Dalhousie shows its support for shipbuilding

At Dalhousie, you can walk up the six flights of stairs in our Life Sciences Centre to an atrium and enjoy breathtaking views of the ocean. In one direction is the Northwest Arm, where long ago tall ships slipped into Halifax Harbour. Further over, are the naval dockyards and shipyards—strategic infrastructure during the Second World War and fueling our economy still today. And beyond is the Atlantic, stretching out as far as the eye can see.

From the top of the Life Sciences Centre, you can also look down on progress to Dal’s new Oceans Excellence Centre, which will house Halifax Marine Research Institute, the Oceans Tracking Network and the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Ocean Science and Technology. Fitting for a university located just 300 metres from the ocean, we have more than 100 faculty members engaged in oceans research—encompassing the sciences, law, engineering and management.

The Halifax Marine Research Institute, envisioned as a catalyst for innovation, officially set sail during Dalhousie Oceans Week. Could this collaborative body exist anywhere else? Nowhere but Halifax would you find such a collection of diverse expertise focusing on our oceans.

Through the Halifax Marine Research Institute, a dream has come alive with a unique alliance of researchers, post-secondary institutions, companies and government departments. By linking academic and public sector research with oceans industries, the HMRI seeks to generate long-term economic benefits for the province and the region.

And now we are on the cusp of something much bigger— a monumental step forward as represented by Irving Shipbuilding and its bid for one of the two National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy contracts. Irving Shipbuilding represents the best of Atlantic business: it has invested in its infrastructure, its skilled and specialized workforce and has a proven track record of delivering quality.

Dalhousie has a talent for bringing people together. We have helped make this region a knowledge powerhouse and the post secondary education network here plays a key role in building the region’s economy. We look forward to the opportunity to work closely with the Irving Shipyards on common research concerns and educational and career opportunities for students graduating from Dalhousie.

Tom Traves,
President, Dalhousie University

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