Categorized | Sci-Tech

OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona trade show opens (Sept. 20)

MEDIA RELEASE

Opening ceremonies for the OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona Trade Show are 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Grand Ballroom immediately following the international conference’s opening plenary session.

Approximately 1,000 attendees from more than 30 countries will be greeted in traditional Hawaiian style with conch blowing and a Hawaiian chant or oli and invited to enter the trade show which debuts cutting edge engineering and technology for ocean sciences.

More than 100 of the world’s leading ocean science technology and engineering companies will be showcasing their wares at the OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona Trade Show Sept. 20-22 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Hotel.

The Trade Show is the only conference event offering free admission to the general public. Trade Show hours are: 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21; and 9 am.-6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22.

For a free pass to enter the Trade Show, register online at www.oceans11mtsieeekona.org/delegate/register/page1.cfm

One of the OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona Trade Show highlights includes a live demonstration from the depths of the Hilton’s lagoon of the DOE Inc., Triggerfish T4H, a rapid deployment high performance Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) system with an integrated BlueView multi-beam imaging sonar and FSI HMS1400 Side Scan Sonar. The Triggerfish T4H is the newest member of the DOE Inc. family of ROVs that have achieved worldwide success.

Oceanic Imaging Consultants, a Honolulu-based oceans technology company, has developed a technique to “fill the gap” with forward-looking sonar data.

Company President Thomas Reed said sidescan sonar surveys provide the moral equivalent of aerial photography for seafloor scientists. But images from sidescan systems are difficult to interpret because they are rarely able to produce anything sensible right beneath the sensor—a kind of black hole which requires twice as many passes to fill in with data.

“It’s like taking a video of the Grand Canyon from 30,000 feet up and not being able to see the part directly beneath you,” Reed said. “The new technology our company has developed means the difference between a five-hour survey and a 10-hour survey. Time is money in the underwater survey business. Longer surveys mean putting people and resources at risk in a very unpredictable ocean environment. Our new technology gets the job done more quickly and let’s the boys go home early. That’s a win-win situation.”

Reed and his associates will be launching an ROV into the lagoon and then providing live feed to their trade show booth. Attendees will be able to “drive” the Triggerfish ROV and perform underwater tasks. Deep Ocean Engineering (DOE Inc.) is donating the ROV platform, which will explore the depths of Hilton’s lagoon.

The OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona conference is sponsored by the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and the Oceanic Engineering Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE/OES). The theme for this year’s conference is Oceans of Opportunity: International Cooperation and Partnerships Across the Pacific.

A record-breaking number of abstracts and papers (more than 750) has been submitted for OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona, including 94 from the International Symposium on Underwater Technology conference which had to be cancelled because of the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan.

The conference is the major international forum for scientists, engineers, and responsible ocean users to present the latest research results, ideas, developments, and applications in Oceanic Engineering and Marine Technology.

Honorary co-chairs are Mayor Billy Kenoi and Dr. Brian Taylor, Dean of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaii.

Dr. John Wiltshire, Director of the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Alan Hilton, Technical Director of the National Defense Center of Excellence for Research in Ocean Sciences (CEROS), are general co-chairs.

According to Trade Show Exhibits Chair Ty Aldinger, the Trade Show exhibitors often preview their latest cutting edge technologies being utilized in ocean science and engineering throughout the world.

“The trade show provides a unique venue to exhibit a wide variety of products and services from basic ocean science research to applied ocean engineering and covers commercial, academic, and military topics of interest,” Aldinger said. “It will all be under one roof and free to both conference attendees and the general public with advance registration. It has been more than a decade since a conference of this magnitude and depth has been hosted in Hawaii.”

Aldinger says he is expecting 84 middle school students and their chaperones from West Hawaii Explorations Academy on Thursday to attend the Trade Show.

“We are encouraging local high schools and middle school science teachers to take advantage of this very unique opportunity to expose their students to the latest oceans technology,” Aldinger said. “If America intends to lead the world, our students must be inspired to compete and encouraged to embrace science and technology in their curriculums at school..”

To find out more information about exhibits at OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona, visit: www.oceans11mtsieeekona.org or e-mail info@oceans11mtsieeekona.org.

OTHER CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS:

TECHNICAL PROGRAM:

Plenary keynote speakers include Dr Marcia McNutt, Director, U.S. Geological Survey; Mr. Mike Utsler, Chief Operating Officer, BP Gulf Coast Restoration Organization (GCRO); and Dr. Eddie Bernard, former Director NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. Additional speakers, Professor Masanao Shinohara of the University of Tokyo and Dr. Yoshiyuki Kaneda of JAMSTEC, will make presentations that were originally scheduled for the International Symposium on Underwater Technology 2011 (which had to be cancelled).

A complete list of abstract topics is available at http://oceans11mtsieeekona.org/main.cfm/EID/36/List-of-Abstract-Topics/

TOURS:

A special tour of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) will be offered as an optional activity to conference attendees. At NELHA’s 870-acre site on the Big Island, this unique facility brings deep ocean and warm surface seawaters ashore in support of various commercial and non-commercial organizations exploring alternative energy production, solar-based energy techniques, aquaculture, marine biotechnology, desalination, and coldwater agriculture systems. Don’t miss this chance to visit and learn about the state’s most unique and innovative ocean science and technology development park, where NELHA is growing sustainable industries for the 21st century.

TUTORIALS & WORKSHOPS:

Tutorials in full and half-day presentations meant to complement the technical program of the OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona Conference will be offered on a wide variety of technical topics ranging from imaging technologies, autonomous vehicles, ocean energy and modeling, as well as a business-oriented topic for companies seeking to improve on strategies for engagement with government customers in DoD and other federal agencies. Tutorials are conducted under the auspices of the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and participants may be eligible for Continuing Education Certificates. For more information about the Tutorial program and associated fees to participate, e-mail tutorial@oceans11mtsieeekona.org.

Among the free Workshops offered, participants will be able to attend: Local Tsunami Detection, Assessment and Warning Guidance with Donna Kocak and Eddie Bernard; LGEOSS Workshop XLII with Francoise Pearlman; and Partnerships Across the Pacific: Ocean Technology Collaborations with Government, Academia and Industry with Michael J. Larkin.

STUDENT PROGRAMS:

One of the missions of OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona is to foster and encourage participation by undergraduate and postgraduate engineering or science students enrolled in degree programs at accredited university or engineering schools around the world. Students are encouraged to attend the conference for the purpose of interacting with leading technical experts and to actively network for contacts for future employment opportunities.

The OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona Student Poster Competition has been a long-standing opportunity for students to be recognized. The posters are judged by experts in the respective fields, given awards, and displayed during the conference. Students who were accepted for the Poster Program will receive a travel allowance, complimentary registration, and their work will be included in the IEEE Xplore digital library.

FREE EDUCATOR OPPORTUNITIES:

The conference this year will also feature a free Educator’s Symposium, OCEANS OF OPPORTUNITY, on Saturday, August 17, with full and half day curricula for upper elementary to high school teachers. Among the subjects offered to educators will be classes on how to teach a variety of ocean-related topics including Corals and Climate Change, Sound in the Sea, Ocean Exploration, among others. Teachers interested in participating should register at www.oceans11mtsieeekona.org

In addition, 6th – 12th grade teachers can opt to participate in two hands-on workshops sponsored for the third year by OES and MTS and offered off-site on Saturday: ROV-in-a-Bag and SENSE-IT (Student Enabled Network of Sensors for the Environment using Innovative Technology). Information on these sessions can also be found on the conference website.

REGISTRATION:

Registration to attend OCEANS ’11 MTS/IEEE Kona is now being accepted. Registration is available in a variety of categories, from full conference registration, with discounts for MTS and OES members to Student non-members with participant fees varying accordingly. Registration is also available for the Trade Show or single day participation as well as the full conference schedule, from September 19-22, 2011. For complete conference registration information, visit: www.oceans11mtsieeekona.org/main.cfm/CID/16/Registration

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