Grant: Collaborative Research and Training Experience

Canada is blessed with abundant natural resources, such as coal, oil, and base and precious metals. These mined resources provide the bedrock of the 21st Century economy, but extracting them in an environmentally sustainable manner presents an enormous technical challenge. Meeting this challenge will require HQP with a deep understanding of the physical, chemical, geological, ecological and social issues confronting mining development. The NSERC CREATE for Training toward Environmentally Responsible Resource Extraction (TERRE) program will prepare exceptional science and engineering students for transformative careers in the resource sector. Trainees will access an unprecedented breadth of courses and opportunities, encompassing the spectrum of social, economic and environmental considerations throughout a mine's lifetime and beyond. Internships, collaborative research with industry, and expert-led workshops in mine safety, communications, leadership and commercialization, will ensure TERRE graduates are equipped for an immediate professional impact. Headquartered at the University of Waterloo, this unique training program brings together an outstanding team of experienced researchers, advanced research facilities across Canada, and key industrial partners from the resource sector. The program directly addresses NSERC's priority areas of natural resources and environmental science and technology. TERRE will train a new generation of HQP to pioneer new standards and technologies for protecting environmental quality. With their help, Canada can lead the world's drive towards environmentally responsible resource extraction.