RDP instructor receives significant grant for black bear research
A Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) biology instructor, Sandra MacDougall, has been awarded a total of $474,700 in grants to amplify black bear research.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is providing $426,000 over three years, which officials say is the largest NSERC grant an RDP instructor has received. Additionally, MacDougall has received nearly $50,000 over two years from the Alberta Conservation Association.
“This applied research grant will create a vast impact on Alberta, contributing to academia and wildlife education,” says Dr. Tonya Wolfe, Associate Vice-President of Applied Research. “Sandra’s innovative research is one example of the diverse applied research that occurs across the Polytechnic. At RDP, we are committed to advancing our applied research capacity, helping to address a variety of societal and industrial challenges.”
Officials say this funding should give MacDougall the opportunity to examine the characteristics of a recolonizing population of American black bears within the Beaver Hills Biosphere region, located 40 km east of Edmonton.