Sustainable mineral exploration research centre gets nearly $1M funding for start-up

Vancouver, BC – A smart mineral exploration and mining research centre is being established within the department of earth and ocean sciences at the University of British Columbia has received start-up funding of $960,000 from the federal government.

The funding is intended to help strengthen research and industry collaborations and help maintain Canada’s global leadership in environmentally responsible mineral exploration and mining, and address pending industry and academic labour shortages.

The new Centre for Environmental Change and Planetary Stewardship will house three inter-related research facilities. These include: an environmental interface laboratory to investigate and mitigate industrial impacts on the environment; a visualization facility to conduct three-dimensional modeling for mineral exploration and mining research; and a field support facility to improve and enhance field-based mineral exploration research and training. The university says it plans to purchase and install computer hardware and software, scientific analytic instrumentation, and other required equipment for the three new facilities.

“The funding … will enable the department to build on its strong partnerships with the minerals exploration community, and to expand our work in training the next generation of industry leaders,” said Don Brooks, UBC associate vice president research.