Dr. Alan Winter, president and CEO of Genome BC, speaking at the announcement of the creation of a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Industrial Research Chair, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015 at Thompson Rivers University.
(GLYNN BROTHEN / iNFOnews.ca)
December 03, 2015 - 12:30 PM
KAMLOOPS - A research organization has contributed $250,000 to create an industrial research chair position at Thompson Rivers University in an effort to help mitigate the effects of climate change.
Administrators at the university say the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Industrial Research Chair, paid for by Genome BC, will help develop industry-based solutions to environmental problems.
“Resource industries helped build the province of British Columbia,” Dr. Lauchlan Fraser, a professor and candidate for the research chair position says. “It is appropriate that we can now use modern genetic tools to help solve environmental disturbance caused by mining, forestry and ranching and the challenges of restoration in the face of climate change."
The chair will help create a Centre for Ecosystem Reclamation at TRU, which would in turn determine benchmarks to for restoration ecology. The scientific field studies would focus on renewing and restoring any damaged or destroyed ecosystem caused by human activity.
“This proposed centre represents the next logical step for continued excellence in restoration ecology at TRU,” university president Alan Shaver says. “This investment by Genome BC into reclamation research will take restoration and climate change ecology to the next level at TRU and have a positive impact on the tools available to ensure the environmental sustainability of our region — one of TRU’s major strategic priorities."
"The results of this research will be of interest nationally and globally," Shaver says.
To learn more about Genome British Columbian and the donor to the program check out the company's website.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca, or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015