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Internationally renowned ocean engineer and former scientific advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama, Dr. Kate Moran is coming to the Mary Winspear April 18 to discuss Ocean Networks Canada’s (ONC) most recent initiative, Smart OceansTM.
The keynote presentation for the Canadian Federation of University Women’s 2015 conference, Dr. Moran’s talk, Discover the Ocean: Understand the Planet through the Internet-connected Ocean, will discuss how the Smart OceansTM program leverages the unique capabilities of ONC’s cabled ocean observatories to inform public and marine safety, and environmental monitoring.
Though that may sound like a mouthful, conference co-chair Donna Miller says that Dr. Moran’s lectures are engaging and without a lot of academic scientific jargon.
“She’s an excellent presenter,” said Miller. “She comes with a wealth of knowledge and she presents it in a very understandable way.”
Smart OceansTM is “about getting internet connection through the oceans so they can more accurately predict earthquakes and get us a lot more information about the ocean,” said Miller.
The theme of the whole CFUW conference is “Waves: Harnessing the Power,” she added, noting that there are four other workshops available that all touch on the theme in some way.
Dr. Leigh Anne Swayne is presenting her own take on waves, with her workshop, Brain Waves: Brain Health and Brain Repair.
Dr. Swayne, a neuroscientist, focuses on questions relating to brain development and repair. She will outline the basics of how the nervous system works as a whole, and then touch on the underlying causes of certain neurological diseases.
The assistant professor in the Division of Medical Sciences at the University of Victoria, one of Dr. Swayne’s main focuses is determining how to use new brain cells to repair brain injuries.
Other workshops at the conference include Colwood City Mayor Carol Hamilton’s The Politics of Going Green, Colwood’s Solar Project; Aboriginal Education Innovator Nella Nelson’s Riding the Waves of the Aboriginal Educational Journey; WatersBiomedical Owner Lori Waters’ Hopping on the 3D Wave; and The Seaweed Lady Diane Bernard’s Harvesting the Sea for Beauty and Health.
The conference begins at 12 p.m. Sat., April 18 at the Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave. in Sidney.
To register, visit cfuwsaanichpeninsula.org/public-registration-for-conference. Registration cutoff is April 8.
Cost is $35 for the keynote presentation and a buffet lunch, or $50 for the keynote presentation, buffet lunch, two workshop sessions and a coffee break.
No longer limited to university graduates, the CFUW now welcomes all women who are interested in lifelong learning.
For more information, visit cfuwsaanichpeninsula.org/2015-bc-conference/.