Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation hosts successful Open House
UPEI’s Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation in St. Peter’s Bay hosted a public Open House on Friday, October 21, 2022. Members of the public were invited to tour the 45,000-square-foot facility, which houses the UPEI School of Climate Change and Adaptation, the UPEI Climate Lab, and state-of-the-art research centres of excellence, including the Centre of Excellence in Food Security and Sustainability.
The day began at 9:00 am with welcoming remarks from Dr. Greg Naterer, Vice-President Academic and Research, followed by guest presenters from First Nations, industry, provincial government, NGOs, and academia who addressed climate change challenges and opportunities on Prince Edward Island in a series of short talks. Presenters included Andrea McKenna, East Prince Agri-Environment Association; Peter Nishimura, PEI Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action; Kim Gill, Aquaculture, Fisheries and Communities; Patrick Augustine, UPEI Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Studies; Stephanie Arnold, BIPOC USHR; Marianne Rogers, Wind Energy Institute of Canada; and Dr. Xander Wang, UPEI School of Climate Change and Adaptation.
“It was great to welcome members of the local community and people from various industries and interests such as aquaculture, agriculture, and the environment to the Centre,” said Dr. Aitazaz Farooque, associate dean, UPEI School of Climate Change and Adaptation. “Climate change affects everyone, so this was a wonderful opportunity to learn different perspectives and demonstrate how UPEI supports key learning programs that prepare students to continue the important work of mitigating the effects of climate change into the future.”
Tours of the facility were conducted in the afternoon by Ross Dwyer, Manager of Research Partnerships, School of Climate Change and Adaptation, and students presented their projects related to climate change in various lab spaces. The large turnout of guests took in the research, innovation, and collaboration spaces; apartments for students and visiting faculty; common areas designed to encourage interaction and integration of research focus areas; and storage and repair space for equipment and UPEI’s fleet of drones—the largest in Canada.
Shirley Garrett and her grandson, Caleb Cahill, were among the members of the local community who attended the Open House.
“This facility is a wonderful addition to the community. We wanted to come and discover all that happens here and learn more about climate change and how it affects PEI,” said Garrett. “It was a very worthwhile way to spend the day, and we’re grateful to have this part of the UPEI campus in our own backyard.”
