On November 4, 2011, TWU President Jonathan S. Raymond, Ph.D., was joined by the Honorable Mark Warawa, Member of Parliament, Langley and the Honourable Rich Coleman, Minister Responsible for Energy and Mines, Minister Responsible for Housing, and MLA for Fort Langley-Aldergrove, to open the newly expanded Neufeld Science Centre.
“This is a blessing to the University,” said Raymond. “It significantly increases our capacity for advanced research, and it is paving the way for our students to come alongside faculty to get involved in the research enterprise.”
The 7,778 square foot expansion provides administrative space for the School of Nursing and research laboratories for the development of graduate programs in Biology and Chemistry. It also houses the new Dr. Jack Van Dyke Chemistry Research Laboratory that supports current chemistry faculty research projects in areas such as “Green Chemistry”, plant chemical ecology, and polymer blends with the potential to be used in the clean up of toxic spills.
The project received a Government of Canada investment of $1.953 million through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, under Canada’s Economic Action Plan. The total project cost $3.9 million.
“Our government is investing in research and training facilities at campuses across the country to create jobs, help our economy recover quickly and improve the quality of life of Canadians,” said Warawa. “This investment created local jobs and has helped improve Trinity’s research infrastructure, providing benefits now and for years to come.”
The new addition improves biosecurity standards by providing space for proper control and storage of microbial samples, cells and tissues, and research animals. It will support the advanced training of highly qualified personnel and TWU’s ability to generate Canadian health and environmental benefits and products.
Also attending were the Honourable Marc Dalton, MLA for Maple Ridge, Mission; Mayor Peter Fassbender, City of Langley; Deputy Mayor Grant Ward, Township of Langley; Dr. Calvin Hanson, TWU President Emeritus; the TWU Board of Governors; donors who supported the project; and other friends of TWU including Lori Neufeld, daughter of the original patrons for the Neufeld Science Centre, Mrs. Anna and Dr. George Neufeld.
In addition to the Neufeld Science Centre expansion, TWU was also awarded a $661,000 KIP grant that, in addition to generous private donations, funded the $1.3 million upgrade of its information and communication technologies, integrating all campus IT infrastructure. The project includes the deployment of Voice over IP (VoIP) phones to the entire campus and the acquisition of BlazeCast, a campus wide Emergency Notification System that integrates with TWU’s phone system.
For more information on the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, visit the Knowledge Infrastructure Program website.
Learn more about the Dr. Jack Van Dyke Chemistry Research Laboratory.