Electric vehicle donationsupports NOSM researchers

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) recently installed an electric vehicle (EV) charging station. The EV station, generously donated by Bruce Power, has been installed outside NOSM’s medical school building at Laurentian University in Sudbury. This initiative is part of Bruce Power’s $5 million investment in funding to establish and support the Bruce Power Centre for Health, Environment and Radiation at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

Also located outside NOSM is the new Bruce Power Electric Research Vehicle, which is used by researchers and graduate students at the medical school. This completely emission-free electric vehicle is an environmentally sustainable way to travel to research sites and helps promote a healthier North.

Research projects utilizing this new electric vehicle are led by Dr. Doug Boreham, the Bruce Power Chair in Radiation and Health at NOSM and Division Head, Medical Sciences. Notably, researchers use the EV to travel to SNOLAB, where Boreham currently has one of his research projects established.

Researching Effects of the Presence and Absence of Ionizing Radiation (REPAIR) is a project located two kilometres (6,800 feet) deep underground within the world-class SNOLAB research facility at Vale’s Creighton mine. “This project studies the effects of the absence of natural background radiation in biological model systems,” says Boreham. “This work helps in understanding the mechanisms of diseases such as cancer in the context of radiation, as well as the fundamental importance of the background radiation we are all exposed to naturally on a daily basis.”

The provision of a clean energy vehicle and charging station provides a step toward more environmentally friendly transportation in Northern Ontario. Electric vehicles produce 90 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions than fossil fuel cars, leading to fewer environmental pollutants, which have a negative impact on health. The charging station at NOSM’s medical school building in Sudbury will allow faculty, staff, and students who park at the School to charge their electric vehicles.