The college will officially open both the Centre for Excellence in Clean Energy Technology, also known as Energy House, and the Health Sciences Building.
“It’s obviously very significant,” said Brad Lyon, communications director for NLC. “It is the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people who deserve a lot of recognition, and it’s the beginning of incorporating them (the facilities) as key parts of our programming and key parts of the community.”
Due to limited space, a grand opening ceremony will be held with invited dignitaries only at around 1:30 p.m. However, a public open house will follow the opening from 2:45 to 4 p.m. where community members will be able to tour the facilities.
Energy House, which is attached to the main entrance of the campus, was built to be a training and demonstration centre for alternative energy systems. It was built to be totally energy self-sufficient, and features solar photovoltaic and heating, wind power, biomass, geothermal, and storm water collection systems. The facility currently houses the college’s aircraft maintenance and engineering program, and Lyon said new courses are under development to correspond with all of the technologies listed above.
“With Energy House, the sky is the limit when it comes to the future of clean energy technologies,” he said.
Energy House was made possible through a joint federal and provincial grant of $7.8 million.
The Health Sciences Building, located next to the campus’ main building, houses the college’s healthcare assistant and practical nursing programs, as well as university arts and sciences programs offered in partnership with other institutions. It features three labs, several classrooms, and a 96-seat auditorium that is used not only for lectures but for public events as well. Lyon said all of the rooms were built to utilize video conferencing technologies.
The labs feature automated mannequins that can simulate a number of various ailments and injuries for students to get practical experience.
“The idea with our healthcare programming is we want our students, when they got out for their practicum placements and then out into the workforce, to have as much hands-on experience as they can,” said Lyon.
Funding for the Health Sciences Building was also made possible through a federal-provincial Knowledge Infrastructure Program grant.
Lyon encouraged any interested member of the public to come to the campus on Saturday and learn more about these two exciting facilities. Individuals interested in attending the house are asked to access the campus via the 116 Avenue entrance.
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