Dalhousie’s Aquatron Laboratory, housed in the Steele Ocean Sciences Building, is set up for hands-on learning. The research facility includes multiple pool tanks – or ‘mini oceans’ – with temperature-controlled seawater. Here, students learn how to measure, monitor and assess ocean conditions before moving to the field.
Student Maddie Harlow is full of enthusiasm when describing her first year in Dalhousie University's new and unique B.Sc. of Oceans Sciences program. A global leader in oceans studies, the Halifax university launched Canada's first undergraduate degree program in this expanding scientific field in September 2013.
"I took an amazing course called "Conversations with Ocean Scientists," Ms. Harlow says. "Every week, a different ocean researcher came to our class to talk about their projects and the impacts of their research in the real world. I was so impressed with their passion, and I learned about the many ways you could use this degree – because in ocean science, there are so many disciplines working together."
The program incorporates four ocean-related sciences: biology, chemistry, physics and geology. "Besides being interdisciplinary, the program is integrative, which means we use a variety of approaches to solving problems," says Paul Hill, a professor in Dalhousie's Department of Oceanography. "Technology is also critical. Ocean sciences are advancing rapidly in this area, and we're striving to educate students to both use the latest technologies and take part in their development."
"Besides being interdisciplinary, the program is integrative, which means
we use a variety of approaches to
solving problems."
- Paul Hill
is a professor at Dalhousie University's Department
of Oceanography
The teaching methods are also leading-edge, engaging students in the types of experiential learning traditionally reserved for those in graduate programs. To this end, second-year students build a "mini-ocean" in Dalhousie's unique Aquatron Facility, with temperature-controlled seawater plumbing and multiple pool tanks. "That's followed up by our summer field school, where students go out onto the ocean off Halifax, deploying the same instruments they used in the Aquatron tank," says Dr. Hill.
Another unique feature is a required course on marine management and policy, he adds. "Student surveys showed that young people want to understand the relevance of their science. They recognize the importance of ocean resources and the impact on climate – and that the oceans are under threat."
The post-graduation options for participants are plentiful, from graduate degrees and more advanced research, to work in fields that include ocean resources, technology development, and environmental monitoring and prediction.
Ms. Harlow hasn't yet mapped out her detailed career path, but she has some ideas, based on her early exposure to all the options. "I'm interested in ocean protection and conservation of marine life, for example, and I think this program is a good stepping stone to pursue those and many other areas," she says.