Feds name Southeastern New England 'Ocean Tech Hub'

Central entrance at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth’s New Bedford campus.

— Photo by Ogandzyuk

Edited from a New England Council report

“Recently, the U.S. Economic Development Administration named Rhode Island and Southeastern New England as one of 31 Tech Hubs, calling it the ‘Ocean Tech Hub’. These Tech Hubs bring together public, private and academic partners into collaborative consortia to drive regional growth. The Ocean Tech Hub will focus on the autonomous systems industry and specialize in ocean robotics, sensors and materials in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.  

“The hub also received a Tech Hubs Strategy Development Grant that will help the consortium increase local coordination and further manufacturing, commercialization and deployment efforts. About $500,000 of the grant funding is being put towards the hub’s ‘Grow Blue Initiative,’ which is working toward building the Southeastern New England economy through building a diverse and equitable industry to bolster commercial resilience, creating a diverse range of job opportunities, and utilizing internal and external partnerships.  

“‘With big implications for climate adaptation and change mitigation, national security, and economic development, this opportunity impacts our startups, researchers, and workforce—and has implications for childcare, transportation, and housing needs,’ said Daniela Fairchild, the chief strategy officer at the quasi-public Rhode Island Commerce Corp.’’ 

Cross-species and cross-cultural communication

“Inside the Belly of a Rabbit’’ (watercolor on paper), by New York-based artist Dana Sherwood, in the show “Dana Sherwood: Some Kind of Tea Party or Thereabouts in the Realm of Madness,” at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth’s University Art Gallery, in downtown New Bedford, through Dec. 28.

© Dana Sherwood

The gallery says:

“This exhibition, which includes films, ceramics, oil and watercolor paintings, explores the relationship between humans and the natural world, drawing on the artist’s exploration of cross-species communication, domestic culture, and the mythical connections between the feminine and natural world in a changing environment.’’

“Gosnold at the Smoking Rocks” (oil on canvas, 1842), by William Allen Wall, at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. It’s a romanticized depiction of English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold meeting a few of the local Wampanoag people in 1602. Gosnold (1571-1607) was said to be the first European to set foot in what’s now called New Bedford.

Beats whale-oil lamps

“One Bulb (Version II)” (12 Gelatin Silver Prints on Ilford Matte), by Amanda Means, at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth’s art gallery in New Bedford, Oct., 14-Oct. 23.

New Bedford waterfront in 1867. For part of the 19th Century, New Bedford was the world’s whaling capital.