The CRI held its inaugural retreat on the 21st and 22nd of October, 2006 at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St. Andrews. Over 50 graduate students, technicians, Associates, and Fellows from New Brunswick, PEI, and Quebec, as well as our Hynes lecturer Judy Meyer from Georgia, attended.
On Saturday, the group took part in an interactive and engaging discussion about the importance of (and sometimes incidents associated with!) communicating science to the public (thanks to Alex Bielak from Environment Canada for a thought-provoking presentation). Communication skills accordingly enhanced, the group then tackled a discussion on the philosophy of science (led by Allen Curry and creatively encouraged by Kelly Munkittrick).
Don McAlpine from the New Brunswick Museum also gave an insightful talk on museum collections and their importance in research programs, and motivated several graduate students to go on tours of the museum’s archives.
The evening was set aside for socializing, and socialize we did! (those stories are off the record though and our livers have sworn themselves to secrecy). Spurred on by the previous day’s discussion of communication, the next morning found several people attending a media training course held by Dan Tanaka of UNBSJ.
By all accounts the retreat was a big success; hopefully it will become an annual event.
