McGill, University of Montreal receive $26 million for space studies
Since he was a young boy, Lorne Trottier has been fascinated with space, science and technology.
"It tries to answer some of the deepest mysteries of humanity," the Montreal engineer and philanthropist said. "Where did we come from? How did the universe come to be? Is there life out there?"
A donation to two university space programs could potentially one day answer those questions.
The Trottier Family Foundation announced Monday it will donate $26 million to McGill University and the University of Montreal.
McGill's space institute will receive $16 million. Half of the money will be used to build a new annex to the program's existing building.
"It's going to encourage discussions, it's going to encourage synergy, interaction," Victoria Kaspi, director of the Trottier Institute for Space at McGill. "We'll be able to invite visitors from around the world to come here to Montreal to participate and work with us."
A total of $10 million will go to University of Montreal's Institute for Research on Exoplanets.
"Our mission is to find life elsewhere in the universe and that takes time," Rene Doyon, director of the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, said. "It may be in a few decades that this discovery will happen."
Both schools have decided to honour the Trottier family by changing their program names.
Going forward. it will now be called the Trottier Space Institute at McGill and the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets at the University of Montreal.
"It strengthens the bonds that already exists between the two universities," Simon Guichandut, a McGill PhD student, said. "Definitely it puts Montreal on the map, if it wasn't already, in terms of astronomy."
Both universities were involved in the launch of the James Webb space telescope. The most technologically advanced scientific instrument ever launched into space.
"We can call it a golden age and there’s new facilities also on the ground that work in synergy with James Webb," Doyon said. "It's a good time to be a graduate student these days, they have access to these incredible facilities."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.