The Honourable Shawn Skinner, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development, will speak at the opening ceremonies of the Marine Advanced Technology Education Centre�s (MATE) 2009 Newfoundland and Labrador Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Competition tomorrow (Friday, May 1). The event is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. at the flume tank at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University (MI) in St. John�s.

The 2009 MATE Newfoundland and Labrador Regional ROV Competition is organized by MI and supported by local sponsors, including the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, DF Barnes Group, ExxonMobil, Husky Energy and Marport. The Newfoundland and Labrador event is one of 15 regional competitions held by the MATE Centre across Canada, the United States, Hong Kong and Scotland.

Supported by the National Science Foundation�s MATE Centre and the Marine Technology Society (MTS) ROV Committee, the ROV competition encourages students to develop science, technology, engineering, and math skills by showing them real-world applications of these subjects.