Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland

The 11th annual Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Week celebrations were officially launched during a ceremony at the Fisheries and Marine Institute (MI) of Memorial University of Newfoundland on February 25.

The audience, comprised of students, oil and gas industry leaders and government representatives, heard about career opportunities in the industry and the impact the industry is having on this province.

"Hosting the 11th annual Oil & Gas Week launch event is an honour for the Marine Institute," said Glenn Blackwood, vice-president, Memorial University (Marine Institute). "This weeklong celebration explores the opportunities the oil & gas industry presents in our province and highlights the programs MI has to offer in various fields such as marine transportation, marine environmental, ocean technology, food technology, aquaculture and fisheries."

During the event, junior high students from 11 schools in the province presented their projects on careers in the oil and gas industry as part of the authentic learning program.

In addition to the presentations, the audience also heard from special guests including:

• Tom Marshall, Minister of Natural Resources
• Dennis O'Keefe, Mayor of the City of St. John's
• Rob Strong, Chair, Oil & Gas Week 2013
• Dr. Gary Kachanoski, President and Vice-Chancellor, Memorial University
• Dwight Howse, Head, School of Ocean Technology

The event concluded with the presentation of four Oil and Gas Week scholarships to post-secondary students from Memorial University, MI and the College of the North Atlantic.

The scholarships are valued at $1,000 each and have been established for students enrolled in petroleum-related programs at the province's public post-secondary educational institutions.

This year's scholarship recipients are:

• Kayla Snow, Business, Memorial University
• Andrew Blanchard, Engineering, Memorial University
• Andrew Ward, Marine Engineering Systems Design, Marine Institute
• William Smith, Business Administration, College of the North Atlantic

Oil and Gas Week is being celebrated in the province from February 23- March 1. For a detailed schedule of events, please visit www.nloilandgasweek.ca.