Training Requirements & Academic Evaluation

iMAGE-CREATE is a partnership of 5 Canadian universities (University Ottawa, Carleton University, University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, and Memorial University of Newfoundland). Ten lead investigators in geodynamics and georesources are working with more than 30 co-investigators and collaborators from across Canada and overseas to deliver significant components of the program.

Currently, there are 37 Student Members and Affiliates at Canadian institutions in the iMAGE-CREATE. They include 21 graduate students who are directly supported by the CREATE (9 PhDs, 9 MSc, and 3 BSc) and 16 affiliated students who participate in CREATE activities and training (11 PhDs, 3 MSc, and 2 PDFs). Canadian students are also joined by more than 20 PhD students supervised by collaborators in Germany and other European centers.

iMAGE-CREATE is a collaboration with the Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR), University of Kiel (CAU), GeoZentrum Nordbayern at Friedrich-Alexander Universität (FAU), and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR). With these partners, iMAGE graduates have unprecedented access to training in marine geodynamics and georesources and unique opportunities to explore different dimensions of this research on land and at sea. They are working in teams with other students outside their home universities and acquiring professional skills that are directly transferrable to the Natural Resources and Energy sectors. In particular, the PIs and their students are also active in many government geoscience programs, such as NRCan’s Geomapping for Energy and Mineral Resources and Targeted Geoscience Initiatives. NRCan scientists work directly with iMAGE trainees.

Technical training focuses on the following activities:

1) Seafloor Mapping School

2) Terrane Mapping School

3) Capstone Mapping Project

4) “At Sea” experience

5) “In the Field” experience

6) “Live from the Seafloor” exercises

7) “Virtual Seafloor” exercises

8) “Virtual Core Library” exercises

9) Modular courses

10) Seminars, workshops, lecture series

11) Mobility experience (exchange or internship)

Where appropriate to their programs, students are able to substitute, e.g., sea-going training with 3-4 week internships in industry or other non-academic settings. Placements are arranged by the PIs and are credited to students’ programs accordingly.