From June 2-5, the Ocean Tracking Network held its 4th annual symposium in Ottawa (outside of Halifax for the first time). The Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) is a large, collaborative, interdisciplinary research network based at Dalhousie University that represents a comprehensive and revolutionary examination of marine life. Our lab benefits from its involvement in OTN and four of our students delivered presentations at the symposium: Melissa Dick, Jacqueline Chapman, Graham Raby, and Vivian Nguyen. Dr. Cooke also chaired one of the sessions and participated in a panel discussion on future directions of the network.
The symposium was a big success and showcased how much progress has been made since the network launched four years ago. At the end of the symposium on June 5th, a special reception was held for members of parliament in the Commonwealth Room (Centre Block, Parliament hill) that was well-attended by MPs as they exited the house following the end of that day’s question period. The Ottawa Little Theatre served as an excellent venue for the symposium, while the Lunenberg Pub was a fantastic host for the opening night social mixer and the symposium dinner.
Hinch Lab student Natalie Sopinka produced a Storify summary of the meeting (a collection of relevant Twitter posts) that provides a great overview of the content of the meeting, including some great photos (see link). We hope all the attendees from across Canada and around the world enjoyed their stay in Ottawa!
