BLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech is set to expand its global research footprint with the planned purchase of land in Canada, where it will conduct studies and gather data on the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
The move follows an April 13 meeting of the Buildings and Grounds Committee of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, which approved the acquisition of more than 100 acres in Kapuskasing, Ontario, currently owned by Johns Hopkins University.
Recommended Videos
This land purchase will support the SuperDARN (Super Dual Auroral Radar Network) project, a long-running international research collaboration that includes Virginia Tech, among other institutions. The project focuses on studying the Earth’s space environment, such as radiation exposure risks for high-altitude travelers and disruptions caused by space weather. Radars supporting this research are located in 10 countries, including a site on the Johns Hopkins property in Canada.
In the United States, the National Science Foundation is the primary funding source for this research, and Virginia Tech has received grants for the project since 2008.
Johns Hopkins University no longer operates the radar on its Canadian property and is seeking to transfer ownership of the land to Virginia Tech. An appraisal conducted on December 11, 2024, estimated the property’s market value at 115,000 Canadian dollars, or about 84,000 U.S. dollars.