PCSP Resolute Facility

PCSP maintains a facility at Resolute on Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, bordering Barrow Strait and the Northwest Passage.  The facility is located about eight kilometres from the settlement, beside the airport, so aircrafts may taxi directly from the runway to the PCSP complex.

In April 2011, an expansion was completed at the PCSP Resolute facility that nearly doubled its capacity to accommodate scientists.  The expansion includes a new kitchen and dining room, as well as common spaces, offices, meeting rooms and single bedrooms suitable for longer stays at the facility. Additionally, a new, stand-alone modern laboratory facility, the Dr. Roy M. “Fritz” Koerner Laboratory, was built as part of the expansion project and is comprised of three separated lab areas.

Buildings

The PCSP Resolute facility has three main buildings:

1. The living and recreation complex houses sleeping areas for 75 persons, washing and restroom facilities, meeting and reading rooms, recreation areas, a fitness room, a dining room seating 100 people, a kitchen, and staff quarters.
2. The operations centre is comprised of a garage and maintenance area, stores, equipment storage and staging areas, workspace, and offices of the staff responsible for logistics operations.
3. The Dr. Roy M. “Fritz” Koerner Laboratory is a stand-alone modern facility comprising three separate lab areas, and equipped with walk-in freezer and cooler, minus 80ºC freezer, fume hoods, compressed air supply, centrifuge, water purification system, sinks and electrical outlets for computers and specialized equipment. Microscopes, balances, and basic consumables are also available. Use of laboratory areas should be requested when you initially request PCSP support. Lab areas can be set up with additional minor lab equipment, which the scientist must supply.

What’s New?

The Dr. Roy M. “Fritz” Koerner Laboratory

In 2011, PCSP opened the Dr. Roy M. “Fritz” Koerner Laboratory building at its facility at Resolute. This building is state-of-the-art Arctic construction and contains several spaces that will accommodate many basic types of sample examination, preparation, and analysis. The main features of the building are described below and the floor plan figure shows the layout.

Walk-in Freezer

The walk-in freezer is reached from the loading dock and has an area of 12 sq. m. The loading dock has a movable railing to allow for deliveries to be made by fork lift.

Walk-in Cooler

The walk-in cooler is reached via the small mudroom opening onto the loading dock.  Ithas an area of 12 sq. m.

Small Mudroom

This mudroom exits to the loading dock and stairs. It has an area of 12 sq. m., and has storage space for specimens and field clothing.

Large Mudroom

This mudroom is at the north entrance and is reached by stairs or a ramp.  It has an area of 16 sq. m.

Clean Lab

This lab has an area of 32 sq. m. It contains a fumehood, sink, counter space, cabinets, a minus 80 freezer, work station, and reverse osmosis water purifier. This is a Containment Level 1 (CL1) lab as defined by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) in the PHAC Lab Biosafety Guidelines (2004). Compressed air will be supplied at a later date.

Wet Lab

This lab has an area of 8 sq. m., and contains a double sink, a floor drain, counter space, and cabinets.

Dry Lab

This lab has an area of approximately 60 sq. m. It contain a fume hood, two sinks, two work stations, two acid storagebins, two 20 cu ft coolers, a chest freezer, an eyewash and emergency shower station, flammable storage cabinet, counter space, and cabinets. Compressed air and propane will be supplied at a later date.

Washroom

The washroom has an area of 6 sq. m., is unisex, and is wheelchair accessible.

Equipment and Supplies

The following equipment is available in the labs:

• three 4-objective binocular microscopes
• three stereo binocular microscopes
• a pH meter
• a centrifuge with heads for two common tube sizes
• a small ultrasonic cleaner bath
• ten top-loading balances having various weight ranges up to 6kg.

Limited supplies of consumables are available: funnels, graduated cylinders, nitrile gloves, ceramic stirrers, spill kits, utility carts, stainless steel sieve sets, shoe covers, beakers, centrifuge tubes, disposable lab coats, safety glasses, and weigh boats.  Users of the lab however are expected to bring what they require.

PCSP continues to develop the laboratory to meet client needs.  We are always interested in feedback from users as to additional equipment that would be useful and developing partnerships to acquire such equipment for the lab.

Users are expected to bring all their own specialized equipment and consumables. Temporary storage for user-supplied chemicals is available. Users are required to remove unused chemicals from the labs when they leave Resolute.

User’s Manual

A user’s manual, entitled Procedures and Safety Guide for Polar Continental Shelf Program Laboratories will be available to all laboratory users. It must be read and there is a checklist we required researchers to review and sign prior to usage of the lab.