Announcement of NSERC CREATE program in Persistent, Emerging, and Oil PoLlution in cold marine Environments (PEOPLE CREATE)
July 12, 2019
Yesterday, Ms. Kate Young, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Science and Sport, on behalf of the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport announced an investment of 29.6 million Canadian dollar through the Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s (NSERC) at Memorial University. The training program in Persistent, Emerging, and Oil PoLlution in cold marine Environments (PEOPLE CREATE), which was led by Dr. Bing Chen and leading researchers from more than 10 institutions, including Canada, the U.S., China, Australia, France and Norway, has been awarded 1.65 million Canadian dollars.
An NRPOP lab tour was arranged after the announcement. Dr. Chen gave a presentation on the previous and ongoing research conducted by NRPOP. Lab demonstrations have been successfully performed to show the strengths in the analysis, modeling, and remediation of PEOPs.
As the major component of the PEOPLE CREATE program and the PEOPLE network, NRPOP Lab will engage the collaborative consortium with world-class expertise and facilities for leading-edge research on the emerging environmental problems caused by persistent, emerging and organic pollutants (PEOPs), as well as the cross-disciplinary education and training for the next generation of highly qualified personnel and professionals. Together, the program will make important contributions to address the PEOPs challenges and protect Canada’s oceans and coastal communities.
The NSERC CREATE grant will also support the PEOPLE network events, that include the upcoming PEOPLE Symposium and Workshop, which will be held on Oct. 17-18, 2019 in St. John’s, NL, Canada. These events will be key occasions for the Network researchers and trainees to share the research and work, connect with worldwide scholars, advisors, collaborators, and partners, and engage with the communities.
[More information about PEOPLE Symposium]