SIFC receives funds for science labs

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The new Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC) campus building being built in Regina will include eight science labs, thanks in part to funding from the provincial and federal governments.

The campus, scheduled to have its official opening next June, will include three wet science labs, two dry science labs, and three computational science labs, which will help support the college's existing science programs.

The province is contributing $602,000 toward the $2.4 million cost of the laboratories, with those funds coming from Saskatchewan's Innovation and Science Fund, which provides support to Saskatchewan universities, colleges and research institutes for projects that are approved and funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR). The CFI, an independent, non-profit organization formed by the federal government that works to strengthen the capacity for innovation in post-secondary institutions, hospitals and non-profit research organizations, is also providing $352,000 in funding for the project. The college will cover the remainder of the project cost.

"The CFI award and the contributions by the government of Saskatchewan are very important for SIFC to fulfill its mandate in science education for Aboriginal students and in research to address health and environmental issues facing Aboriginal people in Canada, and internationally," said SIFC president Eber Hampton following the funding announcements. "I want to congratulate the members of the faculty of the SIFC department of science who have worked hard to put together this innovative proposal that combines SIFC's teaching, research and service activities."