One of the largest sea ice research teams in the world celebrates the opening of a new laboratory that will transform and lead global efforts to understand climate change. Arctic scientists have a new home: the Nellie Cournoyea Arctic Research Facility, a transformational institute in the University of Manitoba’s Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources.

Construction on the innovative $14.75-million facility began two years ago after Dr. Clayton H. Riddell donated $2.5 million towards it.  His visionary donation coincided with the University of Manitoba being awarded a Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Arctic Geomicrobiology and Climate Change from the federal government. 

The Nellie Cournoyea Arctic Research Facility is 60,000-square-feet of specialized laboratories, state-of-the-art instruments, and classrooms. This space accommodates the influx of graduate students and researchers coming to the University as a result of the Canada Excellence Research Chair, held by Søren Rysgaard.

In addition to the new chair and the 17 University of Manitoba researchers already involved in sea ice research, the University has invested in three new tenure track faculty positions, post-doctoral and research associate positions, graduate students and support staff. The Faculty’s Centre for Earth Observation Science (CEOS) has more than doubled in size to over 100 people.

The new facility is named after Nellie Cournoyea, an Officer of the Order of Canada and recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award and Governor General’s Northern Medal Award. She was the first female premier of a Canadian territory; she was the leader of the Northwest Territories from 1991 to 1995. Nellie served 16 years as Chair and Executive Officer of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, and currently remains a member of its Executive Committee.  More...