Acadia to Open New Research Centre
Faculty and students at Acadia University will soon be pursuing cutting-edge research at the new Acadia Centre for Microstructural Analysis.
Unique in the Maritimes, the centre will house sophisticated equipment that will help the university to pursue research in emerging fields and secure research contracts with the private sector.
"In addition to its role as a collaborative research facility, the centre is an exceptional resource that will permit Acadia's students to participate actively in the research process," said Dr. Michael Leiter, Acadia vice-president academic. "This experience is a critical contribution to the development of scientists in Canada."
The provincial and federal governments are investing $613,395 in three new microscopes, preparatory equipment and other instruments for the centre through the Canada/Nova Scotia COOPERATION Agreement on Economic Diversification. The agreement is managed by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and Nova Scotia Economic Development.
"A thriving research community is a key ingredient for growing our knowledge economy," said MLA Mark Parent on behalf of Economic Development Minister Gordon Balser. "By investing in research tools, we're boosting the ability of our researchers to win grants and contracts, and to attract more business to Nova Scotia. We're also helping them to create new products and services for export."
The centre's facilities will support a number of research initiatives including a study of organisms in the Bay of Fundy ecosystem. This project and others have the potential for commercial applications and will foster a strong science and technology base in Nova Scotia.
"The centre will bring together both regional and international researchers. The advanced equipment will give Acadia University opportunities to actively support new research initiatives and to secure industrial contracts by engaging in collaborative research with academic, government and industrial partners," said Senator Bernie Boudreau, Leader of the Government in the Senate and Minister responsible for Nova Scotia, on behalf of George Baker, Secretary of State for ACOA.
The three major pieces of equipment to be purchased will include a confocal scanning laser microscope, a scanning electron microscope and a scanning probe microscope. The confocal scanning laser microscope will allow researchers to transfer images of specimens such as live cells to a computer that produces three dimensional views. This microscope will be used in the Bay of Fundy research, as well as in a study on marine mollusks. Both projects will help to better manage the local ecology.
The second instrument is a scanning electron microscope that can operate at variable pressures, providing scientists with truer, high-resolution images of specimens. This microscope will be used in a study on corrosion of metallic surfaces that aims to increase their durability in sea water.
The scanning probe microscope can magnify materials more than one million times. Researchers will use this microscope to view individual atoms on the surface of materials such as metals. Research in this area has commercial applications in metal finishing and plating, food processing, and the production of microelectronic devices.
"With this investment, we are supporting the development of world-class research expertise at Acadia University," said David Strangway, president and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation which provided initial funding of $613,395 to the centre in January 1999. "This centre will help create the right conditions to attract and retain top-quality researchers in Canada, and to train young Canadians for the knowledge-based economy."
The foundation is an independent, not-for-profit corporation established by the Government of Canada in 1997 to address an urgent need of Canada's research community: new, state-of-the-art research infrastructure. The foundation has a capital budget of $1.9 billion, and its investments are made in partnership with all levels of government, as well as with the private and voluntary sectors. It focuses on health, the environment, science, engineering and the social sciences in universities, colleges, hospitals and other research institutions across Canada.
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