HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust (NSRIT) is helping a Saint Mary’s University professor to improve the way gold exploration is carried out in Nova Scotia.
With a growing number of companies showing interest in the province’s historic mining districts, geology professor Dr. Jacob Hanley believes new exploration models using microscope-based instrumentation can help pinpoint ore deposits more accurately.
“We can assess mineral resource potential within hidden terrain that can change the approach to routine exploration,” said Dr. Hanley.
The Government of Nova Scotia is supporting the change in exploration model by providing $95,600 through the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust toward a $239,000 laser Raman microscope. Additional funding is being provided by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and private sector partners.
“Academic research is fundamental in moving our province forward through innovation and improving the way we do business,” said Economic and Rural Development and Tourism Minister Michel Samson. “Supporting these projects allows trailblazing research to happen here at home and create a strong, vibrant economy.”
The equipment analyzes geological material trapped within rock samples to reveal the chemical and physical processes that concentrate gold and hydrocarbons in the Earth’s crust.
The technology will also take some of the guesswork out of drilling for offshore oil and gas.
The Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust will also provide matching infrastructure funding for two additional projects.
Dr. Aldona Wiacek, a Saint Mary’s researcher specializing in the study of atmospheric pollutants, will receive $118,623 toward the purchase of a ground-based, remote sensing instrument that tracks harmful chemicals pumped into the atmosphere by factories, trains, planes, automobiles and natural processes.
Information gathered by the $300,000 piece of equipment will be used to improve the understanding and reporting of air quality in Nova Scotia. More than 20 students and researchers will be trained on the equipment over the next five years, providing vital experience to make them innovative, globally competitive key players in the economy of the future.
At Dalhousie University a $125,000 NSRIT contribution toward a $314,000 project will help Dr. Natalie Rosen purchase equipment supporting new research and treatment options at the new Couples and Sexual Health laboratory.
The first of its kind east of Montreal, the facility will provide a rich training resource for student researchers in psychology, gynaecology, obstetrics, nursing and anesthesia.
Dr. Rosen’s initial work will focus on treatments for a chronic pain condition during sex that affects 16 per cent of all women. It extends Dalhousie’s international initiatives studying the efficient and effective treatment of pain.
“Our talented researchers require leading-edge equipment and infrastructure to uncover the innovative solutions to our pressing environmental, health and social challenges,” said Lois Levine, Executive Director of NSRIT. “The province of
Nova Scotia, through NSRIT, supports transformative research that helps stimulate advances that support economic growth, thriving communities, and the well-being of all Nova Scotians.”
The Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust matches funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. In the last 13 years, the Trust has supported more than 390 projects and attracted more than $100 million in additional investments to Nova Scotia research.
Halifax, N.S. – The computer screen in front of Dr. Randy Newman dances with peaks of red and blue lines as a test subject hooked to a computer in a nearby room listens to a list of rhyming words.
The Associate Psychology professor at Acadia University is watching the young person’s brain in action, noting carefully how different sounds create different brain wave patterns on the screen. She is trying to understand the role of the brain in language and reading.
“We live in a knowledge economy, yet half the population doesn’t have the literacy skills to understand complex materials,’’ says Dr. Newman. “The more we can understand how people learn to read, the better our chances at developing interventions that will help improve literacy.”
Nova Scotia has some of the lowest literacy rates in the country, especially in rural areas. Boosting those levels can provide foundational changes in education, employment and income that are critical to the development of a progressive, creative change-oriented society required for a more productive and competitive economy.
Dr. Newman’s work got a boost recently with $41,348 support from the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust (NSRIT) towards the expansion and renovation of her Reading and Speech Processing Lab. The assistance will allow her to add an acoustic chamber and eye-tracking software, creating a regional hub for understanding reading and its development.
“Trailblazing research and development that drives the economy and improves the lives of Nova Scotians requires innovative talent and leading-edge equipment and infrastructure,” says Lois Levine, Executive Director of NSRIT. ”The province of Nova Scotia, through NSRIT, provides support to enable this research and attract the brightest researchers who train our students to be the globally competitive key players in the economy of the future.”
At Dalhousie University in Halifax, a $125,000 NSRIT contribution toward a $450,000 project is helping Dr. Michael Bezuhly, a pediatric and craniofacial surgeon, investigate whether drugs currently used to prevent conditions ranging from cystic fibrosis to heart attack and stroke can also be used to help prevent certain cancers or improve reconstructive surgery outcomes following cancer treatment.
“My aim is to repurpose old drugs for novel clinical applications, adding value to existing products,” says Dr. Bezuhly.
Fundamental to Dr. Bezuhly’s work is a technique called optical imaging that allows researchers to see individual live fluorescent cells. The images allow investigators to quickly assess the effectiveness of drugs on different disease processes.
Unique to the Maritimes, this multimodality equipment will improve the opportunities to visualize changes in cell populations in order to proactively prevent cancer progression and repair the damage caused by its treatment.
Dr. Bezuhly’s research holds tremendous opportunities for vital treatments and commercialization partnerships with drug companies, as well as the ability to equip student clinicians and investigators with the skills to transfer biomedical research into future clinical practice, thereby improving the quality of life for people diagnosed with cancer.
“Innovative research and a strong, vibrant research community are critical to building a knowledge-based economy,” said Michel Samson, Minister of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism. “This valuable partnership of our academic community and the provincial government, through the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust, is helping to support cutting-edge research done right here in Nova Scotia.”
Dr. Newman’s and Dr. Bezuhly’s research are just two of 12 new projects at Acadia University, Cape Breton University, Mount Saint Vincent University and Dalhousie University to receive funding for leading-edge equipment through the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust. More than $1.6 million was approved by NSRIT with leveraging support for these 12 projects totaling $4.43 million with an estimated 300 highly qualified people to be trained or employed through these projects over the next five years.
Other recently funded research infrastructure supports the study and development of wastewater treatment systems, solutions for osteoarthritis management, eye disease treatment, early intervention to resolve mental health issues, and the reproductive success in birds and fish species as a reflection of changing climates.
Funded by the Government of Nova Scotia, through Economic and Rural Development and Tourism, the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust matches research funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. In the last 13 years, the Trust has supported 390 projects and attracted more than $100 million in additional investments in Nova Scotia research.
HALIFAX, N.S. – A $1.1 million provincial investment, through the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust (NSRIT), is expanding leading-edge research infrastructure in Nova Scotia.
Eleven cutting-edge research projects will broaden understanding of health-based studies, as well as clean technology and environmental developments. Together, they expect to create upwards of 375 jobs for highly qualified people over the next five years, representing a total value to the Province of Nova Scotia of over $2.8M through significant leveraging opportunities. Read more →
HALIFAX, N.S. – A recent $2.7M provincial investment, through the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust (NSRIT), towards eight new cutting-edge research projects will involve upwards of 200 highly qualified people over the next five years. This NSRIT support represents a total value to the Province of Nova Scotia of over $9M through significant leveraging opportunities.
As Lois Levine, Executive Director of NSRIT explains, “By leveraging opportunities for innovation, Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust reflects a smart investment by laying the groundwork for Nova Scotia’s competitive research partnerships around the globe”. Ms. Levine elaborates that “by providing infrastructure support, NSRIT advances health-based outcomes, clean technology developments and oceans and environment discoveries that bring promise and solutions for long-term sustainability and commercial benefit”. Read more →
October 31, 2022
HALIFAX, N.S. – A $2.63 million provincial investment is putting leading-edge research labs and equipment in place to support world-class research. This is enabling Nova Scotia universities to attract and retain the brightest researchers and students at a time of intense global competition.
Lois Levine, Executive Director of Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust (NSRIT), emphasizes the significance of the province’s funding. “It’s a great investment that can bring economic, health, education and social benefits. NSRIT funding enables state-of-the-art research capacity to innovate and develop new products for today and tomorrow’s solutions. Students, and in fact all Nova Scotians, can reap positive outcomes for cutting-edge training, good jobs, and improved quality of living.” Read more →
November 16, 2021
A recent $5.8 M provincial investment in 21 research infrastructure projects will bring significant economic and social benefits to Nova Scotians.
Lois Levine, Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust (NSRIT), recognizes the province’s role in bringing economic prosperity to Nova Scotia. “The benefits to Nova Scotians are tremendous. The province’s funding of research infrastructure through NSRIT provides remarkable opportunities and solutions for job creation, healthier populations, environmental sustainability, an increased knowledge base and an improved economy for Nova Scotia.” Read more →