New Equipment to Help Research at St.FX

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT-New Equipment to Help Research at St.FX

St. Francis Xavier University is heading into the 21st century with sophisticated new equipment for research ranging from fish and fossils to environmental cleanup.

"The future of our country relies on the bright young scientific minds in our midst. Their thirst for exploration and discovery will influence the way we look at our world," said St. FX president Sean Riley. "By giving students a world-class science arena in which to question, learn and expand horizons, we have the confidence of knowing that we are providing both students and faculty with the strongest possible learning tools."

Federal and provincial governments, in partnership with St. FX, are investing nearly $2 million in equipment and lab construction for major projects at the university. One of the projects is to establish a facility for housing a new confocal laser scanning microscope that will give researchers a high-definition view of live cells. Images of the cells reacting to various stimulants can be transferred from the powerful microscope to a computer that provides several dimensional views. Fish, mollusks and plant roots are among the many subjects to be studied with the microscope.

The facility will also include a new infrared microscope that allows researchers to see a fossil as small as one-thousandth of a millimetre without breaking the rock around it. This type of microscope is used by only a handful of researchers around the world and is the only one in Atlantic Canada. It will allow the university to make great strides in geology and paleontology research.

The Canada/Nova Scotia COOPERATION Agreement on Economic Diversification is investing $183,840 in the microscopes and construction of lab space for the facility. The agreement is managed by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and Nova Scotia Economic Development.

"Investing in education and research is a key part of preparing Nova Scotians to thrive in the new information economy," said Labour Minister Angus MacIsaac, on behalf of Economic Development Minister Gordon Balser. "By helping St. FX to increase its research capacity, we're enriching the education of the university's students and discovering new knowledge that often has commercial applications for Nova Scotia business."

The economic diversification agreement is also investing $597,920 in new analytical equipment and lab construction for the university's studies in water chemistry. Research in areas such as water pollution can provide new business opportunities in Nova Scotia. For example, environmental industries can serve offshore oil and gas companies with efficient waste disposal methods and environmental cleanup. The equipment will also be used by students in the university's undergraduate Interdisciplinary Studies in Aquatics Resources program.

"These projects will bring exciting new research capabilities to St. FX and are just two examples of how our government is helping to strengthen the economy here in Nova Scotia," said Senator Al Graham, on behalf of George Baker, Secretary of State for ACOA. "Investing in these projects will help to move us into a more progressive, knowledge-based economy."

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) provided initial funding of $781,760 for these projects in June 1999.

"Our investment will contribute to strengthening research capacity in priority areas for St. FX," said Dr. David Strangway, president and CEO of the foundation. "The new installations will also contribute to providing the right research environment to keep our best students in Canada."

The CFI 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 been entrusted with 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. Its work focuses on health, the environment, science, engineering and the social sciences in universities, colleges, hospitals and other research institutions across Canada.

The university is investing $390,880 of its own funds in the research facilities. For close to 150 years, St. FX has been recognized in Canada and abroad as a leader in high-quality undergraduate education. The school offers a unique blend of arts, science, business and applied programs, providing a life-long learning experience to its 3,600 students.

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