Saint Mary's researcher part of international astronomy mission XRISM

Source: www.mhi.com

Source: JAXA

Source: NASA

High-energy astronomy mission will further understanding of the extreme universe

Saint Mary’s professor Dr. Luigi Gallo is one of two Canadians involved in an exciting new three-year mission, a collaboration led by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) with important contributions from NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and the European Space Agency.

On Wednesday, September 6 at 8:42:11 p.m. ADT, a powerful satellite called XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) was launched on a rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.

Watch the launch video (via SciNews):

Source: YouTube via SciNews

This new space observatory will contain two scientific instruments: Resolve, an X-ray spectrometer contributed by NASA; and Xtend, an X-ray imager. Some filter calibration for Resolve was carried out by NASA at the Canadian Light Source, a synchrotron facility in Saskatoon, SK.

XRISM is eight meters long, with the telescopes mounted at one end focusing X-ray light onto the detectors at the other end. To study X-ray sources in the universe, the XRISM satellite must be launched into space above the atmosphere, as X-rays cannot penetrate Earth’s atmosphere. XRISM was launched into space on the JAXA HII-A rocket; it will take several months to get it tested and calibrated before science data starts flowing.

The mission itself is essentially going to look at X-ray spectra with very high resolution—analogous to seeing very fine differences in the colours of optical light we can see with our eyes, explains Dr. Gallo. X-rays are a high-energy form of light that is undetectable to the human eye. The regions around black holes, as well as massive stars, supernovae and clusters of galaxies all emit X-rays.

Dr. Luigi Gallo

“The X-rays are basically produced in the hottest and most volatile environments in the universe,” says Dr. Gallo. “We’re studying extreme events like black holes, neutron stars, supernovas, and giant galaxy clusters. I’m looking at the black holes. That's what I study, and I'm looking at the X-rays coming from the regions closest to the black hole—basically, the material just before it disappears and falls beyond the black hole event horizon.”

Because these extreme events can’t be replicated in laboratories on Earth, these missions are crucial to furthering our understanding of the universe.

“We’re looking at extreme gravity, extreme temperatures, and huge magnetic fields—you can't produce those kinds of environments on Earth,” explains Dr. Gallo. “You can't study the physics and understand what happens to matter under those extreme conditions. The only way we can do that is by looking out into space.”

This work done by scientists on this mission, the previous 2016 Hitomi (ASTRO-H) satellite mission and others, pushes the limits of our understanding, and it’s important for generations to come.

“In science, we are always building on our current understanding,” says Dr. Gallo. “What we're doing today is building on the successes, and failures, of previous work over the past centuries, and we're just taking one relatively small step forward. As revolutionary as XRISM will be, ultimately, it’s one step forward that future generations will build on. There are always bigger things to come.”

Dr. Gallo completed his PhD at the prestigious Max Planck Institute in Garching, Germany, followed by postdoctoral research in Japan. He later joined the Saint Mary’s faculty and works with the Canadian Space Agency. He has been a professor in the Department of Astronomy and Physics at Saint Mary’s University since 2007. As part of the XRISM program at Saint Mary’s, graduate student Margaret Buhariwalla and postdoc Dr. Adam Gonzalez have also been able to participate in this research with Dr. Gallo.  

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Related links:

• Canadian scientists to get a glimpse of the hot universe (via Canadian Space Agency)

• Saint Mary’s University professor goes above and beyond with astronomy research and teaching

A summer of starlings: students benefit from summer research opportunity

Summer student researcher Gabi Armstrong says her starling research focuses on the nests they use to raise their young. She is examining the materials they incorporate into their nests, including natural (e.g., feathers, greenery, sticks, etc.) and anthropogenic materials (e.g., human-made materials) like garbage. 

Alyssa Wells (shown here steadying the ladder for Armstrong) credits a fourth-year biology course with Dr. Barber as the reason she fell in love with the field of behavioural ecology. She was fascinated with how researchers create observational studies to find out information based on the choices that organisms make to survive and find mating success.

Over the years the research has progressed really well according to Armstrong. It has answered many questions involving paternal investment and mate choice among the starlings along with other research questions involving ectoparasites, urbanization and much more.

Wells (left) is focusing her research on how brood condition and parental investment influence mate fidelity within the starling population.

Both students credited the opportunity to do hands-on fieldwork as an important part of why they were excited to participate in this research project.

The beautiful birdcalls of starlings are a fixture of the Saint Mary’s University campus. The more than 40 starling nest boxes across campus are part of a research project led by Dr. Colleen Barber. The boxes were erected almost two decades ago and have provided research opportunities for numerous students and field assistants. This photo gallery shows Saint Mary’s students Gabi Armstrong and Alyssa Wells checking on the starling boxes and shares some insight into their roles as student researchers.

Additional reading

• The sounds of starlings: SMU team gets to the heart of how they mate

Undergraduate Students Earn Paid Summer Research Positions

 With hard work and dedication to their studies, top undergraduate students at Saint Mary’s have won the opportunity to do paid research with their professors this summer. Some will be in labs, others in the field or working remotely.  

Research at Saint Mary’s University has an impact on our community and globally. These students are placed across the campus in Science, Arts and Business faculties. Research topics include applying human resource concepts to sports teams, analyzing data and images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, the shift in approach to feminist policy in Canada, and analysing case studies on the collapse of fish stocks and fisheries worldwide.  

Canadian and International students are eligible for four award programs:

• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Undergraduate Student
  Research Awards (NSERC USRA);

• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Explore Summer Research Awards; and,

• Dean of Science Undergraduate Summer Research Awards

• First Year Undergraduate Awards

Working with professors whose research is making positive changes in the world guides students on their educational path to become the next generation of researchers.  

“Saint Mary’s University faculty members excel at engaging undergraduate students in their research efforts, and these experiences are a transformational positive experience for every student that has the opportunity,” said Dr. Adam Sarty, Associate Vice-President, Research and Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.  

“The one-on-one attention from our faculty members and teamwork with peers is a perfect complement to an undergraduate degree, and provides an exceptionally strong foundation for career entry, or future professional/graduate studies,” said Dr. Sarty.  

The Awards

USRA awards, open to Canadian students who have completed at least a year of a bachelor’s degree, are meant to help students develop their potential for a research career in the natural sciences and engineering.

SSHRC Explore awards are open to students studying social sciences and humanities. With these two award programs that are supported by our federal funding councils, combined with the Dean of Science and First Year awards, all Saint Mary’s University students, Canadian and international, have an opportunity to apply for summer research award positions, even after their first year of study. 

This year are students are working on these exciting and inspiring research projects:

Humaid Muhammad Agowun (Mathematics & Computing Science; Supervisor: Paul Muir) 

Tanisha Ballard (Chemistry; Supervisor: Clarissa Sit)

Continuing certain projects already initiated, my lab partners and I will be looking at improving plant growth, and potentially, pest control in crop production. This summer, hopefully we will be able to conduct field trials on various crops, as well as additional greenhouse and green roof trials this summer to investigate this.

Abigail Battson (Astrophysics; Supervisor: Vincent Hénault-Brunet)

I will be working on high-velocity stars in globular clusters. These stars are far too fast to have been produced by the typical cluster dynamics, and are likely produced by interactions between a binary star system and a black hole. My work involves finding these stars using the GAIA proper motion data and confirming that they are likely members of the cluster, with plans to apply this process to all the globular clusters I can. Eventually, I hope to analyze the three-body interactions that cause the star's high speed to discover what kind of black holes would produce the results observed.

Samantha Bennett (Environmental Science; Supervisor: Erin Cameron)

This summer I am going to be studying soil biodiversity and the effects of global change, climate change and invasive species on species distribution. I will spend part of the summer researching earthworms, looking into their distribution and dispersal. I am hoping to get the opportunity to go to Western Canada later in the summer to study the distribution of earthworms in Saskatchewan.

Hannah Birru (Economics; Supervisor: Joniada Milla)

Labour economics in Chile.

Abby Brouwer (Biology; Supervisor: Anne Dalziel)

Testing how freshwater tolerance evolves in stickleback or study the factors influencing hybridization rate and direction in killifishes. This work will involve collecting fish from the field, caring for fish brought back to the aquarium facilities, and conducting molecular and biochemical analyses in the lab.

Chloe Champion (Biology; Supervisor: Anne Dalziel)

Continuing field and molecular work in the Dalziel Lab on “Mechanisms affecting rates and directions of hybridization in killifish species producing asexual hybrids.”

Jakob Conrad (Mathematics; Supervisor: Mitja Mastnak)

The study and classfication of hopf algebras, using computational methods and tools, and studying the simultaneous triangularization of linear transformations and their corresponding chains of invariant subspaces.

Katrina Cruickshanks (Biology; Supervisor: Sean Haughian)

Analyzing lichen species of old growth forests of Nova Scotia to assist land managers with prioritizing conservation decisions. 

Myles Davidson (Psychology; Supervisor: Skye Stephens)

I am working with Dr. Skye Stephens on a prevention project for adults at risk of sexually offending against children. We are working on identifying what is considered best practice for preventing offending amongst this demographic.

Bryn de Chastelain (Political Science; Supervisor: Alexandra Dobrowolsky)

My research is supporting the development of an article by Dr. Dobrowolsky on the topic of feminist policy and gender equality in Canada. Specifically, I will be analyzing speeches and policy approaches under Pierre Elliott Trudeau and his son Justin Trudeau, demonstrating the shift (or lack thereof) in approach to feminist policy in Canada. This will inform a comparative analysis of the different political eras to showcase the realities of feminism and gender equality in Canada. 

Matthew Fancy (Marketing; Supervisor Tiffany Vu)

Helping to develop and test various theories in marketing pertaining to charitable giving and sustainability.

Mark Funnell (Geography & Environmental Studies; Supervisors: Matthew Novak & Khan Rahaman)

I am a first-year Geography undergrad working with the Wicked Problems Lab to assess the pandemic’s effect on local governance. This looks to answer how municipal government has been affected in Halifax and elsewhere in Canada through using qualitative data analysis software and other research methods.

Justin Gray (Mathematics and Computing Science; Supervisor: Stavros Konstantinidis)

A regular expression is a pattern that is used to match desirable word(s) in a text. Given a regular expression and a word, there are algorithms to determine if the regular expression matches the word; this is called the membership problem. This is often solved by converting the regular expression into an automaton, but can also be solved using other direct algorithms. My research will focus on algorithms and implementation of the membership problem for multi-dimensional word/regular expression tuples, which are studied in the area of what is formally known as rational word relations. This type of regular expressions is of current interest both in the theory of rational relations and their applications in areas like databases and computer security.

Samantha Henneberry (Chemistry; Supervisor: Rob Singer)

This summer I will be working with Dr. Singer and his team on a green chemistry project involving ionic organocatalysis. These ionic organocatalysts can potentially provide more green alternatives to traditional organic liquids. Another project involves the N-demethylation of opioids, using sonochemical / ultrasound methods. This project falls under the medicinal side of organic chemistry, and may even be published by the end of the summer.”

Jacob Hoare (Chemistry; Supervisor: Rob Singer)

Sam Julien (Chemistry; Supervisor: Christa Brosseau)

I am a 4th year chemistry honours student. I will be developing a novel biosensor for rapid detection of cardiac biomarkers. This technology may be useful for the early evaluation of heart attacks before the onset of physical symptoms.

Amy Kehoe (Engineering; Supervisor: Adel Merabet)

Maggie Kelly (Biology; Supervisor: Laura Weir)

I will be working with Dr. Weir and her study of the mating behaviour of Japanese Medaka fish.

Madison Kieffer (Modern Languages and Classics; Supervisor: Sveva Svavelli)

Processing artifacts and organizing documentation from the archaeological excavation at the Oenotrian-Greek site of Incoronata “greca” (Pisticci-Basilicata-Italy) (8th- 6th c. BCE). Current investigation of the site focuses on the relationships formed between Indigenous populations in southern Italy and incoming Greeks in the wider context of Greek colonialism and imperialism in the ancient Mediterranean.

Mayara Mejri (Biology; Supervisor: David Chiasson)

Nam Nguyen (Accounting; Supervisor: Vasiliki Athanasakou)

I am super passionate about working in the accounting and taxation field. I am currently participating in the research project of Professor Athanasakou to perform analysis on corporate reporting, and I am working full-time as an Excise Tax Examiner at the Canada Revenue Agency.  I am interested in this topic as I have the opportunity to review and evaluate annual reports and information forms from many different companies. Working with Professor Athanasakou and learning from her stories and experience will allow me to learn and gain more handy skills and knowledge, and this would help in pursuing my CPA designation.

Narmeen Oozer (Mathematics & Computing Science; Supervisor Mitja Mastnak)

Bibek Parajuli (Psychology; Supervisor: Arla Day)

Gwen Pearson (Women & Gender Studies/Criminology; Supervisors: Byers/Collins)

Collecting existing data and research on the subject in the media, including television shows and documentaries. I will examine the content relating to many different aspects like story arc, genre, and how characters are portrayed. I also expect to learn skills relating to criminology, media studies, and research, that will likely benefit me as I complete my degree. 

Bernice Perry (History; Supervisor: Heather Green)

Working alongside Professor Green and her collaborators on the Northern Borders Project, researching first and secondary sources for developing an open access online teaching module, surrounding aspects of borders and boundaries in the North. This project entails looking at physical borders and cultural and racial boundaries using scholarly and local perspectives. There is also an opportunity for independent research surrounding the project themes, which may be featured in the teaching module.

Grace Robertson (Environmental Science; Supervisor: Tony Charles)

I will be compiling and analysing case studies and other information from around the world on the collapse of fish stocks and fisheries, leading to a published report. I will also be working with simulation modelling of the impacts of marine protected areas on fisheries and marine biodiversity. Lastly, I will be engaging in the work of the Community Conservation Research Network through research and outreach activities.

Jacqueline Shaw (Psychology; Supervisor: Kevin Kelloway)

Working with Dr. Kelloway and his research group to study organizational response to the Covid-19 outbreak, as well as psychological injuries at work, stress interventions, and the relationship between personality and organizational outcomes.

Jaylynn Skeete (Psychology; Supervisor: Nicole Conrad)

I will be assisting Dr. Conrad with her research on the relationship between spelling and reading comprehension, and with statistical input and analysis as well as creating my own research study and design. 

Ashley Ta (Management; Supervisor: Terry Wagar)

Applying human resource concepts to sports teams, coaches, and athletes. I will also be assisting in writing literary reviews, assembling data, and conducting interviews. 

Devin Williams (Astrophysics; Supervisor: Marcin Sawicki)

Analyzing data and images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and other giant ground-based telescopes to study galaxy morphology, and learn how galaxies form, grow, and evolve in the early Universe.

New SMU lab tackles society’s wicked problems

Saint Mary’s University’s new Wicked Problems Lab is a teaching, learning, and research hub that brings big data, software, analytic techniques, and resources together to tackle wicked problems.

Wicked problems are complex and multifaceted issues that are difficult, if not impossible, to solve. Saint Mary's aims to take on these challenges, evaluating the problems from various perspectives and offering potential solutions to address the issue.

Made possible by gifts from The Windsor Foundation, the Hewitt Foundation and Dr. Daniel McCarthy BComm'76 DComm'11, this new lab’s mandate is to help students and researchers across the university tackle some of society’s most wicked problems.

"Our lab is working to build capacity in employing the large quantities of data currently available and advanced analytical tools to track, assess, and tackle wicked problems both locally and globally," says Dr. Mathew Novak, a Saint Mary's associate professor and director of the Wicked Problems Lab. "We invite students and faculty to bring us their wicked problems, and we will work them to find a solution.  We can help find data and use a host of analytical software that will help in understanding the complexity of the problem and contribute to our pursuit of new knowledge and solutions."

"The resources and expertise of the lab will help our researchers and our students in every discipline. Students writing a term paper may want to include data to support their arguments," says Dr. Novak. "We can help them with the skills, tools and support needed to wade through the mountains of publicly available data and demonstrate how to look at that data in new ways."

The lab follows three critical facets to its resourcing: teaching, learning, and research.

As a teaching resource, the lab offers problem-based learning activities for undergraduate and graduate-level courses. Each exercise has students engage with data and analytical tools to assess a problem while posing questions about challenges in tackling the issue.  These virtual classroom sessions are available for instructors in all disciplines and are timely demonstrations of how Saint Mary’s is innovating in its delivery of courses online.

As a learning resource, the lab will deliver individual and group training to any Saint Mary's community member that wants to enhance their knowledge and use of data analytics and specialized software tools and databases. Training sessions with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are already underway, demonstrating how the software may be employed in various disciplines across campus and offering participants hands on exercises in map making, data management, and spatial analysis. 

As a research resource, Saint Mary’s faculty and students can work with Dr. Khan Rahaman, the full-time research analyst, for free assistance in addressing their wicked problem.  Dr. Rahaman will work with the lab's clients and help them collect, manage, and analyze data for reports, theses, and other research outlets.

"We are very excited to be up, and we are embracing online learning and collaboration, offering our services remotely," says Dr. Novak. "We also look forward to when we can be back on campus, and our lab space will be available for in-person teaching and training as well as research assistance.”

“I also want to thank the people behind the gift that supports all of the work that we do,” adds Novak. “A special thanks to The Windsor Foundation, the Hewitt Foundation, and Saint Mary’s alumni Dr. Daniel McCarthy for making this possible.”

• For more information, visit the Wicked Problems Lab website.

Forensic Science Camp underway

It’s an exciting week for students in our popular Forensic Science Camp in the Faculty of Science.

Now in its second year, and with a second week added due to popular demand, teens in Forensic Science Camp learn about DNA extraction and examination, fingerprint collection and analysis, and examination of blood stains and spatter patterns.

“Forensic science is the application of science with a legal component,” explained Dr. Brenna Frasier, the camp’s founder and lead instructor.  “You could use forensics in chemistry, biology, engineering… it encompasses almost any scientific field.”

The lessons are a combination of instruction and hands-on learning, designed for students who are keen to learn and participate and who want experience conducting scientific research in a lab. They also learn to work as a team, as they would in “real world” situations.

An exciting part of the camp is doing a mock crime scene investigation in the field – in this case, in a staged residence room. Processing a crime scene is followed by a mock trial and presentation of evidence. Students also meet with professionals working in the field.

This camp gives participants a feel for the forensic science industry, and most of these students are already considering university programs in this field. By learning about skeletal remains, hair and fibre examination, and crime scene examination from our expert faculty members, students learn what crime scene investigators, forensic experts and other professionals do in their careers, and many are looking forward to pursuing this study further.

To be accepted into the camp, students age 14-17 complete an application form and an essay outlining their interest in Forensic Science.  To learn more, click here. Registration for summer 2020 will open in February.

Master of Science student Corwin Trottier recognized by Mineralogical Association

CorwinTrottier

Congratulations to Master of Science in Applied Science candidate Corwin Trottier, recipient of a prestigious $5000 Mineralogical Association of Canada (MAC) Foundation Scholarship.

Corwin Trottier is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Applied Science under the supervision of geology professor Dr. Jacob Hanley. He holds not one, but two undergraduate degrees from Saint Mary’s University: a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a BSc in Geology.  

Trottier’s MSc thesis builds on his summer research with Dr. Hanley and Dr. Georgia Pe-Piper, where he studied samples from the Great Bear magmatic zone (GBMZ) in the Northwest Territories. These samples contain polymetallic “five-element” (Ni-Co-As-Ag-Bi) mineralization, which occur as structurally controlled veins within lightly metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary host rocks. 

“Noteworthy recent research on five-element veins have focused on several European deposits, but GBMZ deposits remain untouched by modern analytical techniques,” writes Trottier in his thesis rationale.

Trottier’s research examines 60 rock samples that had been collected in the 1960s from the Eldorado Mine, which operated from 1933 to 1982, and stored at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) division of the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) in Ottawa. His objective is to advance the understanding of the ores at Eldorado Mine and similar five-element veins using modern analytical tools.

“Mr. Trottier is laying new ground in our understanding of uranium-silver deposits in Canada and abroad,” said Dr. Hanley. “I have been greatly impressed by his worth ethic and care in conducting this important research.”

Previous studies in the GBMZ have not quantified the metals in ore fluids, nor have they captured trace element and stable isotope chemistry at the scale of individual vein stages. As a result, current models have not been able to explain the source of uranium and other metals at Eldorado from a geochemical perspective.

“Final results will be compared to those of previous studies in the GBMZ and other five-element occurrences around the East Arm of Great Slave Lake, NWT,” writes Trottier. “This comparison will provide insight into the potential genetic relationship between similar deposit styles of variable ore grade at local and regional scales. The expected outcome will bring a better understanding of how ore metals are distributed in similarly complex vein deposits.”

About the Scholarship

The Mineralogical Association of Canada awards two $5000 scholarships yearly, one to a student enrolled in an MSc program and one to a student in a Ph.D. program. The applicable fields of study are: Mineralogy, Crystallography, Geochemistry, Mineral deposits and Petrology.

M.Sc. student Shelby Scott describes meaningful work in Forensic Sciences

Shelby Scott

M.Sc.-student Shelby Scott, a Forensic Anthropology student at Saint Mary’s University, has been putting her education to use in a meaningful way. She has recently returned to Halifax from Cyprus, where she was working with a group that identifies missing persons for the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in Cyprus. The CMP’s objective is to recover, identify and return to families the remains of 2000 people who went missing during conflict in the 1960s and 70s.

Shelby has also done forensic work in Thailand and South Africa and recently presented at the American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA) conference in New Orleans, LA. She is supervised by Dr. Tanya Peckmann, Anthropology professor at Saint Mary’s and an experience forensic anthropologist.

She answered a few questions about her studies and her work in Cyprus.

Q. How did you get involved in this program in Cyprus?
I have always been interested in forensic anthropology in humanitarian contexts, and knew that I would need to investigate international opportunities in order to gain this kind of experience.

I got the two-month student contract after hearing about it from Dr. Claudia Garrido Varas, a member of my supervisory committee and a forensic adviser with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Q. With whom did you work?

The Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in Cyprus is a bi-communal body established in 1981 by the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities with the participation of the United Nations.

The objective of the CMP is to recover, identify, and return to their families the remains of 2000 persons (501 Turkish Cypriots and 1,493 Greek Cypriots) who went missing during the inter-communal fighting of 1963 to 1964 and the events of 1974.

The CMP has three Members, two appointed respectively by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities and a third Member selected by the International Committee of the Red Cross and appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General. 

The CMP also employs a bi-communal forensic team of more than 60 Greek and Turkish Cypriot archeologists, anthropologists, geneticists, and psychologists. I worked with a team of Greek and Turkish Cypriot forensic anthropologists at the CMP Anthropological Laboratory. 

What did you learn in this role, and was there anything you didn’t expect?

As a qualified graduate student, I have had the unique experience of working alongside CMP forensic anthropologists to clean, photograph, and analyze exhumed skeletal remains.

I was responsible for associating individual or fragmented bones with larger skeletal elements, and generating biological profiles to estimate the age, sex, and stature of the skeletal remains, as well as identifying particular pathologies, traumas, or dental characteristics. I also examined all clothing and personal effects found among the remains.

Many of the remains analyzed by the CMP are commingled and often severely fragmented, which makes skeletal reconstruction and identification difficult. As a result of these circumstances and the experience I have therefore gained, I have greatly enhanced my forensic anthropological skills, especially with regard to commingled and fragmented skeletal remains.

Another skill that I improved upon through this position is the analysis of juvenile skeletal remains (i.e. the remains of children). There are many Cypriot children that went missing as a result of the inter-communal fighting of 1963 to 1964 and the events of 1974; I was shocked by the number of juvenile remains that have been exhumed. Regardless of how long you have worked in this field, or how much experience you have as a forensic anthropologist, identifying the remains of juvenile victims of war will always be shocking and emotionally difficult.

That sounds like it was very meaningful work. Did you meet any of the families of victims?

Once the CMP formally identifies the remains of a missing person, the families concerned are informed without delay by the respective Cypriot Member of the Committee. Families notified of the identification of their missing relative(s) are offered the possibility to meet with scientists involved in the identification process and to view the remains in a facility located next to the CMP Anthropological Laboratory. 

While I was completing my contract in Cyprus, I did not have the opportunity to meet with the families of victims or participate in the return of remains. I likely would not have been able to do so had the opportunity arisen, as I do not speak Turkish or Greek.

However, in past positions I have been involved in through my degree at Saint Mary's University (the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service, for example), I have had the opportunity to meet the families of deceased individuals, and I find that it is always tragic yet rewarding. The raw grief of families and the confirmation that their loved ones are gone is overwhelmingly sad. But by identifying the remains of a family’s loved one they are able to arrange for a proper burial and end a long period of anguish and gain closure. I always try to think of that as a positive.

What are your plans for the future?

Having just completed my position with the CMP, I aim to finish my Masters thesis, tie up my various other research initiatives, and graduate with a Master of Science in Applied Science degree from Saint Mary's University. I aim to begin my PhD (Forensic Anthropology) in September 2018. Ideally, I will remain within the realm of academia throughout my career, while also engaging in consultation work internationally and within Canada.