Ref. No. 115
DATE: May 1, 2000
SUBJECT: Mobil Canada donates $100,000 for geosciences computer labs at Memorial University
Memorial University announced today that students in the Earth Sciences faculty will now have an enhanced learning environment following a donation to the university from Mobil Canada. Officials from Memorial and Mobil Canada officially opened the Mobil Canada Laboratories for Computational Geosciences in the Department of Earth Sciences today. The two computer laboratories to assist students and faculty in geosciences were established through a $100,000 donation from Mobil Canada.
Dr. Axel Meisen, president of Memorial; Andrew Adams, Mobil Canada's Hibernia asset manager, Dr. James Wright, head of the Department of Earth Sciences, and Chancellor John C. Crosbie, chairman of the university's Opportunity Fund campaign, participated in the opening ceremony at the new facility.
The Mobil Canada Laboratories for Computational Geosciences include a general-purpose lab for instructional use which houses 15 Pentium computers and a laser printer, all linked to the university's network and to the Internet. The computers feature a variety of software packages that can be used for geological applications.
The Mobil Canada Senior Laboratory for Computational Sciences consists of nine Pentium computers, a laser printer, and a large-format colour plotter all linked via a high-speed networking switch to the rest of the department and the university's network. Software available on these computers is used for analysis of gravity and magnetic data sets, and for seismic data processing and interpretation.
"These facilities allow us to offer our students an educational environment on par with the very best available in North America," Dr. Meisen said. "Students can gain experience running the same industry-standard petroleum geoscience applications used by the companies that are likely to employ them during summer work terms and after graduation."
"Mobil has been a strong supporter of Memorial University for many years," said Mr. Adams. "This Computational Geosciences Laboratory is further evidence of Mobil's commitment to the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and of our commitment to enhancing education in the communities in which we live and work. The students and faculty who use this facility will benefit from state-of-the-art technology in a field where technology has opened up a vast array of new possibilities and new opportunities."
"Having access to such sophisticated computer equipment while studying at Memorial gives our students a real advantage in the job market once they graduate," Dr. Wright said. "In addition, these computers allow faculty in the Earth Sciences department to have access to useful computer-based instructional material that can be applied in a wide range of undergraduate courses."
The $100,000 donation from Mobil Canada is a corporate gift to The Opportunity Fund, Memorial University's five-year fund raising campaign. The fund has raised approximately $30 million in private sector support, which will be matched by the provincial government on a dollar-for-dollar basis. To date, Mobil Canada has given more than $2 million dollars to support education and research at Memorial University.
For further information, please contact Ivan Muzychka, manager, Memorial University News Service, 709-737-8665.