By Maroon & White |
Matching funding from the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust (NSRIT) added to financial support already received from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for almost half a million dollars for research being conducted by two Saint Mary’s professors, Dr. Aldona Wiacek and Dr. Jacob Hanley. For Environmental Science professor Wiacek, this makes it possible to purchase a ground-based, remote sensing instrument called an open-path Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. A central piece to Dr. Wiacek’s growing Tropospheric Remote Sensing Laboratory at Saint Mary’s, the spectrometer will provide real-time data that allows Dr. Wiacek, her students and researchers to track harmful chemicals emitted into the atmosphere.
Geology professor Hanley will use his funding from NSRIT and CFI to purchase a $239,000 laser Raman microscope. As Nova Scotia renews exploration in historic mining districts, companies will be drilling for gold that was formed more than 300 million years ago. The Raman microscope has the potential to make it easier to predict where that gold will be found.
