Dr. Mike Palmer, Senior Aquatic Scientist with Aurora College's Aurora Research Institute, has been awarded a six-year Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant for his project, Climate-Driven Disruption of Metal(loid) Cycling in Northern Aquatic Ecosystems.
The NSERC Discovery Grants Program is Canada's flagship funding program for investigator-led research in the natural sciences and engineering. Discovery Grants provide long-term support for innovative research programs, enabling researchers to pursue fundamental scientific questions, train highly qualified personnel, and build new knowledge with broad scientific and societal benefits. The grant was awarded through Wilfrid Laurier University, where Dr. Palmer holds an adjunct faculty appointment.
This northern led and initiated research program is directed by Dr. Palmer and the Subarctic Lakes in a Changing Climate (SLACC) lab. It will investigate how climate-driven changes - including permafrost thaw, increasing lake productivity, and wildfire - are altering the movement and biological uptake of metals such as arsenic in northern lakes. Working with community and university partners, the project will generate knowledge to support evidence-based environmental stewardship across northern Canada.
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"In addition to supporting environmental stewardship in Northern Canada, this research will provide training opportunities for community members, Aurora College students, and southern graduate and undergraduate students, helping to build the next generation of northern environmental scientists."
- Dr. Nora Houlahan, Interim President, Aurora College
For more information
PO Box 1290, 50 Conibear Crescent
Fort Smith Northwest Territories
Canada X0E 0P0
www.auroracollege.nt.ca
