More than a gift: Nutrien and USask bring a $15-million investment to life

When Nutrien made a $15-million commitment to the University of Saskatchewan last year, it came with an ambitious goal: create new opportunities for students, researchers and communities while helping advance the future of agriculture.

This fall, that investment is taking physical shape across the USask campus.

New doors have opened at the Nutrien Engineering Lecture Theatre, the Nutrien Digital Agriculture Centre and the kihci-okāwīmāwaskiy (Great Mother Earth) Knowledge Centre. While each serves a different purpose, together they reflect a shared commitment to education, research, innovation, Indigenous engagement and the people who will carry that work forward for the next generation.

These spaces are the latest chapter in a much bigger story.

Nutrien and USask have worked together for more than five decades. Over the years, Nutrien has invested more than $50 million in the university, supporting its research mission and helping prepare generations of students for their careers.

Creating space for the next generation of engineers

The first of the new spaces celebrated this fall was the Nutrien Engineering Lecture Theatre, which officially opened October 16.

The newly renovated theatre is the largest classroom in USask's College of Engineering and features updated seating and technology designed to create a modern, engaging environment for students.

“The opening of the Nutrien Lecture Theatre marks an exciting chapter for our college, creating a modern space where our students can learn, connect and collaborate, and where the engineers who will help shape the future of Saskatchewan and Canada can learn and grow,”said Dr. Michael Bradley (PhD), dean of the College of Engineering.

For Nutrien, investing in engineering education also has a practical connection to our business. Engineers and other skilled professionals play an important role across our Saskatchewan operations, and USask has long been an important source of talent.

Connecting people, data and discovery

Just a few weeks later, the focus shifts from the classroom to the future of agriculture.

The Nutrien Digital Agriculture Centre brings researchers, students, producers, industry partners and communities together around a rapidly evolving area of agricultural research: how data and digital technology can help create more resilient food systems.

The Geospatial Agroecosystem Inference Generator, or GAIG, is designed to map and analyze agricultural ecosystems. A UAV Crop Phenomics Platform will support plant breeding, crop research and agricultural management. And the Smart Farm platform will provide opportunities to explore and improve farming practices under real-world conditions.

Taken together, the platforms create new opportunities to connect data, technology and on-the-ground agricultural research.

A gathering place grounded in Indigenous knowledge

Steps away, another new space approaches learning about the land through a different lens.

The kihci-okāwīmāwaskiy Knowledge Centre is both a welcoming gathering place and a centre for land-related teaching, research and engagement of significance to Indigenous communities.

Nutrien's funding has supported physical renovations as well as increased staffing. Indigenous-designed elements throughout the centre reflect treaty relationships and connections to the land, including a river woven through the flooring, a gathering space for Elders and Knowledge Keepers, and areas for learning, relationship-building and community engagement.

The space will host askiy workshops focused on Indigenous perspectives of land, history, worldviews and contemporary challenges. Students taking the KanawayihetaytanAskiy Certificate Program will attend classes there, while the College of Agriculture and Bioresources will also use the centre for ongoing Indigenization workshops.

“What’s exciting is the opportunity to bring different perspectives and areas of knowledge together,” says Julie Ann Wriston, Director of Indigenous Relations.“The kihci-okāwīmāw askiy Knowledge Centre will create space for Indigenous knowledge, land-based learning and research to come together, while supporting relationships that can lead to new possibilities for learning and responsible stewardship of the land.”

Investing in what comes next

These physical spaces are new, but the idea behind them isn't.

For decades, Nutrien and USask have shared a connection to Saskatchewan and an interest in what comes next, whether that's the future of agriculture, the engineers and researchers who will help solve complex problems, or stronger relationships with the people and communities who call this province home. 

That means the impact of this investment won'tultimately be measured by the day the doors opened.

It will be measured by what happens inside them.