An Edmonton engineering and design firm has signed onto a 10-year, multi-million dollar contract to provide services to researchers in the Arctic.

Stantec will support U.S.-based Battelle on the $260-million Arctic Research Support and Logistics Services (ARSLS) contract funded by the United States National Science Foundation. The project will focus on supporting researchers at stations in Alaska and Greenland with Stantec providing facility services and maintenance and engineering supports at each base.

Chris Brown, a project manager with Stantec, said Battelle opted to work with his company in part because of their focus on design and construction work in the Arctic and remote areas of the world.

The work will support research projects focusing on everything from Arctic plants and vegetation to telemedicine psychological care following a bear attack.

“We are recognized as a leader in facility design in the north…that ties very nicely to the Stantec background,” said Brown.

Stantec will provide engineering support at the Toolik Field Station, located in the mountains of Alaska, and the Summit Station in Greenland, located on an ice cap over three kilometres thick. While the Toolik station is accessible by road, Greenland’s summit station is more difficult to get to.

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