WAY BACK THEN, WESTWARD TO WAGONS,
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN FOLKS WEREN'T
TOO WORRIED ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT.
THERE WERE NO SKYSCRAPERS OR CARS
OR THEM FLYING MACHINES IN THE
SKIES. THERE WAS JUST NATURE.
FLASH FORWARD 100 YEARS AND NATURE
IS BEING INFRINGED UPON FASTER THAN
A JACKRABBIT GALLOPING DOWN PAT
MURPHY'S MEADOW. AND THAT ISN'T
GOOD FOR ANYBODY.
Folks at Grenfell Campus are finding ways to make a difference.
High atop the jagged Corner Brook hillside at Memorial's Grenfell Campus, something
momentous has happened. There has been a coming together of professors, researchers
and community folks alike. I'm talking about the Environmental Policy Institute (EPI). This
beneficent band of experts dedicated to research and analysis are moseying about their
business of researching and analyzing. Led by Wade Bowers, these folks are dedicated to
focusing on important issues like climate change, energy, food security and forest policy.
Why, they're even collaborating to develop the very first Environmental Atlas of Newfoundland
and Labrador.
Folks in the EPI aren't interested in having their glory in the sun, they're interested in making
sure they see us all to another sunset somewhere down the dusty trail. And for all that work, I
give them a tip of my hat, and if I could, I'd buy them all an ice-cold sarsaparilla, or maybe just
fetch them some fresh water from a mountain spring.
THE SEA ISN'T ALWAYS PREDICTABLE.
IT TAKES A NIMBLE MIND TO CHART A
COURSE OVER THE BRINE. KNOWING
THE INFORMATION IS ONLY A SMALL
PART OF LIFE ON THE WATER.
NAVIGATING THE WATER REQUIRES YOUR
ENTIRE BODY AND FULL ATTENTION — THE
MEMORY OF BOTH MIND AND MUSCLE.
TECHNOLOGY CAN GENERATE THE
IMAGES OF THE SEA, BUT IT CANNOT
REPRODUCE THE WIND IN YOUR FACE,
THE SPRAY IN YOUR MOUTH OR THE
FORCE OF A ROLLING WAVE.
The Marine Institute's Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research (CFER) aims to give young
scientists a taste of the sea.
The goal of CFER is to achieve a better understanding of the sustainability of fish stocks and the
productivity of the province's marine ecosystem through fisheries research. With a five-finned
faculty focus on fisheries and the sustainability of stocks, research and training opportunities to
graduate students, both locally and internationally, collaboration with the Department of Fisheries
and Aquaculture, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and other researchers and institutions in Canada
and abroad, CFER is poised to make a definitive difference in the deep. It is only fitting that a
magnificant marine mandate such as this be carried out in one of the world's most technologically
advanced vessels. Chartered by CFER, the RV Celtic Explorer will not only enable and echo the
work of established researchers, but will attract and inspire young scientists within the world of
fisheries science.
Young scientists rarely have the opportunity to experience research and life at sea. CFER provides
these research minnows with a whale of an opportunity aboard the RV Celtic Explorer.
A RESEARCHER STANDS HUNCHED AND WAITING.
PLAYING PEEK-A-BOO WITH THE SEA.
PEERING BENEATH THE RIPPLES AT THE
SHAPES THAT WHIZ PAST IN A FRENETIC
DANCE OF FRANTIC FRENZY.
COLOURS THAT SHINE BRIGHTER THAN FLAME ARE COUNTERBALANCED
BY WHAT APPEAR TO BE SOME OF THE MOST HASTILY PUT TOGETHER
CREATURES IMAGINABLE. A SWEET SMORGASBORD OF VARIABILITY
WHEELING AND TWISTING IN THE FREEDOM OF THE SEA.
ONE VOICE STANDS READY TO SPEAK.
On October 4, 2010, marine explorers from more than 80 countries delivered an historic first —
the global Census of Marine Life.
One of our own stepped forward to courageously lead the assembly and reporting of the
census results. That man was Paul Snelgrove. In one of the largest scientific collaborations ever
conducted, more than 2,700 exceptional scientists spent over 9,000 days at sea on more than
540 expeditions, plus countless days in labs and archives. This past year, the team celebrated their
triumphs by releasing maps, three landmark books and a highlights summary that crown a decade
of discovery. In July, Paul strapped on his cape and flew to Edinburgh, Scotland, to deliver the
team's findings at the world-renowned TEDGlobal 2011.
Paul and his charismatic crew of the deep are thrilled by the results. Now everyone can appreciate
the beautiful oddities that dwell beneath the waves.
THERE IS A CONFESSION TO BE
MADE NOW THAT WE'VE NEARED
THE END OF OUR JOURNEY.
I'M NOT MUCH FOR VIDEO GAMES. WHEN I
WAS A CHILD… WE HAD SAND. THAT IS ALL
WE HAD. WE'D JUST SIT IN BOXES FULL OF
SAND AND BUILD CASTLES WITH BUCKETS.
NOW YOU CAN MAKE WHATEVER YOU WANT INSIDE OF A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT THAT YOU CAN
CONTROL WITH YOUR OWN BODY. THE IDEA HAS TRANSCENDED SIMPLE GAMEPLAY AND MOVED INTO
THE PRAXIS OF REAL LIFE. AND NOT A SINGLE BUCKET HAS BEEN NECESSARY.
Virtual safety is saving lives.
This innovative inter-faculty collaboration is developing virtual environments for the offshore
petroleum and shipping industries. The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and the
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation may seem, at first blush, to make odd bedfellows.
However, experts from these two units have joined forces in a project that is refining the
technologies and virtual environments that train workers to improve both safety and survivability
on the treacherous waters of the world's oceans. To this end, Scott MacKinnon and Brian Veitch are
leading an experienced multi-disciplinary research and development team based at Memorial. The
research team is partnering with Virtual Marine Technology Inc. to move prototypes of emergency
response training simulators to commercially ready production systems. Our geographic and
historic connections to the harsh ocean environment around us make this super-simulated
initiative a natural direction for Memorial University.
We're proud to be a real part of this virtual journey.
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.
