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Learning that Connects

Cheryl Hill never dreamed she'd end up working to save endangered animals when she started her studies in NSCC's Electronic Engineering Technology program. Still, that's exactly how she spent her summer, thanks to a partnership with Parks Canada.

Under the guidance of NSCC Academic Equipment Technologist Peter Oster, Cheryl repaired dozens of tiny transmitters used to track Blanding's Turtles in Kejimkujik National Park.

Parks Canada Biologist Duncan Smith says NSCC's contribution has been huge. "The cost of sending the transmitters back to the manufacturer is high," says Smith. "By having them serviced by NSCC, we're saving money, but we're also giving students the opportunity for hands-on learning."

For Cheryl, seeing her work put to use in the wetlands of Kejimkujik was its own reward. "I was able to travel into the park and see just how the transmitters were used to help protect the turtles," she says. "It really has opened my eyes to all of the ways my training can be used in the real world."

Meredith Roik brings her own high-tech world "down to earth" for elementary school students in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley.

Thanks to a grant from Hewlett Packard, the Centre of Geographic Sciences at NSCC's Annapolis Valley Campus has built a Mobile Geomatics Lab. As a student in the Advanced Geographic Information Systems program, Meredith travelled with the Lab to local elementary schools where she helped students use satellites to map their playgrounds.

"They were so interested in the GPS technology and loved seeing how the data they had collected could be downloaded into Google Earth to create their own personalized maps," says Meredith. "Having the chance to show them how exciting and satisfying this profession can be was really special."

Students of all ages are being exposed to leading-edge technology thanks to the efforts of NSCC. Amanda Lowe is part of Dalbrae Academy's Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) team. The team of eight high school students from Inverness County, Cape Breton worked for months building an underwater robot, with the guidance of their teacher and mentors from NSCC's CollegePrep program.

The first time Amanda saw their ROV in the wave pool at the Nautical Institute of NSCC's Strait Area Campus, it clicked. "I knew this is what I wanted to do with my future," she says.

The high school team found their first success at a provincial ROV competition, held in May 2008 at NSCC's Akerley campus. In late June, the team travelled to San Diego, California to compete against teams from around the world.

"It was an amazing experience," says Amanda. "To know that we had the skill to compete against the best in the world really blew me away. I can't wait to learn more and turn this experience into a career."