September
| L’École
acadienne de Truro high school teacher goes back to the classroom…again! Rob Carreau, a high school science teacher from Truro, has received a Graduate Research Training Initiative (GRTI) Scholarship to complete a Master of Science program at NSAC. The scholarship, worth $7,500/year for up to two years, will allow Rob to complete his studies part-time while he teaches full time at l’École acadienne de Truro.  The
Graduate Research Training Initiative Scholarship Program is an initiative
under the federal-provincial-territorial Agricultural Policy Framework
(2003-2008), funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Nova
Scotia Department of Agriculture (NSDA). The purpose of this initiative
is to provide financial support to graduate students at the NSAC whose
research will benefit the Nova Scotia agriculture and agri-food industry.
This initiative is intended to encourage qualified students to undertake
graduate studies, thus building a professional capacity to meet the
future needs of Nova Scotia's agri-food industry. Rob’s research program involves investigating the possibility of using a constructed wetland to treat wastewater from a small slaughterhouse in Great Village. Agricultural wastewater is one of the main pollution sources of rural water systems, and Rob’s study hopes to better understand alternative methods for the safe treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater. Constructed wetlands are currently in use by a number of small-to-medium sized farms and municipalities throughout Nova Scotia, mainly to treat liquid manure and domestic wastewater. In agriculture, they can be an effective and economically feasible treatment option for wastewater. However, further study is recommended in order for wetlands to be approved for more widespread use. Rob is not a stranger to the classroom. He is currently finishing up a one-year sabbatical from teaching high school science (biology, physics, chemistry) and math from l’École acadienne de Truro. “One of the reasons I decided to pursue graduate studies at NSAC is because I wanted to bring real-world scientific research to the classroom,” says Rob. “I’ve learned all kinds of new skills, from new lab techniques to a new understanding of scientific research methods. I am well-equipped with real-world expertise to bring back to my high school students in the fall.” For now, Rob is concentrating on data collection and is getting ready to head back to the classroom in September. “I plan on having my thesis ready for graduation in May 2009,” says Rob. “I’m excited to begin teaching again and I hope my students will benefit from my experiences.” Sitting in a classroom is nothing new to Rob, as he already has three degrees, including a Masters in Education. His first degree was a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences majoring in Computer Science at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in 1998. Next, he completed a B.Ed. in Elementary Education in 2000 and an M.Ed. in Founding Alternative Schools at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. in 2003. Even with all this going on, Rob manages to balance his teaching and education with his number one role: family man. “My wife Lavinia and our four young children (ages 8, 4, 2 and 1) come first. My philosophy is to remember your priorities. My family comes first. I don’t let my work or studies dominate my headspace,” says Rob. “I have a great teaching career and education, but above all, I have a wonderful wife and a family who is always there for me when I come home.” |
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