The enormous cost of treating chronic illnesses, particularly in New Brunswick where obesity rates are one of the highest in the country, is driving the demand for more applied research in preventative and rehabilitative care and UNB’s faculty of kinesiology is poised to be a part of the solution. The 60,000-square-foot, $36 million kinesiology building at UNB’s Fredericton campus will create a nationally significant research cluster focused on health, wellness, physical fitness and health promotion that will establish New Brunswick as a leader in preventative health care.
The project was made possible thanks to a contribution from the Government of Canada and Province of New Brunswick under the Strategic Investment Fund. The new green facility will provide research and teaching space for the faculty of kinesiology. The new building is being built adjacent to the Richard J. CURRIE CENTER with a connection that will provide a direct link to the Andrew and Marjorie McCain Human Performance Lab. The project started in the fall of 2016 and is expected to be complete by the Spring of 2018.
In September, 2017, to celebrate the new kinesiology building project currently underway on the University of New Brunswick’s Fredericton campus and to commemorate the Lady Beaverbrook Gym, the university placed a 50-year time capsule in the cornerstone of the new building.
The stainless-steel capsule contains items voted on by students, faculty, staff and alumni. These include a fitbit, a 3D-printed whistle, a puck commemorating the UNB men’s 2017 hockey championship and a brick from the Lady Beaverbrook Gym.
The time capsule, which will be marked with a commemorative plaque, will be opened in 2067 on Canada’s bicentennial.
Providing an opportunity for research to be conducted that will benefit students, researchers and industries such as aquaculture, healthcare and pharmaceutical development will be the focus of a new multi-research greenhouse being built at UNB’s Saint John campus.
A research leader in the potential for medicinal compounds in wild plants, UNB research is supporting the development of new plant-based medicines, including compounds that have the potential to cure life-threatening diseases such as cancer.
This $1.4 million replacement project will allow the demolition of an outdated facility and eliminate significant levels in accumulated deferred maintenance and will improve the environmental footprint of the Saint John campus by reducing our energy consumption and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Of the $1.4 million in funding being invested, $450,000 is federal and $225,000 is provincial. The university is responsible for the remaining $723,000.
Federal funding has been allocated through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, a program that will provide up to $2 billion over the next three years to enhance and modernize research facilities on Canadian campuses and improve the environmental sustainability of these facilities.
The greenhouse project is expected to be completed by April 30, 2018.
