Future projects, new capabilities up for discussion at upcoming naval tech seminar
By Nathan Stone,
Trident Staff
RYAN MELANSON
Those interested in the evolving world of naval technology are invited to attend a two-day seminar at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax that will focus on a range of technology-related issues and opportunities facing the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).
The East Coast Naval Technical Seminar will be held in the S-120 Drill Hall at CFB Halifax on June 5-6. The seminar runs from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. on both days.
“The tech seminar allows for organizational visibility, promotes open dialogue, and encourages topics to be taken away for action or discussions,” said Lieutenant (Navy) (Lt (N)) Shannon O’Reilly, a spokesperson for the seminar.
Each day will feature presentations by military and civilian experts on various contemporary topics, including a talk on artificial intelligence and machine learning by Dr. Frank Rudzicz, an associate professor of computer science at Dalhousie University.
There will also be a presentation by Michael Lechmann, the vice president of growth at COVE, a Dartmouth-based maritime technology business incubator, on COVE’s maritime technologies and their relevance to the RCN.
This year’s seminar is intended to cover a wide range of subjects. Lt (N) O’Reilly said the knowledge base of those attending helps make that possible.
“We’re fortunate that within this community there is a broad set of technical backgrounds which allows for interest in multiple areas.”
The second day of the seminar will feature a town hall discussion with the Director General Maritime Equipment Program Management (DGMEPM) Commodore (Cmdre) Keith Coffen. Lt (N) O’Reilly said that the town hall would likely tackle some “overarching issues” in the RCN such as personnel retention and the condition of RCN ships.
The main objective is to simply attract as many maritime and aviation technicians as possible and to encourage them to contribute to the event’s discussions.
“Their perspective and experience are key to our improvement,” said Lt (N) O’Reilly.
The seminar is open to non-commissioned members and officers in the naval technical community, as well as other CAF members who share an interest. There will be donuts and coffee available as refreshments.
Lt (N) O’Reilly said that organizers hope to foster “a sense of excitement towards future projects and innovative capabilities”.
