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| Dr.
Ray Gosine |
By Michelle Osmond
The primary responsibility of the dean of engineering
is to provide the leadership, management, encouragement,
support and rewards necessary for the faculty to reach
its full potential in serving the needs of society through
its teaching, research and outreach activities.”
That said, Dr. Ray Gosine adds he’s looking forward
to the challenges (and opportunities) of his new position.
He has a strong personal commitment to the Faculty of
Engineering and Applied Science and to Newfoundland. Following
his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at
Memorial University in 1986, he attended Cambridge University
in England where he completed a PhD in robotics.
Dr. Gosine returned to Canada in July 1991, after being
appointed assistant professor of mechanical engineering
and NSERC J. Chair of Industrial Automation at the University
of British Columbia. At UBC he was primarily involved
in applied research into automation techniques that would
improve the efficiency of the fish processing industry.
He was also involved in research toward improved methods
of motion planning for robot path. “The position
at UBC was a great combination of the flexibility of academia
and the excitement and pace of industry problems.”
Discouraged with rocketing Vancouver housing prices, in
1994 he welcomed an opportunity to come home to a position
at Memorial University. Like the position at UBC, his
current position involves a balance of academic and industry-oriented
research and development. He believes we can learn from
industry. “Research in engineering should address
the longer-term needs of industry. Interaction with industry
is helping us determine research priorities and new opportunities.”
Dr. Gosine says the next five to 10 years will bring considerable
change to the faculty and the province.
“The resource industries are particularly important
to Newfoundland and Labrador and there is an opportunity
for the Faculty of Engineering to undertake significant
research and development that will lead to innovative
technologies and services required for these industries
to remain competitive,” he said. “As the only
Faculty of Engineering in Newfoundland and Labrador, it’s
very important that we remain cognizant of its obligations
to help both Memorial, and the province, achieve their
greatest potential.”
Most of Dr. Gosine’s research is in the areas of
telerobotics, machine vision and pattern recognition.
He is the winner of the President's Award for Outstanding
Research (1997/98) and a Petro-Canada Young Innovator
(1998). In addition to his responsibilities as dean, Dr.
Gosine is a professor of electrical and computer engineering,
and J.I. Clark Chair of Intelligent Systems for Operations
in Harsh Environments.
