New Research Projects to Explore Nova Scotia Heritage

Five researchers have received $19,300 in funding to carry out new projects to explore Nova Scotia's heritage.

The Nova Scotia Museum Research Grant Program, administered by the museum's board of governors, annually contributes funding toward research projects that improve Nova Scotians' understanding of heritage or offer a different interpretation of our province's cultural history. Results from the research can generate artifacts and specimens for the provincial collections.

The recipients are:

• Laura De Boer, Marine History Category, $3,600, for an archaeological and architectural survey of the Robertson Building in Halifax, occupied by the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
• Anne Yarborough, Cultural History Category, $4,000, for a study that will examine the social and economic impacts of the Cape Roseway Lighthouse on McNutt's Island, Shelburne County
• Wendy Holman, Natural History Category, $3,700, for research on the habitat of Glyptemys insculpa, or wood turtle, a threatened species in Nova Scotia
• Benjamin Pentz, Archaeology Category, $4,000, to gather information from private collections of artifacts from Mi’kmaq archaeological sites in southwestern Nova Scotia
• Brenna McLeod, Paleontology Category, $4,000, for research on the history and biology of the Maritime or Sable Island walrus, a species found in other parts of the world but no longer found in Nova Scotia. The study will use genetic testing and other methods of research to determine the role of the Maritime or Sable Island walrus in walrus populations worldwide.

"I would like to congratulate this year's recipients. Taking on new research projects that broaden our understanding of heritage is important," said David Wilson, Minister of Communities, Culture and Heritage. "The new information that they bring to light will help us learn more about ourselves and our environment."

Applicants submit proposals for original research projects in marine history, cultural history, natural history, archaeology and paleontology. The categories cover a wide range of topics including shipbuilding, naval and merchant shipping, seafaring activities, geographical, linguistic and occupational communities, botany, geology, and zoology, archaeological sites and collections, fossil analysis and discovery.

The Nova Scotia Museum Board of Governors evaluates the proposals and selects one from each category that best complements the Nova Scotia Museum's mandate to preserve and interpret heritage.

"The quality and range of proposals was exceptional," said Sandra Nowlan, chair of the Nova Scotia Museum Board of Governors Research Grant Committee. "New research will be conducted in areas that require more attention so we are really looking forward to the outcomes of these projects."

For more information visit the Nova Scotia Museum website at http://museum.gov.ns.ca.