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The Centre for Arctic Knowledge and Exploration

Expanding the museum's capacity to meet the world's environmental challenges and inspire future scientists with a focus on Canada's Arctic.

The museum has over 100 years of experience in applying its scientific expertise to Arctic exploration and is using that strong base of knowledge to transform people's understanding of the Arctic and its importance to Canada in a global context.

The goals of the centre are to position the museum as

• a global museum leader in Arctic knowledge and exploration
• a global museum leader in natural-heritage collections storage, preservation and digitization
• a national leader in nature inspiration, both on-site and off-site.

The centre will

• transform the way people think about and value the Arctic
• become a collections collaborator and partner with institutions around the world seeking to collect, preserve and digitize specimens that document the nature of Canada
• transform people's expectations of the museum as a destination for discussion, connection and exploration with nature's past, present and future that advances understanding and respect for the natural world.

Director: Jeffrey Saarela.

Research Projects

The following research projects are important contributions to the Centre for Arctic Knowledge and Exploration:

• Arctic Marine Single-Celled Algae and Other Protists
• Canadian Arctic Flora
• Change in Benthic Communities
• Mammal Evolution and Climate Change in the High Arctic during the Neogene Period
• Systematics, Faunistics and Conservation of Canadian Fishes