Ocean Innovation Conferences
The School of Ocean Technology organizes an annual gathering of the oceans community in Canada called ‘Ocean Innovation'. The Ocean Innovation series strives to introduce relevant and often provocative topics centered around the latest innovations in the areas of maritime safety, efficiency of operations and sustainable ocean management, while at the same time maintaining a focus on uniting all segments of the oceans community - public, private and academic. With growing international interest and involvement, Ocean Innovation is proving its worth in helping to raise the profile of Canadian expertise, innovation and sound ocean stewardship.
Journal of Ocean Technology (JOT)
The Journal of Ocean Technology is an initiative of the School of Ocean Technology and has become a leading periodical for the international oceans community. Born, in part, out of a desire to showcase Canadian expertise in the international marketplace, the mission of JOT is to expand global knowledge and understanding of ocean issues and to serve as the medium for publication of research and innovation in support of sustainable ocean exploitation and management. The format of the Journal is unique to the industry, combining ‘essays on a theme' with peer-reviewed technical papers. In this way, the Journal is able to highlight a broad range of challenges faced by the maritime community, and the technologies that are needed to help address these challenges. The journal is published quarterly and circulated to subscribers in some 50 countries.
Waterworks Workshops
WaterworksTM is an initiative of the Marine Institute's School of Ocean Technology designed to provide a vehicle for the global ocean technology community to focus in on challenges and opportunities pertaining, broadly, to the safety, sustainability, efficiency and profitability of maritime operations. Discrete events of one to two days in duration are organized quarterly in response to needs expressed by the community. The location of each event is decided on the basis of the geographic distribution of the community of interest in the particular subject. The venue is selected so as to ensure maximum interaction between workshop participants over the duration of the event. Facilitators are utilized where necessary to ensure that diverse viewpoints are properly represented and considered. Workshop objectives, resources and results are communicated via the web. Results are also published in the Journal of Ocean Technology in order to ensure wide circulation beyond the particular community of interest. Past workshops include "Ocean Sensor Interoperability Workshop, St. John's, NL October 2008" and "Smart Ocean Sensors Workshop, Charlotte, North Carolina, February 2009".
MATE ROV Competition
The MATE Center coordinates an international student ROV competition and a network of 17 regional ROV contests that take place across U.S. and in Canada, Hong Kong, and Scotland. Student teams from middle schools, high schools, home schools, community colleges, and universities participate in the events, which consist of different "classes" that vary depending on the sophistication of the ROVs and the mission requirements.
In addition to being fun and educational, these competitions connect students and educators with employers and working professionals from marine industries, highlight marine-related career opportunities, and promote the development of technical, problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork skills.
Immersion Learning
In 2002, Dr. Robert Ballard and Dr. Stephen Coan founded Immersion LearningTM - a non-profit science education organization that brings ocean adventures and discoveries from Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, the University of Rhode Island and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration to kids in classrooms, after-school settings and informal learning arenas.
Immersion LearningTM helps students understand the positive roles that science and technology play in their everyday lives. Immersion exposes students to ongoing scientific expeditions in an effort to ignite their interest in real discovery and learning.
Stephan Hopkins Foundation
The Marine Institute is lending a hand to the Stephan Hopkins Memorial Foundation. In June 2009, Vice-President of Memorial University (Marine Institute), Glenn Blackwood announced that the institute will work in collaboration with the foundation to provide equipment and training for the recovery of drowning victims.
On July 6, 2007, tragedy struck the Hopkins' family when Stephan Hopkins drowned in a canoeing accident. It took 73 days for searchers to find Stephan's body. His body was recovered by a couple from the United States: Gene and Sandy Ralston. They used a side scan sonar and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) underwater camera. Within 29 minutes, they found his body.
To protect other families from the pain the Hopkins' family experienced in waiting so long to find their son's body, a group of volunteers set up the Stephan Hopkins Memorial Foundation to raise funds to purchase the same equipment for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In October, the foundation announced that it had reached its goal. With the help of sponsors from across the province, the Stephan Hopkins Memorial Foundation was able to raise the funds to allow them to purchase the necessary equipment to aid families and organizations involved in search and recovery efforts should the need arise.
MI Summer Camps
The Marine Institute hosts a number of marine related summer camps for high school students. Each provides amazing opportunities for students to learn about exciting career options available in the marine and related industries. Participants are provided with the chance to explore marine careers through hands-on learning activities in disciplines including: marine engineering, nautical science, marine safety and survival, naval architecture, marine systems design, food technology, marine environmental technology, coastal zone management, aquaculture, water quality, fisheries science, oceanography, fire-rescue and underwater robotics (ROV).
Red ROVer
In the near future, Canadian students will be able to use a wireless remotely operated vehicle (ROV) via the internet to actively explore an area of the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, all from the security of their classrooms, http://www.mi-net.ca (coming soon!). The plan is to deploy the ROV in Conception Bay, more specifically the area between Portugal Cove and Bell Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, locally known as "The Tickle". Known as a scuba divers paradise, The Tickle features a variety of interesting cold water marine life and is home to four WWII shipwrecks covered with invertebrates such as anemones and starfish. Eel pouts and sculpins are common and many other fish, including flounder and the occasional large cod, can be seen cruising around.
To pilot the ROV, a student will need to go to Red ROVer's web site which will provide them with an on-screen control panel complete with live, color, video images from the ROV's cameras and data from its navigational sensors. It will also provide a set of simple on-screen buttons that the student can click to move the ROV forward, backward, right, left, and up or down through the water. They will therefore have the ability to operate the controls of the ROV and analyze its collected data. The transmitted data will be available for free and can be integrated into existing programs by teachers to create unique and worthwhile learning experiences that will benefit learners across Canada.
