ST. JOHN'S, NL, Nov. 22, 2012 /CNW/ - Building on Newfoundland and
Labrador's growing reputation as a centre of excellence for ocean
industries research and innovation, the Research & Development
Corporation (RDC) has announced the 2012 recipients of its Ocean
Industries Student Research Awards, a competitive program aimed at
fostering the next generation of research and development (R&D)
leaders.
Twenty-one post-secondary students at Memorial University of
Newfoundland - six doctoral, 12 masters and three undergraduate
students - as well as their research supervisors are receiving a total
of $866,333 towards their research projects. RDC's investment is
supporting student researchers who are focusing in strategic areas such
as offshore petroleum engineering, geoscience, ocean engineering, ocean
technology including marine transport, fisheries, aquaculture, and
other areas such as marine science that support R&D, innovation and the
commercialization of ocean technologies or natural resource
development. The awards range in value from $7,500 per year for
undergraduate research to $20,000 to $30,000 per year at the graduate
level.
"Newfoundland and Labrador is recognized around the world for its
facilities and technical expertise when it comes to oceans-related
research," said the Honourable Keith Hutchings, Minister Responsible
for RDC. "Through this unique awards competition, RDC is providing
critical financial support to young innovators conducting important
industry-relevant research that will advance their skills and
knowledge."
This year, students from Memorial University's Faculty of Science,
Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, the Marine Institute and
School of Human Kinetics and Recreation are receiving awards.
"The students and supervisors we are recognizing today will help to
ensure that Memorial University remains at the forefront of
ocean-related research and training - expertise which is in demand
around the world," said the Honourable Joan Shea, Minister of Advanced
Education and Skills. "From the future of offshore oil and gas
resources, to the development of aquaculture, these awards are also an
investment in Newfoundland and Labrador, as we develop the skilled and
innovative workforce required to ensure the sector's continued
success."
The winners were announced last night during a reception on Memorial's
St. John's campus.
"Our physical environment has presented both technical challenges and
development opportunities, where R&D and innovation have enabled our
companies and institutions to develop technical expertise that can be
deployed globally," said Glenn Janes, CEO, RDC. "RDC is proud to invest
in the work of these students who are drawing upon our province's rich
natural resources to advance research that will positively impact
future economic growth."
Dr. Gary Kachanoski, President and Vice-chancellor of Memorial
University, said the awards program is fostering the next generation of
researchers needed to sustain Newfoundland and Labrador's ocean
industries.
"Memorial University is indelibly shaped by our proximity to the North
Atlantic, and it has created tremendous opportunities for our faculty
and students," said Dr. Kachanoski. "Our assets are enormous and our
areas of expertise vast. These awards will help our students as they
continue to conduct leading-edge research related to ocean industries
with creativity, passion and tenacity. And in doing so, they are
cementing our goal of becoming Canada's oceans university."
The Ocean Industries Student Research Awards is open to post-secondary
students in Newfoundland and Labrador, across Canada and
internationally, enrolled in science, engineering and technology
programs that have an interest in pursuing research in the province's
growing ocean industries sector. The awards are open to students
interested in pursuing their studies and conducting leading-edge
research at Memorial University of Newfoundland, its Marine Institute,
or College of North Atlantic.
Selection for the awards is through a competitive process, based on
strong academic achievement, the technical merits of their proposed
research plan and the relevance of the research to Newfoundland and
Labrador's ocean industries. RDC makes the final selection of award
recipients with advice of its research awards committee, which is made
up of stakeholders from business, government and academia.
The students receiving this year's funding, as well as descriptions of
their projects, are included in the backgrounder of this release.
In October 2012, RDC announced details of its fourth Ocean Industries
Student Research Awards competition. The deadline for applications is
February 7, 2013. Guidelines, additional information and applications
can be found online at www.rdc.org.
The Research & Development Corporation (RDC) is a provincial Crown
corporation responsible for improving Newfoundland and Labrador's R&D
performance. RDC works with R&D stakeholders including business,
academia and government agencies and departments. In Budget 2012:
People and Prosperity - Responsible Investments for a Secure Future,
RDC was allocated $19 million to make strategic research and
development related investments in people, research opportunities and
infrastructure. For more information about RDC, go to www.rdc.org.
BACKGROUNDER
2012 Recipients of RDC's Ocean Industries Student Research Awards
Offshore Petroleum Engineering
- Nathan Brazil, Master of Engineering Candidate, Faculty of Engineering
and Applied Science
Oil dispersant system for fixed wing aerial platform
- Kshama Sundar Roy, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Engineering and Applied
Science
Integrity of offshore pipelines: Finite element analysis using an
advanced soil constitutive model and physical modeling using
geotechnical centrifuge
- Ali Dawood, Master of Engineering Candidate, Faculty of Engineering and
Applied Science
Failure analysis of subsea pipeline in harsh environment
Ocean Engineering
- Mohammed Raju Hossain, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Engineering and Applied
Science
Autonomous landing model of "Quadrotor" UAVs on a dynamically moving
platform
- Bernard Ryan, Master of Engineering Candidate, Faculty of Engineering
and Applied Science
High frequency surface wave radar applied to ocean remote sensing
- Gholamreza Shomalnasab, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Engineering and
Applied Science
Versatile nanometer - Technology-based fish tags for smart fish
telemetry
- Michael Royle, Bachelor of Engineering Student, Faculty of Engineering
and Applied Science
Investigation of sea-echo properties of frequency modulated continuous
wave radar
- Robert Gash, Bachelor of Engineering Student, Faculty of Engineering and
Applied Science
Development and implementation of software products and hardware for the
assessment of risk for ocean vessel passenger discomfort and injury
- Jiaqi An, Master of Engineering Candidate, Faculty of Engineering and
Applied Science
Development of the algorithms for extracting sea surface current and
wave information by X-band marine navigation radar
- David Bradbury-Squires, Master of Science Candidate, School of Human
Kinetics and Recreation
Fatigue and learning in simulated ocean environments
- Yi Zhang, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
Advancing MIMO-OFDM underwater acoustic communications using compressed
sensing and coding
- Ahmed Abouhussien, Master of Engineering Candidate, Faculty of
Engineering and Applied Science
Durability and corrosion resistance of high performance concrete in
offshore structures
- Mingxi Zhou, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
The design and development of an autonomous iceberg draft measurement
and profiling system
Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Science
- Kathleen Woolridge, Master of Science Candidate, Department of
Chemistry, Faculty of Science
Polysiloxane materials synthesis for marine antifouling and
anticorrosion coatings
- Truong Nguyen, PhD Candidate, Environmental Science, Faculty of Science
Development of seabed friendly bottom trawls
- Xi Xue, Master of Science in Aquaculture Candidate, Faculty of Science
Microarray-based global gene expression analyses of skeletal muscle and
liver tissues from Atlantic cod and Atlantic salmon fed diets
containing camelina by-products
- Daria Gallardi, Master of Science in Aquaculture Candidate, Marine
Institute
An investigation of the lipid and fatty acid composition of the blue
mussel, Mytilus edulis with reference to palatability and taste during conditions of extended
holding
- Khoshrooz Kazemi, Master of Engineering Candidate, Faculty of
Engineering and Applied Science
Biosurfactant production from fish waste in Newfoundland and Labrador
- Andrew Murphy, Master of Science Candidate, Department of Biology,
Faculty of Science
Turbot potting: Regaining small vessel (35' fleet) access to the turbot
fishery while conserving the snow crab resource
Geoscience
- Marina Joury, Bachelor of Science Student, Department of Earth Science,
Faculty of Science
Influence of native sea cucumber Cucumaria frandosa on sediment mineralogy and texture
- Lucia (Lucy) Newton, Master of Science Candidate, Department of Earth
Sciences, Faculty of Science
Chemical and physical characteristics of Western Newfoundland source
rocks - Are there hydrocarbons out there?
SOURCE: Research & Development Corporation