The Natural Environment Research Council have been left with a dilemma recently, after an online public poll overwhelmingly decided that which unscientific name should be given to its new arctic explorer research ship?
Royal Research Ship to deploy subs; and should enter service in 2019. On 17 March 2016, the Natural Environment Research Council launched a poll to name the ship. By 29 March 2016, the leading name was RRS "Boaty McBoatface" with more than 101,000 votes. When polling closed on 16 April 2016, the name had 124,000 votes, more than four times that of its nearest rival, RRS "Poppy-Mai". Many more, if not most of the suggested names were in jest. Other top 10-finishers were RRS "Its Bloody Cold Here", "Usain Boat", "Boatimus Prime", and "I Like Big Boats & I Cannot Lie". Another popular
Natural Environment Research Council Natural Environment Research Council The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is a British Research Council that supports research, training and knowledge transfer activities in the environmental sciences. NERC began in 1965 when several environmental (mainly geographic) research organisations (including Nature Conservancy which became the Nature Conservancy Council in 1973 and was divided up in 1991) were brought under the one umbrella organisation. When most research councils were re-organised in 1994, it had new responsibilities – Earth observation and science-developed archaeology. Collaboration between research councils increased in 2002 when Research Councils UK was formed. The council's head office is at Polaris