Evaluation and testing of soil amendments for mine covers in cold regions

萨斯喀彻温省大学和Profile Products之间的这一联盟伙伴关系旨在评估和测试寒冷地区矿山覆盖物的土壤改良剂。矿山覆盖对关闭矿山至关重要，在那里建造的斜坡储存和释放水到环境中，并防止水和氧气进入废石和尾矿。我们将测试由Profile产品生产的一些新的土壤改良剂--这是首次在受控、寒冷的实验室条件下对矿山覆盖物进行此类土壤改良剂的测试。对用于地雷覆盖的土壤改良剂的这种评价和测试对加拿大来说是一个经济和环境方面的重要课题。我们估计，在未来10-20年内，地雷覆盖物及其生命周期代表着约2500万美元的“需求”和约5亿美元的“风险”。该项目将测试一系列旨在刺激植被生长和改善已建立的矿盖的水文功能的修正案。项目完成后，Profile Products将在加拿大进行投资，以促进成果。这项工作将持续一年，培训一名博士后研究员和两名研究技术人员。公平、多样性和包容性在培训计划中交织在一起，McDonnell在他的实验室有着非同寻常的多样性记录，54%的女性(28%的女性参与)以及来自加拿大、巴西、中国、澳大利亚、墨西哥、美国、中国和英国的多元化国际成员和种族多样性。思想、性别、背景和种族的多样性是他为研究卓越而建立团队的目标--他在2016年发表在《科学》杂志上的题为《编排一个强大的团队》的论文中描述了这一点。McDonnell访问了安大略省的六国第一民族，并与Kineepk Metis Local的执行董事V.Natomagan先生进行了交谈，他是Cameco第一民族项目的负责人-所有这些都是为了用一名第一民族工人来填补该项目的一个技术职位。

This Alliance partnership between the University of Saskatchewan and Profile Products is designed to evaluate and test soil amendments for mine covers in cold regions. Mine covers are crucial to mine closure where constructed slopes store and release water to the environment and prevent water and oxygen ingress into waste rock and mine tailings. We will test a number of new soil amendments produced by Profile Products-the first such testing of soil amendments on mine covers in controlled, cold, laboratory conditions. Such evaluation and testing of soil amendments for mine covers is an economically and environmentally important topic to Canada. We estimate that for mine covers and their life-cycle represent about $25 million in "demand" and ~$500 million in "risks" exist in the next 10-20 years. This project will test a number of amendments designed to stimulate vegetation growth and improve hydrological functioning of created mine covers. Following the project's completion, Profile Products will invest to advance the results in Canada. The work will last for one year and result in the training of one Postdoctoral Fellow and two Research Technicians. Equity, diversity and inclusion are interwoven into the training plan and McDonnell has an unusually strong track record of diversity in his lab with 54% females (in a field of 28% female participation overall) and diverse international membership and ethnic diversity from Canada, Brazil, China, Australia, Mexico, USA, China and the UK. Diversity of ideas, genders, backgrounds and ethnicity is his goal for team building for research excellence-described in his 2016 paper in Science magazine titled "Orchestrating a Powerful Group". McDonnell has visited the Six Nations First Nation in Ontario and spoken with Mr. V. Natomagan, Executive Director at Kineepik Metis Local who heads the First Nations engagement for Cameco-all with an aim of filling one of the technician positions on this project with a First Nations worker.