Dr. Brian Veitch named winner of Transport Canada Marine Safety Award
A professor from Memorial University's Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science has been honoured with the 2011 Transport Canada Marine Safety Award.
Dr. Brian Veitch, professor, Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering and associate dean of research, is the recipient of this year's Transport Canada Marine Safety Award. He has been honoured with the prize in recognition of his dedication to marine safety as an educator, researcher and innovator.
"Throughout the years, you have served as an example of how inspired innovators can transform research into tangible improvements to the safety of life at sea," said the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Government of Canada, in a letter to Dr. Veitch. "As well, you have clearly demonstrated an unusually high level of performance in the interests of Canada and indeed international marine safety. At the core of this contribution is a large, long-term and successful R&D program that has had numerous practical and meaningful outcomes that support and advance marine safety."
The Transport Canada Marine Safety Award was established to stimulate an awareness of marine safety in Canada and to recognize persons, groups, companies, organizations, agencies or departments that have contributed, in an exceptional way, to this objective. The winner is decided by a selection committee consisting of two representatives from the marine industry and two representatives from Transport Canada.
"This is a very prestigious award and Dr. Veitch is a very deserving winner," said Dr. Ramachandran Venkatesan, Dean pro tempore, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Memorial University. "On behalf of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, I am thrilled to offer congratulations to Dr. Veitch. He is internationally renowned for his research into marine transport, offshore safety and the testing and evaluation of advanced ocean technologies and his contributions to marine safety are well documented."
Dr. Veitch, a Memorial University alumnus, is a specialist in cold ocean engineering and is a highly regarded member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. He was presented with Memorial University's President's Award for Outstanding Research in 2004-2005.
"I'm very lucky to have great colleagues and students. Our team is fortunate to have excellent collaborative R&D relationships with our industry partners," said Dr. Veitch. "We're all working in a wonderfully supportive R&D climate to advance the safety of life at sea, a shared goal that motivates us all."
