June 15, 2007, Chalk River, ON — Today, MP Cheryl Gallant, on behalf of the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the National Research Council (NRC), marked a new era in health and science research with the unveiling of a new reflectometer at the National Research Council Canadian Neutron Beam Centre (NRC-CNBC). Unique in Canada, this world-class instrument opens up new research possibilities, using neutrons to improve medical implants or develop hydrogen storage systems for the cars of the future.
Worldwide, the scientific community is investing massively in neutron science because the knowledge arising from experiments on materials is directly applicable to economic competitiveness, health, energy and the environment. Canada is no exception.
"Scientific and technological innovations provide us with solutions to our important challenges and with the capacity to improve our economic competitive productivity," said Ms. Gallant. "Recently, Canada's New Government launched a science and technology strategy that will ensure that we continue to excel as a nation, create high quality jobs for Canadians and raise the standard of living in our country."
The new reflectometer joins a suite of five other neutron instruments at the NRC-CNBC. These are essential parts of Canada's national toolkit. "The NRC-CNBC is a key installation in Canada's scientific infrastructure," stated Dr. Pierre Coulombe, President of NRC. "NRC, in partnership with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, is pleased to serve as the steward of this new resource in order to maximize its accessibility to universities, industries and other users across Canada."
NRC has a range of in-house research projects in physics, engineering and life sciences using neutrons. However, the majority of the experiments at the NRC-CNBC each year are done by professors and students from Canadian universities in every province, which the NRC enables by providing training and access to these world-class resources.
The proposal to build this unique scientific facility was led by the University of Western Ontario and supported by 12 other Canadian universities from coast to coast. The University of Western Ontario is home to a world-class surface science group that recognized the usefulness of neutron reflectometry to their research programs. The proposal was funded in a federal-provincial partnership between the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the province of Ontario (through the Ontario Innovation Trust and the Ministry of Research and Innovation) and the NRC.
For more information, please visit the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca, or contact:
Sarah Mangione
Media Relations
National Research Council Canada
Tel.: (613) 990-6091
E-mail: media@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Alastair McIvorStrategic Planning and MarketingNRC Canadian Neutron Beam CentreTel.: (613) 584 8298E-mail: Alastair.McIvor@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
