North Island College's Centre for Applied Research, Technology and Innovation (CARTI) is hosting an open house in the Seaweed Innovation Lab public open house on June 4 from 9 a.m. to noon at NIC’s Campbell River campus.
NIC’s Campbell River campus is located at 1685 Dogwood St.
The event aligns with Campbell River's Ocean Week celebrations and will include hands-on tours of the Seaweed Innovation Lab, seaweed art creation, seaweed snacks and more. Visitors to the lab will learn about ongoing seaweed research projects and see how baby seaweeds are grown in the lab before being outplanted in the ocean. The event will also welcome their funding partners to celebrate their support of the Seaweed Innovation Hub.
CARTI coordinates innovative projects that link community needs with opportunities for experiential learning opportunities and applied research. A particular research focus has been seaweed, such as a $1.2 million, three-year pilot project funded by the provincial government. The project will conduct applied research and training in seaweed cultivation, processing and marketing.
In February, the federal government, through PacifiCan, also announced $881,600 for the Seaweed Innovation Lab.
Ocean Week Campbell River aims to increase awareness of local marine ecosystems, the community’s close ties to the ocean and the importance of ocean conservation. The CARTI open house is one of a series of events during the first week of June.