the
veil of secrets
Annie Mercier, a researcher with the Faculty of Science, is engaged in a mission to extend the
frontiers of science in deep-sea biology, an area that has seen little exploration. She has taken it
upon herself to lift that veil of secrecy. The technology now exists that can make this adventurous
exploration possible — exciting news, considering there are likely millions of species yet to
be discovered. Much to the delight of our crafty heroine, Memorial was awarded more than $16 million
in federal-provincial funding to expand and enhance the Ocean Sciences Centre, including a new
research facility with equipment, laboratories and a cold-water holding tank for the specialized study
of invasive species, deepwater organisms and unknown marine diseases. This immense expansion
will go a long way in attracting and retaining others who, like our heroine, share this passion.
We celebrate Annie's bravery, as she boldly goes where no researcher has gone before.
SEA.
THE FINAL FRONTIER.
FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH MYSTERY. ORGANISMS
SO SMALL THAT NO SINGLE LENS IS POWERFUL
ENOUGH TO REVEAL THEIR SHAPE.
SCHOOLS OF COLOURFUL CREATURES
THAT FLITTER THROUGH THE IMMENSE
WEIGHT OF THE SALTED WATER.
WE KNOW CREATURES EXIST, BUT WE
DON'T TRULY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE.
THE OCEAN IS SHROUDED
IN A VEIL OF SECRETS.
HAVE YOU HEARD THE TALE OF THE TAMARACK?
THE TAMARACK TREE STANDS AS A BEACON OF
SHELTER AND A FRIEND TO ALL ON THE LAND.
HOWEVER, THAT HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE.
LEGEND HAS IT THAT ONE DAY DURING A
GREAT SQUALL, A FLOCK OF WHIPPOORWILLS
FLYING TOWARDS THE SOUTH WERE REFUSED
SHELTER BY THE TAMARACK.
THE TREE, CAPTIVATED BY ITS OWN VANITY, TURNED THE BIRDS AWAY, FORCING THEM
TO CONTINUE THEIR LONG FLIGHT IN THE FRIGID AIR. SUPORGUKSOAK, THE SPIRIT WHO
WATCHES OVER THE LAND, WITNESSED THE TRANSGRESSION AND PUNISHED THE TREE
BY REMOVING ITS NEEDLES. EMBARRASSED BY THE DISPLAY OF ITS IGNORANCE, THE TREE
SUFFERED THROUGH THE COLD DAYS AND NIGHTS THAT FOLLOWED. LEARNING FROM ITS
PAST, THE TAMARACK MADE A PLEDGE TO ALWAYS BE A BROTHER TO THE SOUTHERN INUIT.
Like the Tamarack, our awareness of the past is what helps us grow. Time is not
always an enemy.
The dynamic Lisa Rankin leads a team, along with Hans Rollman, John Kennedy
and Mario Blaser, who are travelling back in time. Work has begun on a five-year
project entitled "Understanding the Past to Build the Future." With a focus
on the Inuit occupation of Southern Labrador, our intrepid team is collecting
and analyzing evidence of Inuit-European interactions, documenting cultural
changes, and bringing the history of the Southern Inuit into the present day.
This collaborative venture links two universities with a multitude of community
partners and a veritable cornucopia of graduate students. One of the many
outcomes of this study will be the incorporation of new information into the
school curricula in Southern Labrador, and to materials used to improve adult
literacy. The relationships and knowledge-sharing between the universities and
the community partners will increasingly enrich Southern Inuit culture — future
students will continue to celebrate their rich cultural history. This project has
brought Memorial students to the farthest reaches of Southern Labrador.
To explore. To learn. And by doing so, it is ensuring the next generation of
extraordinary researchers.
Like the Tamarack towering above all the other treetops, history not only helps
the people of Southern Labrador understand the past, it is preparing them for
the days yet to come.
AND THAT, CHILDREN, IS THE
LEGEND OF THE TAMARACK…
A lot has changed in the past twenty years. It's time to prepare for the twenty
to come.
Memorial understands this, and is making great strides in attracting people like
Gracie, who long to make an impact. That is why they have joined forces with
multiple organizations to create a program dedicated to technological research.
The NSERC CREATE Training Program for Offshore Technology Research is allowing
students like Gracie to make themselves into highly qualified personnel who can
thrive in the continually expanding offshore industry. The program is nurturing
the transition from new trainee to employee, while also offering graduates an
opportunity to take specialized courses and focus their research in four thematic
areas: floating structures, mooring lines and risers, corrosion material engineering
and subsea systems. Importantly, students are able to apply their academic prowess
and advance their intellectual skills in a four-month internship with an industrial or
research partner.
This program is giving people like Gracie the opportunity to explore far beyond
the surface of the sea.
ADVENTUROUS ENGINEERING STUDENT
GRACIE WATTS STANDS AT THE EDGE OF THE
NORTH ATLANTIC, HER RAGLAN BLOWING IN
THE CRISP NORTHERN GALE.
AT NIGHT SHE HAS DREAMS OF THE WATER. THE
SAME WATER HER FATHER SAILED WHEN SHE WAS A
CHILD. THE SAME WATER THAT SAW THE WIDESPREAD
UPHEAVAL OF BOATS OVER TWENTY YEARS AGO.
NOW, SHE STANDS ON ITS PRECIPICE
AND YEARNS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Aboriginal Peoples
Research under this theme relates to the pre-history and history of Aboriginal peoples, as well
as to contemporary issues and opportunities in Newfoundland and Labrador, nationally and
internationally.
Key research areas include education, languages, society, culture, human rights, gender, literature,
religion, ethics, politics, and social and economic development; contemporary issues
around resource development, land claims, climate change, health, physical activity, and community
development; indigenous expressive culture; youth engagement relating to social policy,
social participation and youth programs; Northern Labrador climate change, resource development,
transportation, new national parks, and collaboration with the Nunatsiavut Government;
and traditional knowledge of Aboriginal peoples and its relation to contemporary issues.
Arctic and Northern Regions
Research under this theme relates to people and communities, environment and resources, approaches
and technologies for sustainable resource development, and land, ocean and coastal
zones in arctic and northern regions.
Key research areas include northern peoples and their languages, society, culture and communities;
regional, national and international governance mechanisms such as environmental regulations and the Law of the Sea; distance education, telecommunications and
learning technologies
and their implications for northern peoples; technologies for and management of natural
resource development, transportation, safety and survival, and health care and emergency
response in harsh, remote locations; the geography and ecology of northern marine, terrestrial
and ice environments; climate change and its impacts, significant resource developments, and
assertion of Canadian sovereignty in the north; land claims, environmental assessment, transportation,
and northern and remote infrastructure; economic and regulatory models and best
practices to maximize benefits from resource developments.
Community, Regional and Enterprise Development
Research under this theme relates to building capacity of people, organizations, communities,
industries, and enterprises to foster social and economic prosperity and development in rural
and urban communities, neighbourhoods and regions.
Key research areas include influences affecting economic development and social well-being;
the role of education, community health, and social policy and their impact on empowerment of
individuals and groups in communities; land use, drinking water, waste management, transportation
planning, affordable housing, and labour market development; economic diversification,
new business development and improved business practices; impact of climate change, aging
populations, migration and immigration on communities and regions; and rural-urban and localglobal
interaction, regional cooperation and governance, and innovation in policy and service
delivery.
Creative Arts, Culture and Heritage
Research related to creative production and expression; curation and interpretation; and archaeological,
historical, ethnographic and archival research in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
and internationally.
Key research areas include the arts; all forms of creative production and expression (drama, music
and sound, visual, performance, literature); education to preserve and strengthen culture and
build identity; performance pedagogy; tangible cultural heritage; intangible cultural heritage,
including language and music; cultural industries; history (Newfoundland, maritime, Canadian,
and European); expressive determinants of society and individual identity; contemporary and
historical creative activity; the use of new media and technologies in the ongoing production of
art, culture and heritage; interdisciplinary research in music, health and well-being, in music and
engineering; the use of creative expression to critique understandings of culture and society.
Environment, Energy and Natural Resources
Research related to the environment, development of natural resources (oil and gas, mining,
forestry), and the interaction of people, industry, and communities with the natural world, locally,
nationally and globally.
Key research areas include human interactions with climate change and environmental impacts;
energy efficiency; resource economics; cultural perceptions of the environment; environmental
science; wildlife, marine, land, habitat resource and waste management; plant and forestry science;
environmental engineering and sustainability; cellular and molecular biology and marine
sciences; energy industry economics and policy; health, safety and survival in the oil and gas industry;
harsh environment engineering, ocean observation systems; petroleum reservoir characterization
and exploration geophysics; sustainable and alternative energy solutions; reclamation
of non-renewable resource developments; social and economic benefits of the nonextractive
values of natural resources; watersheds and water quality business opportunities, public policy,
legal issues and regulatory regimes.
Governance and Public Policy
Research related to organizational and corporate governance, public policy and the relationships
amongst governments and non-government organizations. Corporate governance consists of
the collection of rules, processes, and practices that determine the relationship between managers
of an organization and those who have a stake in the organization's performance, including
shareholders, creditors, employees, customers, and society at large. Governance, more broadly,
includes how government bodies develop and implement public policy, and how governments
relate to non-governmental organizations in the shared allocation of decision-making and resources
for achieving public policy purposes.
Key research areas include auditing, taxation, finance, leadership and corporate social responsibility;
public and collective decision making in economic policy (including policy and governance
arrangements relating to specific economic sectors, as well as to cross-cutting areas such
as fiscal and monetary policy and trade policy), social policy (including health, education, and
social services), cultural policy, environmental policy, defence policy and other policy fields; legal
studies across all policy fields; local, regional and federal systems, as well as multilateral and
international governance relationships and organizations; immigration and population change;
land-use and urban planning; and food security.
Information and Communication Technology
Research related to the theoretical foundations of information and communication technology
(ICT), the design and deployment of ICT in a variety of settings, and the evaluation of the use of
ICT and its impact on individuals, organizations, and society. It involves research into the study
and design of systems that capture, store, transmit, process, and use information in a manner
that is efficient, accurate, reliable, secure, profitable, and responsible.
Key research areas include foundational and design areas, including algorithms and complexity,
data management, software engineering, computational modeling, computer networks, and
intelligent computing; ICT impact, including telemedicine, distance education and e-learning
technology, electronic commerce, and privacy; geographic information systems, autonomous
ocean systems; managing (storing, retrieving, filtering, and processing) the vast amounts of
data collected by businesses and other organizations using web-based and sensor-based data
collection (data collection includes scientific, health, pharmaceutical, commercial, geographic,
and social network data, remote sensing, communication networks, information technologies, and
computational modeling; it spans traditional structured databases and unstructured text); electronic
health service delivery in remote areas of the province (including tele-oncology, tele-psychiatry,
tele-video resuscitation) and innovative interactive teaching programs for remote areas (i.e., electronic
continuing medical education - MD.cme); and cultural and social impacts of ICT.
Oceans, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Research related to the maritime environment, the interaction of coastal people and communities
with the ocean and maritime environment, and the scientific, technological and organizational
requirements of industrial development in this environment, particularly relating to conditions in
the North Atlantic. Fishery and aquaculture, more specifically, include fresh water and marine fish
biology and environments and scientific, technological and organizational aspects of fishery and
aquaculture industry development, and their related social, community, environmental and public
policy characteristics.
Key research areas include cultures and societies around the North Atlantic Rim, and how they
interact with the ocean and ocean industries, including economic and political agreements and
relationships; technologies for natural resource development, transportation, and safety and survival
in harsh, remote locations, and the geography and ecology of North Atlantic marine, terrestrial
and ice environments; fundamental research in biology, ecology, environmental science, and
ocean science; climate change; fisheries conservation and resource management; aquaculture and
seafood development; food processing technology and processes to support industry development;
research related to the people, organizations, history, economics and policies pertaining to
fisheries and aquaculture; deep water and harsh environment marine and petroleum activity; and
business development and marketing associated with fisheries and oceans industries.
Social Justice
Research related to systems and structures that contribute to more humane, equitable and just
societies. Its focus is on building the capacity and enabling the civic engagement of vulnerable
populations, locally, nationally and internationally, whose voices are seldom heard in addressing
the barriers to their well-being and full participation in society.
Key research areas include immigration, citizenship and labour market inclusion, and poverty
reduction; empowerment of individuals through education, community health approaches, access
to medical care and services, and child and family welfare; interdisciplinary aspects of diversity,
difference, equity and ethics; labour relations, social and working class history, gender equality
and sexuality; the impact of poverty on individual and community development in urban and
rural neighbourhoods and communities; homelessness, affordable housing, and poverty; citizen
engagement in communities, and how education is valued (to help explain the low rate of high
school graduation); mental health, aging, social development, and disabilities issues; national and
international social justice issues; and corporate social responsibility.
Well-being, Health and Biomedical Discovery
Research related to improvement of health and well-being through building research and knowledge
provincially, nationally and internationally especially for the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador in areas of unique provincial need and opportunity.
Key research areas include genetics research that addresses both the need and opportunity
presented by the founder population characteristics of the province (genealogy, community and
population health, ethics and health policy development, as well as specific bio-molecular research
and clinical care innovation); health services and health policy research as well as research related
to special medical, nursing and other health professional education that respond to the province's
aging, rural, northern and aboriginal populations and distinctive workforces; research related to
efficient and accessible health care systems, and effective public health programs and policies and
healthy and safe work places; biomedical sciences ranging from cellular and molecular processes
to animal and cell modeling that respond to the province's high incidence of diseases such as
obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease; multinational clinical trials of drug and device interventions;
health promotion, public health, health policy, disease prevention and chronic disease
management; and healthy aging.
