Research Partnerships and Innovation

Research Partnerships & Innovation

Oct. 10 Lunch & Learn: Are Modern Airships the Cure for Canada's Northern Transportation Woes?

September 19, 2012


UPDATE: Web Streaming Available
The room for this seminar is now full. However, due to popular demand, we will be piloting a live web-streaming video option. Any new registrants will be sent a link for viewing the presentation from any computer prior to the event.

Join Red River College and the University of Manitoba’s Dr. Barry Prentice on October 10 for an engaging discussion on the potential for modern airships to change transportation and shipping in Canada.

With almost three-quarters of Canada inaccessible by land, transportation and shipping to Northern communities is a challenge. Harsh conditions add to infrastructure and freight costs, while timely delivery is near impossible. Transport airships, a new generation of cargo-carrying aircraft, present a potential solution to Northern transportation gaps.

With over 30 years of experience in the transportation field, the University of Manitoba’s Dr. Barry Prentice Ph.D., MCIT has witnessed the positive impact that reliable infrastructure can have on a region. Barry will share how transport airships have evolved over the past century to become a viable option for businesses serving remote areas. Attendees will gain a better understanding of the technology behind modern transport airships and how, if properly implemented, they can change how we look at transportation and grow Northern Canada’s economy.
Register now to access the live web stream.
Dr. Prentice is a Professor of Supply Chain Management, at the I.H. Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba and the former Director (1996-2005) of the Transport Institute. His major research and teaching interests include logistics, transportation economics, urban transport and trade policy. Dr. Prentice holds a degree in economics from University of Western Ontario (1973) and graduate degrees in agricultural economics from University of Guelph (1979) and University of Manitoba (1986).
Dr. Prentice has authored or co-authored more than 250 research reports, journal articles and contributions to books. His scholarly work has been recognized for excellence in national paper competitions and awards. In 1999, National Transportation Week named him Manitoba Transportation Person of the Year. Through the Transport Institute, Dr. Prentice has organized national and international conferences on sustainable transportation (Railways and the Environment), supply chain logistics (Planes, Trains & Ships), agribusiness logistics (Fields on Wheels), the potential use of airships for northern transportation (Airships to the Arctic) and food trade between Canada and Mexico (La Cadena de Frio). In 1999 and 2003, he received University of Manitoba Outreach Awards. In 2009, Dr. Prentice was made an Honourary Life Member of the Canadian Transportation Research Forum.

RRC Polytech campuses are located on the lands of Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininew, Dakota, and Dené, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.

We recognize and honour Treaty 3 Territory Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, the source of Winnipeg’s clean drinking water. In addition, we acknowledge Treaty Territories which provide us with access to electricity we use in both our personal and professional lives.

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