If you are an applied science researcher looking for solutions to combat environmental problems like, say, innovative ways to remediate legacy gold mining waste materials, the accounting standard for contaminated sites might not be on your go-to list of tools and methods.
But it could be.
This was the bold premise behind an innovative interdisciplinary event held at Saint Mary’s on April 10, 2026. Researchers from Saint Mary’s Arts and Science Faculties were invited to share a piece of research they are working on. Professors of Geography, Environmental Science, Engineering and Astronomy and Physics took part: Linda Campbell, Valeria Montes Urrego, Karen Harper, and Athanasios Psaltis.
A team from the Accounting department of the Sobey School of Business then reflected on what methods, approaches and tools academic accounting might offer on the same project. These professors included organizers Vasiliki Athanasakou, Matthew Boland, Amna Chalwati Mohamed Drira, and Ming Liu, as well as Khin Phyo Hlaing.
Innovative insights presented
In the popular imagination, “accountant” is often positioned as an opposite to “creative”, but the presentations required enormous creativity. The event gleaned rich insights, as organizer Dr. Vasiliki Athanasakou pointed out:
“In particular, the vital role of accounting and disclosure in supporting remediation and more complete recognition of environmental liabilities; the importance of accounting and taxation in enabling the economic viability of innovative environmental solutions; the remarkable wealth of natural capital data that remains underexplored in reassessing ecosystem value; and the need to embrace a mix of methods to strengthen the external validity of complex, interdisciplinary phenomena.”
There is a certain kind of power in hearing an accountant speak about the real market values of biodiversity and its effects on GDP worldwide in conjunction with the scientist pointing out the value to the ecosystem.
Panelists call for stable funding and dialogue
The lunchtime fireside discussion engaged practitioners and academics who drilled into the real barriers of tackling long-term problems with evidence-based and practitioner-informed solutions. Panelists expressed frustrations with isolated policy development and implementation while ignoring the experience of practitioners. The gap can lead to unintended consequences or simply policy failure. For their part, researchers recognized the value of the findings brought by application. All agreed that unstable funding did not support long term outcomes.
Dr. Athanasakou noted, “The fireside discussion further emphasized the importance of clarity and certainty in investment projections as a key condition for translating evidence into action; the growing need to bring together scientists, companies, investor representatives and policymakers into shared dialogues; the central role of trust and governance in making those dialogues meaningful; and the importance of policy and governance consistency in supporting sustainable, long-term decision-making.”
Panelists were:
Adel Merabet, Professor of Engineering, SMU
Danika van Proosdij, Geomorphologist and Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies, SMU
Timothy Bachiu, Director of Research at Net Zero Atlantic
Donald G. LeBlanc, President of RDA Atlantic
Rob Rashotte, President, Global Training and Education, Cato Networks and student in the Sobey Executive Doctorate of Business Administration program.
Duncan P. Williams, President & CEO at Construction Association of Nova Scotia
Sparking new creative collisions
Interdisciplinary approaches really shine in an intimate community like Saint Mary's University. The day concluded with a cross-project discussion on opportunities for future research with doctoral students, which was also attended by a dual-credit co-op class of high school students. Interdisciplinary, intergenerational and reflecting a commitment to innovative ways to solve real-world problems.
The Accounting, Science and Arts Interdisciplinary Colloquium was, in many ways, a perfect distillation of the Saint Mary’s University promise of a world without limits.