iMAGE-CREATE Fall Update: Program Highlights and IC Workshop 2023

iMAGE-CREATE Fall Update: Program Highlights and IC Workshop 2023

This year has proved to be a busy year for the trainees and affiliates of the iMAGE-CREATE Program! Below is a list of Program Highlights, showcasing the research training, technical skills training and professional networking events that the trainees and affiliates have taken part in.

 

Program Highlights

 

• 29 trainees received funding
• 42 affiliates participated in CREATE events and training
• 27 graduates (10 PhD, 8 MSc, 7 BSc, 2 post-graduate RA and PDF)

 

Since the beginning of the CREATE, the main training events have included:

 

• research training at sea (M1) – 23 students, average 7-8 per year
• field courses (M2) – 22 students, average 7 per year
• other field experiences (M2) – 10 students, average 3 per year
• capstone mapping projects (M3) – 13 students, average 4 per year
• work experiences and internships (M4) – 25 students, average 7-8 per year

 

• professional workshops and courses (PS1) – 5 events, average 1-2 per year
• seminars (PS2) – 36 events, average 10-12 per year
• showcase events (PS3), such as PDAC Student Minerals Colloquium – 1 per year
• technical training (TS1, TS2) – 26 events

 

Results have been presented in our annual iMAGE-CREATE Workshops (40-50 participants, 1 workshop per year).

 

In 2023, we added 6 new trainees (4 uOttawa, 1 Toronto, 1 Memorial) and 7 new affiliates (3 Carleton, 2 uOttawa, 2 Dalhousie).

 

Training at Sea

 

2023 has been a “watershed” year for students getting experience at sea, which is one of the main gaols of the CREATE.  We supported student participation on 4 research cruises in the last 6 months, involving 16 iMAGE-CREATE participants.  This included:

• R/V Island Venture deployments in Halifax for the sea trials of the NSFI ocean-bottom seismometers. 4 CREATE students participated with support of charter time from iMAGE-CREATE.
• R/V Sonne SO-299 cruise to PNG in June-July.  3 iMAGE-CREATE participants from Toronto and uOttawa joined the expedition.
• R/V Falkor (too) research cruise of Schmidt Ocean to the Azores in July-August.  3 iMAGE-CREATE participants from Toronto joined the cruise.
• R/V Falkor (too) research cruise to the eastern Pacific in October-November.  9 iMAGE-CREATE participants will join the expedition, led by John Jamieson.  We will have ship-to-shore training events (live from the seafloor) for all iMAGE-CREATE students and affiliates.

 

Modular Courses

 

In June-August, iMAGE-CREATE Program Coordinator Erin Bethell delivered our first Terrane Mapping School, as a complement to the GEOMAR-CREATE Seafloor Mapping School held during October 17-28 last year.  The training focused on Remote Predictive Mapping (RPM) techniques, with add-on technical workshops in GIS.  15 CREATE students participated from Toronto, Memorial, Carleton, and Ottawa.  Each student delivered a Capstone Mapping Project as part of the August field school in Iceland.

 

Field Schools

 

Two field schools were held in August and September:

• A 10-day Iceland Field Course (August 2023) was led by Brian Cousens and Erin Bethell. This was a unique opportunity to present the Capstone Mapping Projects of 15 attendees in the field.
• The Annual Southern Superior Field School was held in late August – early September with 2 CREATE participants from Carleton and Memorial University.

 

Workshops and Skills Training Events

 

Three iMAGE-CREATE workshops and skills training events were held:

• 4 students from uOttawa and Dalhousie visited the National Facility for Seismological Investigations (NFSI-CREATE) and training workshop in marine seismology in Halifax in May.
• 4 students from uOttawa participated in Wilderness First Aid training held in May.
• 9 iMAGE-CREATE personnel will take the STCW Sea Safety Training in Halifax in September.  This is now an annual event required for trainees going to sea.

 

Professional Networking

 

PDAC in March was attended by 16 iMAGE-CREATE students, affiliates, and co-PIs.  11 students presented at the Student Minerals Colloquium, which is now a landmark event on the PDAC calendar.

 

Conferences

 

iMAGE-CREATE convened a special session of GAC-MAC in Sudbury in May on the topic of “Advances in Marine Geology and Geodynamics and their Applications to Understanding Ancient Metallogenic Terranes”. Keynote presentations were made by Chris Galley and Erin Bethell.  7 CREATE members attended GAC-MAC and made individual presentations.

 

Coming Up

 

We will hold our annual Fall 2023 iMAGE-CREATE Workshop this coming Monday, Dec. 18^th, from 1-4:30 pm EDT.  Instructions will follow, and we look forward to a great turnout.