Aurora College has just received a major financial contribution for their Research and Innovation projects.
The Aurora Research Institute was gifted two grants by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. This is part of Canada’s Applied Research and Technology Partnership, with the funds being used to help support new research and innovations to help address important issues in the Western Arctic.
The two grants come to a total of $347,683, and are being divided into two major projects.
The first project is being led by Dr. Garfield Giff at Aurora College. $152,140 will be used in exploring how Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems could be used to measure methane emissions in the Western Arctic.
Elsewhere, $195,543 is being used to help support the expansion of the Northwest Territories Makerspace Ecosystem. This project is being led by Jennifer Rafferty, and is looking into micro-manufacturing equipment, including direct-to-film printers, heat presses, laser engravers, laptops and Adobe design software licences. These resources will be packaged into community kits that will rotate among Makerspaces in small NWT communities. The project aims to foster creativity, innovation and small business development by providing artists, craftspeople and community members with access to state-of-the-art technology and training.
Chris Paci, the Vice President of Research for Aurora College, said in a statement that these grants “underscore our commitment to addressing critical environmental and technological challenges in the Northwest Territories.”
