Centre for Earth Resources Research (CERR)
Director
Wright, J.A., B.A.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. Toronto, P.Geo.; Professor
RESEARCH GROUP
The Centre draws on the research expertise of faculty and research staff members in the Department of Earth Sciences as well as other specialists inside and external to Memorial. For a complete listing of faculty, see Earth Sciences entry.
SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES
The Centre for Earth Resources Research was established in 1983 to provide for the co-ordination and promotion of earth resources research and associated work related to the origin, discovery, development, exploitation and environmental aspects of earth resources.
The Centre promotes, initiates, and co-ordinates research within the earth resources disciplines on the national and international scenes. Researchers interact, when appropriate, with the industrial and government sectors and introduce other organizations to the potential benefits of further research and development in earth resources.
The special facilities of the Centre complement the development of graduate and undergraduate programs in earth sciences and related disciplines at Memorial University of Newfoundland. A further function of the Centre is to contribute to the training of people competent in solving earth resources problems and to encourage personnel exchanges with industry and government.
The Alexander Murray Building houses the Centre, and has laboratories for teaching and basic and applied research.
ORGANIZATION
The Centre is an integral part of the Department of Earth Sciences. The active research of faculty members within, and those cross-appointed to the Department, contributes to programs in the Centre. Increasing collaboration is under way with government and industry in research projects that emphasize earth resources. The work of the Centre addresses problems and opportunities related to mineral resources, petroleum resources, exploration technology, environmental geoscience, and generic research.
The Centre works closely with other local, national, and international research institutes. CERR hosts the geoscience
component of Memorial's Oil and Gas Development Partnership.
ADMINISTRATION
Driedzic, W.R., B.Sc. York, M.Sc. Toronto, Ph.D. British Columbia; Director
Devereaux, J.; Laboratory Services Supervisor
Wheeler, D.; Staff Administrative Specialist, Finance
Cuthbert, F., B.Sc., M.Sc. Memorial; Staff Administrative Specialist, Public Relations
Boyce, D., B.A., M.Sc. Memorial; Business Manager, Aquaculture Research and Development Facility
Avery, T., B.Sc. Guelph, M.Sc. Acadia, Ph.D. Memorial; Computer Resource Specialist
Methven, D., B.Sc. Mt. Allison, M.Sc., Ph.D. Memorial; Field Services Supervisor
Downton, E.F.; Technical Services; Marine Services Technician
Walsh, G.; Facilities Management; Resident Engineer
SCIENTIFIC STAFF
Brown, J.A., B.Sc. St. Francis Xavier, M.Sc. Memorial, Ph.D. Queen's; Professor (Research)
Crim, L.W., B.A., M.Sc., Ph.D. California; Honorary Research Professor
Deibel, D., B.Sc. Bucknell, Ph.D. Georgia; Professor (Research); Winner of the President's Award for Outstanding Research, 1990-91
Driedzic, W.R., B.Sc. York, M.Sc. Toronto, Ph.D. British Columbia; Professor, Director OSC
Fletcher, G.L., B.Sc. British Columbia, Ph.D. California; Honorary Research Professor
Gamperl, A.K., B.Sc., M.Sc. Guelph, Ph.D. Dalhousie; Assistant Professor
Parrish, C.C., B.Sc. Wales, Ph.D. Dalhousie; Professor (Research); Winner of the President's Award for Outstanding Research, 1995-96; Associate Director, OSC
Rivkin, R.B., B.Sc., M.Sc. City College, New York, Ph.D. Rhode Island; Professor
Schneider, D.C., B.Sc. Duke, Ph.D. SUNY, Stony Brook; Professor
Thompson, R.J., B.Sc. Bristol, Ph.D. Leicester; Professor (Research)
Wroblewski, J.S., B.Sc. Illinois, M.Sc., Ph.D. Florida State; Professor (Research)
Adjunct Professors
Anderson, J.T., B.Sc., M.Sc. Guelph, Ph.D. British Columbia; Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Borstad, G., B.Sc. Alberta, Ph.D. McGill; G.A. Borstad Associates, Sidney, BC
Brattey, J., B.Sc.(Hons.) Glasgow, Ph.D. Liverpool; Department of Fisheries and Oceans
DuRand, M., B.A. Carleton College, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Woods Hole
Ewart, K., B.Sc. Moncton, Ph.D. Memorial; Associate Research Officer, National Research Council - Institute for Marine Biosciences, Halifax
Huxter, F., P.Eng. Memorial; Senior Engineer, Avalon Regional Office, Work, Services and Transportation
Johnson, S.C., B.Sc. Victoria, M.Sc. Dalhousie, Ph.D. Simon Fraser; Associate Research Officer, National Research Council - Institute for Marine Biosciences, Halifax
McKinley, R., B.Sc. Guelph, M.Sc. York, Ph.D. Waterloo; NSERC Industrial Chair and Canada Research Chair; Professor, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of British Columbia
Morgan, J.M., B.Sc. Mount Alison, Ph.D. Queen's; Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Pepin, P., B.Sc. McGill, Ph.D. Dalhousie; Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Whyte, J.N.C., B.Sc., Ph.D. Edinburgh; Research Scientist, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, B.C.
Cross-Appointed Faculty
Dr. D. Burton; Honorary Professor
Dr. M.P. Burton; Department of Biology
Dr. P. Dabinett, Department of Biology
Dr. N. Gogan; Department of Chemistry
Dr. R. Haedrich; Department of Biology
Dr. H. Helleur; Department of Chemistry
Dr. R.A. Khan; Honorary Professor
Dr. T. Miller; Department of Biology
Dr. W. Montevecchi; Department of Psychology
Dr. J. Robinson; Department of Biochemistry
Dr. F. Shahidi; Department of Biochemistry
Dr. P. Snelgrove; Marine Institute
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Puvanendran, V., B.Sc. Sri Lanka, Ph.D. Memorial
Rucheng, T., B.Sc. Qingdao, M.A. Bordeaux
Saunders, P.A., B.A. Oberlin, M.A. Indiana, Ph.D. Georgia
Yaskowiak, E., B.Sc. Southampton, Ph.D. UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Research Associate
Shears, M., B.Sc. N.B., Ph.D. Memorial
Research Assistants
Jones, D., B.Sc. Saskatchewan
King, M.J., B.Sc. Memorial
Lee, S.H., B.Sc., M.Sc. Memorial
Short, C., B.Sc. Memorial
The Ocean Sciences Centre (OSC), with its recently constructed Aquaculture Research and Development Facility (ARDF), provides scientists at Memorial and other organizations with first-rate facilities for research in cold ocean sciences. In addition the OSC supports quality graduate education in a broad range of marine science and related disciplines. Located on the most eastern coast of Canada the centre lends itself to the shore-based study of cold ocean processes, and sub-arctic and arctic fauna and flora. Current research foci are aquaculture, biological and chemical oceanography, and fundamental principles of behaviour, biochemistry, and physiology that underwrite the first two themes. The OSC is a key player in AquaNet, Canada's first federal Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE) devoted to aquaculture. The OSC is an AquaNet Core Facility, as well as its Administrative Centre.
Located at Logy Bay, 9.6 km from the main campus, the OSC has an excellent unpolluted sea water supply that is the lifeline of the centre. There are 35 laboratories (22 provided with running seawater) and facilities for microscopy, histochemistry, analytical chemistry, radioisotope counting, physiological work, and standard analyses for oceanography. Large holding areas permit scientists to maintain a variety of marine organisms for long periods at ambient and controlled water temperatures. The Seal Research Facility offers research opportunities on North America's only population of captive harp seals. The Field Services Unit provides extensive resources for field studies including: diving facilities, a 12-meter coastal research, a tank truck for the transportation of live specimens, and a wide-range of oceanographic and collecting equipment.
The Logy Bay complex includes machine, woodworking and electronics shops, computer resource personnel, and a multimedia classroom. Desktop computers are linked to the mainframe cluster on campus, with high-resolution printing and graphics, and an image analysis system.
The ARDF provides state-of-the-art facilities designed to support research, training, pre-commercial production, and small-scale commercial trials, on alternative species for marine aquaculture. A critical component of the new 1400m2 facility is a sea water system designed to deliver high quality, temperature controlled, flow through and re-circulating water. There are areas for broodstock conditioning, hatchery and nursery operation, first-feeding, on-growing, and live food production. Currently under investigation are: Atlantic halibut, Atlantic cod, yellowtail flounder, witch flounder, wolffish and Atlantic salmon.
Research Themes
- Aquaculture nutrition and production
- Reproductive biology of finfish and molluscs
- Development and behavioral ecology of larval and juvenile fish
- Survival of marine organisms without oxygen
- Antifreeze proteins and cold adaptation in fish
- Biological production and the ecology of cold oceans
- Transport and fate of lipids in cold ocean ecosystems
- Physiology of feeding and digestion in marine invertebrates
- Marine biotechnology
- Fisheries oceanography
- Quantitative biology and population interactions
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