Jeshua Becker Launched his Ocean Technology Career with MORI
Jeshua Becker had to change course when the pandemic hit. After his Environmental Science degree at Mount Allison University, he planned to head to Belize to volunteer, doing research on coral reefs. A new opportunity set him on a path to MEOPAR’s Modular Ocean Research Infrastructure (MORI) Project. Pivoting his next steps, Becker joined the Oceans Technology Program at the Nova Scotia Career College.
“I wanted to get into the science side of ocean technology,” he says, so he chose the NSCC program to complement his science degree with technical learning. He had the opportunity to join the two post-graduation when he connected with COVE’s Internship Program.
The Program facilitates internships for students, allowing them to work with ocean sector companies across Canada. This builds the ocean sector talent pipeline and connects the next generation with valuable experience, support, mentorship, and networking. With many directions open to interns, connecting with the MORI project was the perfect fit for Becker.
“I was inspired by COVE,” he says, “COVE is a big proponent of ocean technology growth, and [the Internship Program] was pretty good system. We have mentors through it, and we had professional development.”
“My main highlight is going on the CORAL cruise and seeing a lot of things I've never seen – deep-water corals. That's something that a lot of people probably don’t see unless they're part of this."
Jeshua Becker (right) stands with MORI Project Manager Dan Gibson during MORI mobilization.
Jumping In
But Becker got even more valuable experience than he had bargained for when he joined MORI. MORI Project Manager Dan Gibson, with 30 years’ experience in the marine equipment industry, brought Becker along every step of the way, including him in meetings where he gained valuable experience and soaked up insights about running a big project like MORI.
“When Dan Gibson approached us for an intern for the MORI project, I immediately knew Jeshua Becker was the best candidate. It was a win-win for all partners – the MORI team had a bright, industrious intern join their team, and Jeshua had the opportunity to gain new knowledge and expand his learning with a world-class scientific marine project,” says Tanya Lush, Director of Workforce Development at COVE.
Jeshua Becker (on the right in all photos) on board a MORI cruise in September, 2021. Photos by Joerg Behnke.
Becker joined MORI in its pivotal second year of the Initial Development and Demonstration (IDD) Phase. Building on the first years’ successful cruises, MORI was ready to add valuable new equipment and experience with its second cruise season. One significant project for MORI was the development of a fully containerized CTD Rosette Launch and Recovery system, through a partnership with Hawboldt Industries.
“My first project was with the CTD rosette system, and then integrating it into the container. I was there for all the testing to make sure it was seaworthy. And that was happening almost right before our first cruise. That was the first time it had ever been done. Clearly, I didn’t know much about it, because it hadn’t been done yet,” says Becker.
But he became the expert very quickly, when on the first cruise, the CTD Rosette system needed adjusting. He flew to St. John’s, Newfoundland to work on the equipment.
“I was hoping to get involved as much as I can. I was looking forward to mobilization and demobilization, so I could kind of see everything fit together and see them run some sample testing,” he says. “I didn’t know exactly how involved I would be… so it was a really good experience. It was better than I was expecting.”
Setting Sail
Becker even ended up on board research cruises, doing hands on work with the CTD Rosette system, the Seacycler, and in the lab, logging and tracking samples. On the second cruise, Becker found himself learning about coral, just as he’d planned to do in the first place.
“My main highlight is going on the CORAL cruise and seeing a lot of things I’ve never seen – deep-water corals. That’s something that a lot of people probably don’t see unless they’re part of this. And working with coral is something I wanted to do from the start,” says Becker.
Jeshua Becker stands in front of the CTD Marine Mission Module with Dan Gibson. Read more about the custom CTD rosette launch and recovery system built in partnership with Hawboldt Industries.
A Successful Ending
Though the Internship Program ended in August, MEOPAR kept Becker on, assisting with two more cruises, gaining even more experience. Thanks to the connection he made through his internship, he landed his dream job after his contract ended and is working as an Ocean Technologist in the CERC.Ocean Laboratory at Dalhousie University.
“This is the core premise of COVE Internship,” says Lush, “to attract and provide the best talent for the needs of our marine sector and a potential career pathway as the win for the Interns!”
