Media releases

• Brock launches drone certificate program

  Friday, September 27, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 27 September 2019 – R00152

  From grape vine crop assessments to forest fire monitoring, drones have become important tools across a wide range of industries.

  To help introduce students and community members to the technology, Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre is now offering Introduction to Drones as a non-credit certificate program. Registration is now open for the first day-long course, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 30.

  “The course presents a unique opportunity to acquire detailed knowledge and hands-on experiential learning about the safe and legal use of drone technologies for real-world applications,” said Marilyne Jollineau, Acting Director of the ESRC, adding that Introduction to Drones is the first in a series of non-credit certificate programs to be offered by the Centre.

  Drone use in environmental sustainability has surged with uses ranging from performing air quality assessments to allowing researchers to map, monitor and evaluate inhospitable or inaccessible sites without disturbing fragile ecosystems.

  “The benefits and opportunities afforded to us by drones also come with inherent risks,” Jollineau said. “In order to mediate these risks and promote responsible drone operation, proper training is essential.”

  Jollineau and course instructor Gillian Dale are both certified drone pilots under Transport Canada’s new drone regulations.

  In addition to important knowledge about the safe and legal operation of drones, students will learn about various types and applications, basic operating principles, licensing requirements and best practices for environmental and human safety. In-class instruction will be supplemented with experiential learning exercises where students fly micro-drone quadcopters.

  Although the program is not intended to directly prepare students to take the Transport Canada Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems exams, they will learn knowledge-based and practical skills, and will be provided with information and resources needed to work toward the Basic Operation licence.

  For more information on how to legally fly a drone in Canada, visit the Transport Canada website.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• From small towns to the big city, fall is recruiting season for Brock University

  Friday, September 27, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 24 September 2019 – R00151

  The school year may have just started, but the wheels are very much in motion to spread the word about Brock University to the next incoming class of post-secondary students.

  With more than 250 faculty, staff and students from across the University in attendance, Brock will be well-represented at this weekend’s Ontario Universities Fair (OUF) in downtown Toronto.

  Running from Friday, Sept. 27 until Sunday, Sept. 29, OUF is the biggest exhibition of post-secondary institutions in Canada, with more than 130,000 people expected to attend the free event.

  Before they even arrive in the main hall at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, many OUF guests will have seen plenty of Brock branding downtown. The University is once again running its ‘Experience’ marketing campaign in the Skywalk area of Union Station, which links the transit hub with the major convention, entertainment and sports venues in the area.

  “OUF represents the single largest opportunity to speak with prospective students and their parents,” said Matt Melnyk, Manager, National Recruitment at Brock. “This event is especially important for Brock, given our location and the fact that more than 40 per cent of applicants to the University come from the Greater Toronto Area.”

  Inside the Convention Centre, Brock’s OUF booth has been updated with new larger digital screens and upgraded graphic towers. The booth is staffed by friendly and knowledgeable students, faculty and staff eager to answer questions about academic programs and the Brock student experience.

  “We have some students who have never heard of Brock and are using OUF to explore their options at all of the Ontario universities,” said Kara Kelly, Manager, Recruitment Operations and Communication. “Others have thoroughly researched their programs and arrive with very specific questions about Brock. In both cases, we want the prospective students and their families to leave with the information they’re looking for to make an informed decision about their post-secondary future.”

  Although OUF is the biggest event on the recruiting calendar, there’s plenty more activity happening across the country. Brock recruitment staff are now on the road and will visit more than 800 high schools before the end of November.

  The University is also gearing up for Fall Preview Day, taking place Sunday, Nov. 3. That’s when thousands of students and their families will visit Brock for a tour of campus and to learn more about their specific programs.

  There are also daily campus tours taking place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., as well as on-campus visits aimed at specific academic interests such as Life Sciences Day, Humanities Day, Goodman Day and Social Sciences Day.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases