The Xstrata Nickel Sustainable Energy Centre at Cambrian College was officially opened January 31st.
The Xstrata Nickel Sustainable Energy Centre at Cambrian College was officially opened January 31st.“The centre’s mission is not only to support and promote energy efficiency and resource conservation, but also to provide an innovative learning experience and applied research to foster eco-business development,” said Marc Boissonneault, vice-president,Xstrata Nickel, Sudbury Operations.Xstrata Nickel contributed $2 million to the project. Additional funding was provided by FedNor, the Canadian government agency responsible for economic development in Northern Ontario, and the province’s Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.The innovative teaching and research facility is already a hive of activity with a number of applied research projects underway alongside classes and labs for students in Cambrian’s Energy Systems Technology and Environmental Monitoring and Impact Assessment programs.
“With this new centre, we’re expanding our capacity for applied research,” said Cambrian president Sylvia Barnard. “We’re focused on applied research because it gives students in various programs real-life experience working with prototypes and entrepreneurs. It supports small and medium sized enterprises and it diversifies our local economy. The centre also supports two advanced programs that support the green economy.“Our success so far is proof that corporations and local, provincial and federal governments are prioritizing projects that embrace innovation, energy efficiency, and environmental stewardship like never before,” continued Barnard.The Xstrata Nickel Sustainable Energy Centre will also provide space for new research equipment, which will arrive this year. “Cambrian has a strong record in applied research, which attracts expert faculty and dedicated students,” said Sherrill McCall, director of planning and research. “In August, we received two federal grants totaling nearly $165,000 from the prestigious National Science and Engineering Research Council for two new pieces of equipment, which we will use for research projects and training students. One project could involve testing a unique chemical filtration process to see if it can remove contaminants from industrial wastewater. It’s exciting because we’re creating ground-breaking solutions to real-world problems.” In 2010, Cambrian was one of 12 colleges in Canada to receive an NSERC grant worth $200,000 for applied research projects in the areas of environmental monitoring and impact assessment and energy systems technologies.The Xstrata Sustainable Energy Centre was built to meet or exceed the Canada Green Building Council’s
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards.
