Defeating other competing cities, Providence has been selected to be the site
of Oceans 2000 MTS/IEEE,” a major ocean technology conference expected to draw
from 1,000 to 2,000 participants worldwide.
“This is a major coup for the state,” said Martin P. Grueber, deputy director
of the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council.
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The event will be held from Sept. 11 to 14, 2000 at the Rhode Island Convention
Center. This is the first time the conference has been held in Rhode Island
since Newport hosted it in 1992. The Marine Technology Society, a Washington,
D.C. based nonprofit with 220 New England members, and the Ocean Engineering
Society of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE)
are sponsoring the event.
The New England section of the Marine Technology Society learned in May that
the executive committee of the Marine Technology Society and the Ocean Engineering
Society had selected Providence for the 2000 conference. It has selected Seattle
for 1999, Hawaii for 2001, and Biloxi, Miss., for 2002.
State officials hail the event as an opportunity for Rhode Island to showcase
its progress in ocean research.
“I think that it means the international community recognizes Rhode Island’s
international expertise in ocean technology, research and development, and policies,”
said state Rep. Eileen S. Naughton, D-Dist. 32, chairwoman of the Legislature’s
aquaculture commission and a member of the state Coastal Resource Management
Council.
“It’s going to be an absolutely exciting time to be in Rhode Island (during
Oceans 2000).”
The convention is part trade show, part professional conference. Companies
will exhibit new products, while scientists from around the world will present
scientific papers. The papers will be organized by subject matter, or tracks.
James Hooper, executive chairman of Oceans 2000 MTS/IEEE and incoming chairman
of the New England section of the Marine Technology Society, said he hopes to
draw some 150 companies to exhibit new products. He would also like to have
300 technical papers presented. In addition, master’s degree and Ph.D candidates
will be invited to present their research. The ‘poster’ papers as they’re called,
allow students to meet the leading scientists in their fields. Hooper said he
hopes to receive 30 poster papers.
The Oceans 2000 committee will begin soliciting scientific papers in the fall
of 1999, after the conference in Seattle. In the early spring of 2000 the committee
will meet to put together a preliminary program. The number of papers the commission
receives will determine how many tracks the conference will have. Among the
tracks will be international ocean policy, Hooper said.
Other tracks typically presented at Oceans conferences include: marine resources,
ocean dynamics, and ocean and coastal engineering. At this year’s conference
in Nice, France, held Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 and sponsored by IEEE only, the theme
was “Engineering for Sustainable Use,” and topics included sonar and oceanographic
instrumentation, underwater vehicles, and coastal zone management. Scientific
papers were presented by researchers from 35 countries, according to information
provided by Beth Giaimo, registration coordinator for IEEE.
Oceans conferences are known for their emphasis on scientific research, said
Jeffrey Callahan, director of the Ocean Technology Center at the University
of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay campus.
“It’s a lot of hard-core engineering and science papers presented at these
(conferences),” Callahan said.
“I think it’s a great catch for the state. It will be exciting.”
Locally, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, which provides the U.S.
Navy with submarine sonar, communications, and electronic warfare technology,
has participated in Oceans conferences before and expects to do so again when
the event comes to Providence, said Gary A. Steigerwald, public affairs officer
for the center. Hooper said he expects to draw several local companies as exhibitors,
those who would not make the trip to distant destinations.
The conference will begin on a Monday with tutorial sessions and technical
sessions of general interest. Tuesday morning will feature a plenary session
and welcoming remarks by the governor. That will lead into keynote speeches
by prominent members of the industry. After an awards luncheon, technical sessions
presented by scientists will begin Tuesday afternoon, Hooper said. The conference
will finish on Friday, Sept. 15, 2000 with a classified session at the undersea
warfare center, in which only those with clearance will be able to attend, he
said.
“I think it’s going to be excellent for the state,” Hooper said. “My goal
is to make this conference a benchmark for the new millennium in terms of Oceans
conferences.”
