more clear what exact equipment is available at Askö but over all the website and the information on there are great."
• "The price was excellent, especially for research that required people to come from abroad. It enables research networks to come together since it is expensive to fly people in. Having a facility like this really supports research."
• "It was the second time we organized a PhD writing retreat and Askö offers ideal facilities for our needs. As we had done the exact same the year before, it was super smooth, all communication was easy and everything was perfect during our stay."
• "All credit to the staff at Askö who do a fantastic job with limited resources!"
• "Excellent place for courses. We received great help during our stay."
• "Fantastic environment and fantastic people."

Long wait for renovation

When it comes to premises and equipment, the grades were noticeably lower. Especially for the old lab spaces and lab equipment that mostly is used for teaching. The main reason for this is that a major reconstruction and renovation of the field station and the course lab has been underway since 2018. Discussions between Akademiska hus and the Local Planning Department have been complicated, and the start date has been constantly postponed at short notice. 
While nothing has happened on the construction front, many new measuring instruments and facilities have been added to the station, and more are under way. The future looks very bright after all.

Some comments from the survey:

• The size of the lab places limitations on groups.
• We tend to use the workshop at the boathouse when we're there, and it's excellent for our use.
• Askö is in many ways a fantastic place for marine research, but the station is neglected, outdated and poorly equipped.
• The need for renovation is obvious, but it is underway.
• Askö is a fantastic place and it is a great privilege to be able to use it. However, it is noticeable that the standard of the buildings, especially the wet areas, is starting to be neglected in some places, for example in the kitchen.
• I wish the lab, equipment and small boats were in better condition. The labs in particular are worn out and the brackish water system does not work as it should. In recent years, I have noticed that the living rooms are also starting to decay. Broken curtains, lamps, chairs, etc. It is hard to slowly see the station being degraded.
• The teaching labs are small (we long for the reconstruction) but also too neglected in terms of access to standard equipment, determination literature, etc. - significant improvement is needed here.
• The labs were ok. The only problem with the sampling equipment was to figure out how and where to find it.

New chef service during high season

Usually, you have to arrange your own food on Askö or use the option of pre-ordered catering. During high season this year – for the first time – there was an employed chef who primarily served groups, but also some researchers. This service was appreciated and will continue.

Read the full report

Asköenkät2024 pdf, 588.4 kB. (588 Kb) (588 Kb) in Swedish only
with all the results from the survey and all the comments.

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