OERA Funds Nova Scotia Student’s Research Travel

OERA Funds Nova Scotia Student’s Research Travel

Offshore Energy Research Association (OERA) announced that the OERA Student Research Travel Program has provided four Nova Scotia students the opportunity to travel to the USA, Canada and Ireland to conduct their thesis research in the fields of marine renewable energy and offshore geosciences.

The September 2013 Student Research Travel Program award recipients are:

  •  Matthew Baker, Department of Biology at Acadia University will be conducting tests in marine acoustic technology for use in estimating fish densities to advance understanding how tidal turbines could potentially affect fish behaviour at the University of Maine;
  • Sonja Bhatia, Department of Earth Sciences at Dalhousie University and in conjunction with Saint Francis Xavier University, will be undertaking research at specialized test facilities to further advance the development of fibre optic gas sensors for use offshore at the University of Victoria, BC;
  • Stephanie Maillet, Department of Economics at Dalhousie University, will be researching European perspectives on the economic impacts and feasibility of tidal energy development at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; and
  • Jing Tao, Department of Oceanography at Dalhousie University, will be studying and receiving instruction on the use of optical properties to quantify and characterize oceanic particulate materials at the University of Maine.

 “The Student Research Travel Program is a valuable asset that OERA can offer students who are interested in traveling to conduct new and exciting research, which has the potential to contribute to Nova Scotia’s offshore geoscience and emerging marine renewable energy sectors,” commented OERA Executive Director Stephen Dempsey. “Promoting students and the work they are doing is instrumental to the continued growth of our industry and plays a huge role in being able to provide students with diverse career opportunities that have the potential to benefit Nova Scotia and our role within the energy sector in the future.”

The Student Research Travel Program was established on the basis of cultivating collaborations between Nova Scotia researchers and Canadian and international research facilities or laboratories which leads back to the advancement of Nova Scotia’s offshore energy sector. The program is open to full-time senior honours and graduate students enrolled at a Nova Scotia based university, who are conducting research in the areas of marine renewable energy or offshore geosciences.

Press release, October 11, 2013; Image: oera