Acadia University
At the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, we investigate the natural world through environmental study in the Acadian Forest Region and its wetlands.
The Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens offer an exceptional opportunity for researchers to work within a living laboratory. This setting and its extensive resources – laboratories, gardens, greenhouses, and a world-class herbarium and seedbank combined with local businesses and agricultural partners – support students and faculty in leading-edge research.
Phytotrons, growth chambers, and mesocosms provide researchers with highly adaptable systems to understand the effects of environmental change and impacts associated with global warming. The Wetland Research Laboratory is specially equipped for the study of our unique Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy macrotidal environment. The hands-on study that these facilities provide is supported by analytical laboratories focused on the study of contaminants in the environment.
Student and
Faculty Research
To help inform the public and other students of the research that is being conducted In the K.C. Irving Centre, we ask researchers using the facility to prepare small informative posters, highlighting the nature of their early stage research projects.
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SARS-CoV-2 Environmental Surface Testing
See My StoryEnvironmental monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic can be used as a tool to identify locations of asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic carriers, focus clinical testing, and confirm cleaning protocols. LuminUltra developed a surface testing method for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that allows for swabs of high-touch surfaces to...
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Mercury and Arsenic Contamination at Historic Gold Mines in Nova Scotia
See My StoryDuring the Nova Scotia gold rush (early 1860’s to mid-1940’s), over 300 gold mines were established across the province, including several within what is today the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Many of these sites were never remediated and are often found near...
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E.C. Smith Herbarium
Learn MoreThe E.C. Smith Herbarium houses the largest collection of dried plants and fungi in Atlantic Canada. These preserved plant specimens and associated data are available for scientific study and maintenance of biodiversity, particularly within the Acadian Forest Region.
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Seed and Tissue Bank Programs
Learn MorePlant biodiversity is threatened around the world, and our Acadia Seed Bank is a model for preserving it.
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Analytical Labs
Learn MorePollution is among the most serious threats to the natural world. Our interdisciplinary lab space brings together faculty and students from the chemistry, environmental science, biology, and engineering departments to study and measure environmental contaminants to provide the information required for effective management and remediation.