Marine Institute hosts Techsploration Newfoundland and Labrador event

The Marine Institute (MI) recently welcomed students from across the province to a Techsploration event at its Ridge Road campus in St. John's

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

More than 50 female Grade 9 students took part in the two-day activity, using the time to learn about technical and technology-related occupations and to become aware of the critical role of work in their lives.

This was the culmination of one of the two Techsploration programs organized by the Women in Resource Development Council (WRDC) this year. It also makes the 10th year that WRDC has been providing the Techsploration opportunity to young women in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“We really enjoyed hosting the young students; the enthusiasm and passion they displayed was a sign they understood what Techsploration is all about,” said Catherine Dutton, head, Ocean Safety, Marine Institute. “They took part in classroom sessions, physical challenges and sessions with guest speakers. It was encouraging to see so many young girls interested in the oceans and marine technology sector.”

Techsploration Newfoundland and Labrador is a program that gives young women the chance to explore trades and technical and technology-related occupations, while helping them understand the significance of high school math and science to their future careers. It is designed to be inclusive of girls from various levels of academic achievement, from diverse cultural backgrounds and girls with special needs. The students worked closely with role models from their communities, most often women working in trades or technology occupations.

In recent years, role models included marine safety specialists, avionics engineers, structural engineers, marine engineers and geologists. The young women and their role models have been involved in Techsploration for a number of months. The event at MI brought them all together for the final days where they were able to see what the other school groups had been doing.

Krista Parsons, an instructor at the Marine Institute’s Offshore Safety and Survival Centre, served as a role model this year and was an active participant at the Techsploration event hosted at MI. She was paired with students from Frank Roberts Junior High in Conception Bay South.

“As a role model, you are responsible to design workshops for the girls; workshops that includes hands-on activities and some take-home work. This is done in hopes of boosting their learning experience and encouraging them to investigate careers in technical and technology-based industries,” said Parsons.

The Techsploration event hosted at MI included a number of events, including:

• Team presentations
• Role model workshops
• Teacher, sponsor and role model appreciation dinner
• Boat building workshop
• Survival race
• Cardboard boat races

This marked the third consecutive year the Marine Institute hosted the final two days of Techsploration. According to Dutton, MI is a natural choice as a host site.

“The Institute is a good location for such an event given our ability to provide world-class education in technical and technology-based industries and careers. MI also has extensive expertise in ocean and marine safety training, which was put to use in the survival race, one of the more popular activities at the MI-hosted event,” she said. “We wanted the girls to see there is a future for them in these industries and a great way to break into these careers is by studying and learning at the Marine Institute.”