A world-class geological museum in St. John’s and an 85-acre farm in Labrador may not, on first glance, seem to have much in common.

But for Memorial University’s purposes, the Johnson Geo Centre and the Pye Farm are two recent acquisitions that will help the university build greater community connections while enhancing teaching, learning and research.

Both were made possible by recent acts of philanthropy.

Transformative impact
Dr. Penny Blackwood, executive director, Office of Development, says philanthropy can be transformative.

Dr. Penny Blackwood

“Donations, big and small, allow us to create new and better opportunities for students, staff and faculty, build state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and research and really excel in areas where we have existing or developing strengths,” she said.

One of Memorial’s key strengths is the connection between the university and communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

As Dr. Blackwood puts it, a university is “critical” to ensuring an educated population, but its impact extends much further, particularly when it comes to innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization.

“At Memorial, we have a special obligation to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador,” she said. “The donation of the Geo Centre is a wonderful example of how we can help achieve that mission. How can you take this facility that helps educate the general public about our history and geology and, by accepting it into the university fold, also support public engagement, education and research?”

“We quickly understood the potential for the Geo Centre to be the provincial science centre.”

Kim Shipp

Kim Shipp, director of the Memorial University Botanical Garden and the Geo Centre, is brimming over with ideas to do just that.

Kim Shipp

Approximately 85 per cent of the Geo Centre’s building is underground, while the landscape was carefully designed to retain original rock outcrops, wild grasses, shrubs and trees.

There are also plans to bring the Johnson Geo Centre experience to other areas of the province.

“Every child deserves experiential, hands-on science learning—this ‘science on the go’ happens in other provinces and we’re working towards bringing it to Newfoundland and Labrador,” noted Ms. Shipp.

Work is currently ongoing to create and launch a program to bring science education across the province. The concept includes outreach co-ordinators travelling to communities, spending time doing hands-on science in schools and offering programs for the wider community.

Building bridges
At the Geo Centre itself, some of the exhibits are in need of updating. An academic advisory committee, which supports the Botanical Garden as well as the Geo Centre, provides guidance and faculty input on programming, exhibits and activities.

“As a committee, we hope to bring benefit to both the garden and the Geo Centre,” said Dr. Martha Traverso-Yepez, chair of the committee. “Both institutions involve natural, science-focused environments with potential for research, experiential learning and public engagement activities. These activities are a wonderful bridge from academia to the community.”

Ms. Shipp is quick to note that as exhibits are reimagined, created and installed, Geo Centre staff are making sure the hands-on experience is at the forefront of development. In fact, she says they will deliver an “exceptional” experience for visitors.

“As we move forward, I’m hoping that we’ll be able to add new content so that visitors have an unexpected experience as well as the tried and true exhibits that patrons love.”

Exhibits at the Geo Centre are aimed at sparking curiosity and fostering a love of science and discovery. 

The original exhibits were developed in consultation with faculty members in the Department of Earth Sciences and the late philanthropist Paul Johnson, who had long recognized the synergy between the Geo Centre and Memorial University. When Memorial was gifted the centre bearing his name, it helped realize his vision for a long-term collaboration. 

In April 2019 the infrastructure and assets of the Geo Centre were donated to Memorial by the Johnson Geo Centre Foundation. The Crown lease for the Geo Park and other adjacent lands were also transferred to the university. The value of the Johnson Geo Centre and assets is estimated at more than $20 million, making it the largest single gift ever received by Memorial University.

Memorial accepted the generous donation after completing an assessment of the synergies, facilities, operations and finances and developing a business case.

“In light of the university’s financial situation, the university could only accept the gift if the operations of the Johnson Geo Centre could be cost-neutral to the university’s operating budget and therefore not negatively impact our core operations,” said President Gary Kachanoski. “The university’s assessment and business case determined that the centre could be cost-neutral for the university to operate by implementing economies of scale and shared services with other Memorial units and by streamlining the centre’s operations.”

Calling the site an “important educational and tourism attraction in the St. John’s area,” Dr. Kachanoski welcomed the gift.

“The Johnson Geo Centre aligns well with the university’s teaching and learning, research and public engagement mandate and will be a valuable complement to the university’s Botanical Garden and Signal Hill Campus, particularly the Emera Innovation Exchange,” he said.

Serendipitous development
Just two months after the announcement of the Johnson Geo Centre donation, Memorial announced another addition to its facilities, also enabled by a donation, which has the potential to transform public engagement, teaching and research—this time in Labrador.

In June, Joyce Pye and Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo, director of the Labrador Institute, announced that Memorial University would assume the lease on the Grand River Farm, colloquially known as the Pye Farm, and would create the Pye Centre for Northern Boreal Food Systems. 

Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo and Joyce Pye at the announcement of the Pye Centre for Northern Boreal Food Systems.

The project was more than two years in the making. Local farmers, community organizations, government representatives and Inuit and Innu leaders all worked together to ensure the plans for the land respected local cultures and met local needs and priorities.

When Frank Pye, Joyce’s husband, was diagnosed with cancer several years ago, they worried about what to do with the farm and how to continue their legacy—their farm is one of the largest in Labrador and is well integrated with the community, offering locally grown food and hosting community events like hay rides and farm days.

The couple approached the university in 2017 with the idea that the Labrador Institute take over the farm. Mr. Pye died later that year, but work continued to ensure the farm’s legacy would flourish.

“We have a multipronged approach for the farm, uniting research and education with a social enterprise, all responding to community priorities and Northern food security and sovereignty,” explained Dr. Cunsolo.

Memorial is one of the first universities in Canada to run a farm in a Northern region, which creates enormous opportunities to support local food sovereignty and security.

Dr. Cunsolo says that the farm will enhance, not compete with, the important and impressive work of local farmers and will continue to work with them on agriculture research and development that supports their needs.

‘Valued, recognized and well’
The Labrador Institute and researchers and graduate students from Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook will work with local farmers to identify priorities through the Pye Farm. Researchers will set up experimental farm plots to try new ideas and innovate.

In particular, the centre will focus on enhancing food production in cold climate agriculture and testing technological advancements to help improve crop yield and quality. These research plans will benefit from the expertise and infrastructure at Grenfell Campus on boreal ecosystems and agricultural science, including the Boreal Ecosystem Research Facility, and will provide learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to contribute to new knowledge and community priorities in Labrador.

The second priority is incorporating a social enterprise component to the Pye Farm, focusing on supporting health and wellness and food security throughout Labrador.

“There is considerable research showing the physical and mental health benefits to participating in food production, from working on a farm and growing food, to harvesting and preparing food, to sharing the food with Elders and members of the community,” said Dr. Cunsolo.

“At the Pye Farm, we envision programs that bring people together around food production to provide opportunities for people to feel valued, recognized and well. Early ideas from our community partners include creating programing for those struggling with mental health and addictions; incorporating elements of restorative justice programming on the farm; and providing opportunities for youth, Elders and seniors to connect with the farm and with each other.”

The Pye farm is an 85-acre working farm that significantly enhances Memorial’s capacity in northern food research.

Calling the farm a “beloved community hub,” Dr. Cunsolo also outlined plans to build on that legacy with initiatives like community educational plots, a U-pick strawberry patch, opportunities for hands-on learning for K-12 students and community workshops on topics such as composting and growing in your own backyard.

The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive, she says. Throughout the process of acquiring the farm, the Labrador Institute received 13 letters of support from community organizations, Indigenous leaders, the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay and other stakeholder groups that want to see Memorial support food security and sovereignty through the Pye Farm.

“This excitement, enthusiasm and support has been both humbling and inspiring, and we look forward to working, and growing forward, together.”

While the community supported the idea and the Labrador Institute was an enthusiastic partner, it would not have happened without a private donor, she says.

“A donation made this entirely possible, and for that, we are full of gratitude,” Dr. Cunsolo said. “These are the types of innovative opportunities made possible only through donations—opportunities that provide universities and communities with the ability to work together to unite leading-edge research with community needs and priorities.”

“It really makes me think about the generosity of people and the impact their gifts have in the long term.“

Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo