U of M leader in polar research study
International Polar Year looks to Canada and the U of M for substantial involvement
JENELLE PETRINCHUK STAFF
“We’ve also had a major scientific announcement,” stated University of Manitoba president and vice-chancellor Emöke Szathmáry in her report at senate on March 7. Szathmáry was referring to the recently announced involvement the U of M will have during International Polar Year, a major scientific project involving over 60 nations worldwide.
The U of M will be involved in two major projects during IPY, an accomplishment Szathmáry proudly proclaimed, adding that one of the projects “is one of the more important projects during International Polar Year.”
The project she was referring to is entitled the Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) System Study in which scientists will be studying the effects of central Arctic ice moving away from coastal regions, leaving open areas of water between the ice and the land. This project is being led by David Barber, U of M environment, earth and resources associate dean (research) and will be carried out in the Southern Beaufort Sea.
The fourth official IPY will be the first time the U of M plays such a large role in the research. There are 44 projects being carried out in Canada through federal funding, of which the U of M has two. The CFL System Study involves 200 investigators, broken down into 10 research teams. Five of those teams will be led by the U of M and will involve 14 countries, 50 graduate students and 30 technicians, according to Joanne Keselman, U of M vice-president (research).
“If you believe what you read in the Winnipeg Free Press it has the potential of being not only the largest project funded in Canada but also potentially the largest in the world,” said Keselman on the CFL System Study, “But that is what the Free Press says, we’re still waiting for the formal announcement.”
Keselman attended the project kick-off in Ottawa on March 1, where $150 million in Canadian federal funding was announced. The funding will be designated over six years.
“I was also pleased to discover when I went to the event that in fact we had a second project funded under IPY,” said Keselman.
The second U of M-based project, Coordinated Effort to Clear Hepatitis Viruses from the Canadian North, is being led by Gerald Minuk in Nunavut, a member of U of M’s internal medicine and pharmacology team. The study will focus on understanding the disease’s effect on liver disease and preventative methods.
Proposals for funding must have been submitted between December 2005 and March 2006 to be peer-reviewed by expert scientists and review teams. A second call for proposals will still be issued in the spring of 2007, and will be focused on training and communication initiatives.
Other universities across Canada that have been accepted for funded projects include Queen’s University, University of British Columbia, Carleton University, McGill University, and the University of Toronto.
In terms of the amount of funding for specific projects, nothing definite has yet been announced. However, Keselman is confident that the U of M’s importance in the project will not be ignored.
“The University of Manitoba, whatever the formal announcements say about precise funding, is going to play a very key role in Canada’s effort in this regard,” said Keselman.
Across Canada, IPY has been issued to study the North Pole and Arctic regions, including the human population of the areas, along with environmental patterns and changes. The program also includes hands-on training for developing scientists and an awareness program on the issues at hand. The Canadian government will be working closely with the federal departments of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Environment, Fisheries and Oceans, Health, Industry and Natural Resources Canada, according to their website.
Jim Prentice, minister of Indian affairs and Northern development and federal interlocutor for Métis and non-status Indians, made the following statement in an IPY news release: “Canada’s Arctic has played a vital role in our development as a nation and in defining our national character. International Polar Year represents an outstanding opportunity for Canada to showcase its leadership in northern science and research, to help protect Canada’s environment, our northern communities, and the sovereignty of our Arctic.”
The last international initiative of this kind was held in 1957 and was entitled the International Geophysical Year. Before that, two previous International Polar Years were held in 1882 and 1932.
