Not your typical research project

The CLARI space on Saint Mary’s campus allows faculty, students and community groups to work together on research projects

CLARI starts with community need, not a thesis

The Change Lab Action Research Initiative (CLARI) at Saint Mary’s University is quietly reshaping how research meets real-world needs. From mapping dementia care gaps and tackling housing insecurity to revitalizing Nova Scotia’s wool industry, CLARI-supported projects are as diverse as the communities they serve.

This spring, CLARI marks a major milestone: more than $1 million in provincial funding invested in over 130 projects. The initiative brings together faculty and students from post-secondary institutions across Nova Scotia with community partners to address local social and economic challenges.

“This funding milestone reflects significant investment of post-secondary resources in Nova Scotia communities,” says Ray MacNeil, Network Manager at CLARI. “That investment includes not only funding, but also the research expertise of faculty and students. More than 150 students have gained real-world experience working directly with community partners.”

At the heart of CLARI’s model is a simple shift: community groups—not researchers—set the priorities. CLARI helps identify faculty collaborators, provides grants and supports the partnerships through to completion.

“These projects show what’s possible when we stop asking, ‘What research do we want to do?’ and start asking, ‘What support do our communities need?’” says Dr. Adam Sarty, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at Saint Mary’s. “CLARI flips the usual model. It’s not about showcasing expertise, it’s about sharing it.”

Examples of projects supported through CLARI include:

CLARI researchers investigate how therapy animals can reduce isolation

• Investigating the role of therapy animals in reducing isolation in long-term care

• Creating resources to support men re-entering society after incarceration

• Making arts-based entrepreneurship programs more accessible to rural youth

• Developing trauma-informed responses for survivors of gender-based violence

• Collaborating with Mi’kmaw communities on land-based education and knowledge-sharing

CLARI is a pan-university initiative headquartered at Saint Mary’s and built on collaboration between six founding universities: Acadia, Cape Breton, Mount Saint Vincent, St. Francis Xavier, and Université Sainte-Anne, as well as the Nova Scotia Community College. The network builds partnerships together, sharing knowledge, and helping uncover issues.

As CLARI enters its next phase, the focus remains the same: helping Nova Scotians solve problems that matter with research that doesn’t stay on the shelf.

For more information on CLARI and its network or how to get involved, visit actionresearch.ca.

Addressing 2SLGBTQ+ poverty in Canada

Dr. Maryam Dilmaghani and Daniel Keays, PhD Candidate

Poverty is a significant issue for people who experience social marginalization in Canada. Many two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other (2SLGBTQ+) individuals face workplace discrimination, housing insecurity, and limited access to supportive social programs.

Dr. Maryam Dilmaghani, a Professor of Economics at Saint Mary’s University, is co-directing with Project Director Dr. Nick Mulé, Professor of Social Work and Sexuality Studies at York University, a six-year research project aimed at understanding and addressing poverty in 2SLGBTQ+ communities. This national initiative explores sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, age, (dis)Ability, etc. and how they intersect with economic inequality.

“2SLGBTQ+ Poverty in Canada: Improving Livelihood and Social Well-being” brings together over 25 academic researchers and 27 community partners, to produce high-impact, policy-driven research that drives meaningful change. The project seeks to quantify the extent of 2SLGBTQ+ poverty, identify its root causes, and develop an evidence-based action plan to serve as a resource for governments, non-profits, and businesses committed to creating lasting solutions.

A key partner in this initiative is the Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC), a national non-profit dedicated to improving the health and well-being of people of diverse sexualities and genders. Together, they aim to close a critical gap in anti-poverty research.

“Addressing the intersection of poverty and marginalization is critical for our communities,” said Michael Kwag, Executive Director of CBRC. “This initiative amplifies community voices and shared experiences, helping us better understand systemic disparities, advocate for more equitable policies, and improve health outcomes.”

With this research underway, policymakers and organizations will have the data needed to take meaningful action toward reducing 2SLGBTQ+ poverty.

---

The Office of Innovation and Community Engagement (OICE) at Saint Mary’s University facilitates research partnerships between the University and companies, government departments and community organizations. OICE is the initial point of contact for faculty members and external partners wishing to collaborate. The office assists with finding suitable expertise, contract development and advising on funding opportunities.

This project highlight is from the 2025 OICE Report, which features researchers from Saint Mary's University and their external partners.

ARGEIAD 2025: Charting a bold new course for immigration in Atlantic Canada

Keynote address delivered by Dr. Herbert Emery of University of New Brunswick

Dr. Herbert Emery

Dr. Adam Sarty, Associate Vice-President, Research and Dean, Graduate Studies and Research

Dr. Herbert Emery with ARGEIAD Chair Dr. Ather Akbari from Saint Mary’s University

Gabriel Williams, Omar Abdellatif and Patrick Brannon

Wendy Luther, James Murphy, Paula Knight, Dean Constable and Lisa Bamford de Gante

ARGEIAD panel volunteers

Saint Mary's University recently held Resetting Canada's Immigration Policy and the Impact on Smaller Provinces, an event hosted by the Atlantic Research Group on Economics of Immigration, Aging and Diversity (ARGEIAD). This high-impact conference brought together influential voices from across the region to reimagine immigration policy through the lens of Atlantic Canada's future.

The keynote address, delivered by renowned economist Dr. Herbert Emery of the University of New Brunswick, set the tone for the day with powerful insights on how small provinces can leverage immigration to fuel economic growth in a national labour market. Dr. Emery emphasized that policies facilitating successful labour market integration of newcomers are essential to realizing their full economic potential—a particularly urgent message in light of recent federal immigration policy changes expected to reduce the number of newcomers to smaller regions like Atlantic Canada.

Lively panel discussions followed, tackling everything from policy reform to on-the-ground settlement challenges. Featured speakers included Omar Abdellatif (Nova Scotia Government), Gabriel Williams (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador), Paula Knight (Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia), Lisa Bamford De Gante (Multicultural Association of Fredericton), Dean Constable (Immigrant and Refugee Services Association of PEI) and James Murphy (Association for New Canadians, Newfoundland and Labrador)—all of whom shared real-world strategies and regional perspectives.

One key theme that emerged was the importance of improving immigrant retention and attracting newcomers from other regions to offset declining arrivals under the new national policy direction. In this regard, the settlement sector continues to play a critical, complementary role—not only in helping newcomers integrate, but also in supporting broader community and economic development.

Moderators Patrick Brannon of the Atlantic Economic Council and Wendy Luther, President & CEO of Halifax Partnership, kept conversations sharp, solutions-focused and rooted in economic impact.

While population growth driven by immigration contributes to economic vitality, several speakers also highlighted that it requires immediate attention to the infrastructure challenges it brings, including housing, education, and healthcare capacity, all of which must evolve in step with demographic changes to ensure successful long-term outcomes.

"Our goal with ARGEIAD was to create a space where policy leaders, researchers, and community organizations could engage meaningfully with one another," said Dr. Ather H. Akbari, Event Chair and professor at Saint Mary's University. "Smaller provinces face unique immigration challenges, and collaboration is key to crafting sustainable, regionally responsive solutions—especially now, given the shifting national immigration landscape."

Can AI make medications safer? Saint Mary's prof says yes.

Medication errors cost billions and risk lives, but Dr. Somayeh Kafaie, Assistant Professor at Saint Mary’s University, says artificial intelligence can help solve the problem.

Nova Scotia is home to one of Canada’s oldest populations, creating significant challenges for its healthcare system. By 2030, more than 25% of the province’s residents will be over the age of 65.[1]

Many older adults rely on multiple prescriptions to manage chronic illnesses, a practice known as polypharmacy. While often necessary, taking several medications simultaneously significantly increases the risk of harmful drug-drug interactions (DDIs), potentially causing serious complications and hospitalizations.

In Canada, nearly two-thirds of Canadians aged 65 and older living in long-term care facilities take ten or more prescription drugs.[2] Globally, medication errors and harmful interactions cost approximately $42 billion USD annually in avoidable healthcare expenses.[3]

Dr. Somayeh Kafaie is developing AI tools for healthcare providers to help reduce the risk of harmful drug interactions in patients

Dr. Somayeh Kafaie, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computing Science at Saint Mary’s University, is addressing this challenge using artificial intelligence (AI).  

“Our goal is not simply to use AI to flag risky drug interactions,” says Dr. Kafaie. “We want healthcare providers to clearly understand why certain interactions are problematic. By unifying drug databases and applying AI, we can identify potential issues early.”

A core component of the project is a dynamic knowledge graph, visually representing complex drug relationships and translating dense medical data into clear, actionable insights. Knowledge graphs have demonstrated promise in effectively predicting drug interactions by integrating extensive medical information.[4]

Additionally, Dr. Kafaie’s team is developing an AI-powered Q&A tool designed specifically for healthcare providers, allowing instant access to evidence-based medication guidance.

“When a doctor or pharmacist has questions about a medication interaction, our program can deliver quick, clear answers based on the latest research. AI should never replace human judgment but instead support it. Clinicians face overwhelming complexity managing medications for older patients, and our platform aims to lighten that cognitive load.”

Supported by the New Health Investigator Grant from Research Nova Scotia, Dr. Kafaie’s research aims to transform how healthcare professionals predict and prevent harmful drug interactions. Although still in early stages, the AI-driven platform has significant potential to reduce medication errors, shorten hospital stays and enhance overall patient care.

“This grant isn’t just financial support—it’s a vote of confidence,” says Dr. Kafaie. “Support like this shapes the future of healthcare research, drives innovation and develops the next generation of scientists.”

As demographics shift globally, pioneering efforts like Dr. Kafaie’s illustrate how local research at Saint Mary's University can generate meaningful, far-reaching impacts, positioning SMU as a leader in innovative healthcare solutions.

About the New Health Investigator Grant

Research Nova Scotia’s New Health Investigator Grant supports early-career health researchers who are engaged in research that is focused on the efficient and effective delivery of healthcare to Nova Scotians. Funding is provided by the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness.

---

Sources

[1] Long Term Care | novascotia.ca

[2] Two-thirds of seniors in long-term care take 10 or more drugs: CIHI - PMC

[3] Medication Without Harm

[4] JMIR Medical Informatics - Drug-Drug Interaction Predictions via Knowledge Graph and Text Embedding: Instrument Validation Study

Saint Mary’s astrophysics researchers make surprising discovery about supermassive black holes

Artist’s impression of the supermassive black hole PDS 456. High-speed winds—illustrated in white—are being ejected from the vicinity of the black hole. (Credit: JAXA)

Dr. Luigi Gallo and postdoc researchers Dr. Yerong Xu and Dr. Adam Gonzalez in the Department of Astronomy and Physics at Saint Mary’s were part of an international research team led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) that again published in the journal Nature. 

Their paper explains that wind, or outflow of gas ejected from supermassive black holes is behaving in an unexpected way. The black hole expels gas in bullet-like clumps, instead of in a smooth, continuous manner.  

Understanding the impact of this wind is key to understanding both the creation and evolution of black holes and their galaxies. 

The team at Saint Mary’s is part of an international X-ray space observatory project called XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) led by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in collaboration with NASA, and supported by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). (Image credit JAXA) 

Meet your Winter and Spring 2025 Valedictorians

Convocation is a special time to celebrate the hard-working graduates of Saint Mary’s University and to reflect on their achievements over their years of study. This month, six students will address their convocation classes as Valedictorian—an honour which reflects their unique journeys as students and leaders at Saint Mary’s. As Valedictorians, they are recipients of the John and Heather Fitzpatrick Valedictorian Awards.

Students from the graduating class of Winter 2025 will be celebrated on May 27, while Spring graduates will cross the stage from May 28 to 30. Visit the convocation website for details on the ceremony and links to the live streams.

Sheheryar Khan

After relocating from Dubai three years ago, Sheheryar Khan quickly found purpose at the intersection of science, sustainability and innovation. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma in Engineering, he leads Alaagi, an award-winning startup tackling plastic pollution with seaweed-based bioplastics. From winning the Hult Prize National Championship to supporting fellow changemakers through the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre, Sheheryar is honoured to represent such a driven and ambitious graduating class and looks forward to contributing to a cleaner, greener future.

---

Maxinne Nana Ama Benyiwah Baddoo

Originally from Ghana, Maxinne Baddoo was drawn to Saint Mary’s for its close-knit academic community and hands-on learning environment. She graduates with a Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation. With a background in technology and banking, she brings global experience to everything she does. She has supported cross-border projects and mentored young leaders through organizations like YouthUp Global. Passionate about purpose-driven impact, Maxinne blends technical insight with a heart for service and looks ahead to shaping change through innovation, faith and empowerment.

Maria Mannette

Born and raised in Halifax, Maria Mannette graduates magna cum laude from the Sobey School of Business with a double major in Computing and Information Systems and Management. A consistent Dean’s List student, she balances multiple jobs with demanding coursework while taking on leadership roles that enrich campus life. As the founder of the Women in Business Society, a BComm Student Ambassador and a mentor in multiple academic roles, Maria brings both heart and hustle to everything she does. With plans to pursue law school and a career in human rights, she is passionate about using her voice to advocate for meaningful, lasting change.

---

Muhammad Usman

Born in Dubai and proudly rooted in Pakistani heritage, Muhammad Usman brings his entrepreneurial spirit to Canada and the Sobey School of Business. Graduating magna cum laude with multiple academic honours, he immersed himself in opportunities such as a co-op with the Halifax Wanderers FC and diplomatic dialogue at the Model UN in New York. Now preparing to launch a cultural fashion startup that celebrates diversity and innovation, Muhammad reflects the bold, borderless ambition of Saint Mary’s—and the power of family, community and purpose-driven leadership.

Lydia Hui-Qi Lee

Originally from Toronto, Lydia Hui-Qi Lee graduates summa cum laude with a double major in Economics and Marketing. From winning global case competitions to presenting research on food insecurity to Canada’s top economists, Lydia blends academic excellence with purpose-driven leadership. With plans to pursue a Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration, she aims to build a career that combines corporate law with her ongoing passion for social entrepreneurship. She carries with her a deep appreciation for the mentors and communities that helped shape her journey.

---

Madeline Grace Dalzell

Coming from Welland, Ontario, Madeline Dalzell graduates summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies. Over the last several years, she has become a key part of the campus sustainability movement, serving as an executive member of the Environmental Society and leading initiatives to bring environmental awareness and integrate sustainability into daily student life. Her Honours thesis on old-growth forest conservation reflects her deep commitment to protecting natural ecosystems—a passion she will continue to explore in a master’s program in Natural Resource Management at Dalhousie University this fall.

AI-Powered Animation: Enhancing Creativity—One Frame at a Time

Juan Cruz Baldassare, CEO of Moonshot Rights, Dr. Jason Rhinelander, and Michael-Andreas Kuttner (standing)

Animation is evolving, with artificial intelligence (AI) playing a pivotal role in shaping its future.

Founded in 2021, Moonshot Rights Inc. is a Canada/UK-based animation company on a mission to revolutionize content creation. By harnessing the latest technology and working with top industry talent, they’re creating content for kids and family at a higher speed demanded by today’s digital platforms.

To achieve this, Moonshot Rights partnered with Dr. Jason Rhinelander, an Associate Professor in the Division of Engineering and Head of Technology and Innovation at the David Sobey Retailing Centre at Saint Mary’s University. Dr. Rhinelander specializes in AI, focusing his research on applying machine learning and optimization to embedded, real-time system development in hardware and software.

Together, they are pioneering a new approach to animation by accelerating the generation of Ultra-High-Definition (UHD) computer-generated frames. Their process takes existing animation assets as training data and then fills in the gaps between key events, allowing for a more efficient animation workflow.

“In today’s technology environment, where breakthroughs are announced weekly, it’s incredibly valuable to have a partner like Dr. Rhinelander to help us distinguish between what’s hype and what’s genuinely transformative,” said Juan-Cruz Baldassare, CEO of Moonshot Rights. “Collaborating with Saint Mary’s University has been instrumental in advancing our work on algorithmic upscaling, ensuring that we’re not just adopting new technologies, but truly understanding and leveraging them to create outstanding content faster.”

With AI-driven innovation and Dr. Rhinelander’s expertise, Moonshot Rights is improving visual quality, speeding up production, and expanding the possibilities of digital storytelling in animation.

---

The Office of Innovation and Community Engagement (OICE) at Saint Mary’s University facilitates research partnerships between the University and companies, government departments and community organizations. OICE is the initial point of contact for faculty members and external partners wishing to collaborate. The office assists with finding suitable expertise, contract development and advising on funding opportunities.

This project highlight is from the 2025 OICE Report, which features researchers from Saint Mary's University and their external partners.

Three-Minute Thesis winner to represent SMU at Eastern Regional Competition

Samuel Sequeira

Congratulations to Samuel Sequeira, a first-year Master of Science student in Environmental Science, who won first place and the People’s Choice award in the annual Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) contest at Saint Mary’s last week. His presentation was titled “Jumping into danger: Mercury, fungus, and the frog crisis.”

Abigail Battson won second place for her thesis titled “Finding a needle in a haystack: Looking for indirect evidence of black holes in star clusters.”

Hosted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the 2025 3MT event saw 11 Saint Mary’s Master’s students and PhD candidates explain their thesis research projects in three minutes using just one static PowerPoint slide, no other props and no visual aids. A panel of judges chose the first and second place winners, while audience members voted for the People’s Choice Award.

Condensing a thesis—the result of months or even years of work—into three minutes is a unique challenge, and doing it effectively is an impressive feat. Competitors are challenged to condense and communicate their work while still making it accessible to a non-expert audience, with the clock ticking.

In his master’s thesis research, Samuel is studying wetlands contaminated with mercury and arsenic, specifically the effect this contamination has on amphibians. Nova Scotia has a rich history of gold mining dating back to the mid-1800s. The processes used to extract gold from its ore produced waste materials that contained mercury and arsenic. Due to the lack of regulations at the time, these waste materials, or tailings, were discarded in low-lying areas, including wetlands. These historic gold mine tailings are a risk to several organisms, including amphibians. Since they spend their lives on land and in water, amphibians are constantly being exposed to these contaminants, which they can absorb directly through their skin and their diet.

Along with supervisor Dr. Linda Campbell, Samuel and a team of student researchers are working to determine how much mercury and arsenic are accumulating in amphibians’ tissue, and its implications for their predators, including endangered species of birds, fish and turtles. 

This project will also focus on whether a highly infectious fungal pathogen, which has caused the extinction of several species of frogs worldwide, has made its way to Nova Scotia.

Samuel completed his undergraduate degree at Saint Mary’s and is now enrolled in the Master of Applied Science program. He will compete in the Eastern Regional 3MT Competition hosted by Memorial University in June.

The Three-Minute Thesis presentations covered a wide range of topics from the Faculties of Arts, Science, and the Sobey School of Business:  

• Abigail Battson: Finding a needle in a haystack: Looking for indirect evidence of black holes in star clusters

• Lily Binney: The structural complexity of old-growth Eastern Hemlock and Red Spruce forests in Nova Scotia

• Gary Ernest: The interaction between leadership style and calling orientation in predicting burnout in academic vs. clinical physician leaders

• Angelo George: Cosmic neighbourhoods: How environment shapes galaxies

• Gabe Kipnis: Mapping and analyzing the local food network in the HRM

• David Lewis: TRaP-ping Historic Mine Tailing Arsenic & Mercury

• Sasha MacArthur: Beyond MRI: How SHG reveals the hidden story of collagen

• Nichole Michaud-Kuszelewski": Price wars: An empirical investigation of competitive pricing

• Megan O’Brien: Finding old-growth forest in Nova Scotia

• Samuel Sequeira: Jumping into danger: Mercury, fungus, and the frog crisis

• Alex Stokes: Exploring perceptions of citizenship and place in Prince Edward Island curriculum

From classroom to career: empowering responsible AI leaders

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming higher education, not only reshaping how students learn in university classrooms but also driving innovative research across disciplines. At Saint Mary’s, our instructors are playing a pivotal role in bridging the gap between cutting-edge AI advancements and the broader business community by integrating AI tools into curriculum and community-based research projects.

Find out how Saint Mary’s is supporting students and the business community navigate the fast-paced world of AI.

---

Atlantic Canada AI Summit: May 1-3 at Saint Mary’s University

Organized by leading institutions, including Saint Mary’s University, Dalhousie University, the University of New Brunswick, Acadia University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and the University of Prince Edward Island, the Atlantic Canada AI Summit fosters collaboration across academia and industry in Atlantic Canada. 

The Summit will showcase cutting-edge AI research, facilitate industry-academia collaboration, and highlight exceptional AI talent in the region. It will feature three days of programming, including research presentations, workshops, a healthcare data competition and a youth AI pitch competition.

The Youth AI Pitch Competition on May 3 invites youth ages 13-18 to use AI and creativity to improve the Children’s Emergency Department at the IWK hospital.

We are looking for AI-driven solutions to enhance the ER experience for kids and their families. Whether it’s making ER visits more fun, improving parent experience or advancing patient care, your ideas can make a difference!

---

AI in the classroom

Preparing students for the workplace with AI learning

Anubhav Gupta and instructor Bryce Cross

Under the guidance of Sobey School of Business Lecturer Bryce Cross, who heavily incorporates large language models (LLMs) into his PhD research, Anubhav Gupta and his classmates are getting unique exposure to AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot.

“Professor Cross loves talking about his research, and he tries to integrate it with the concepts he’s teaching,” Gupta shared.

This approach has allowed students to engage with AI in practical ways, such as using ChatGPT to analyze mystery companies, prompting the model to match anonymous balance sheets to the correct industry. “It was an interesting experience to see how AI and LLMs work and their limitations. You can use it, but you can’t replace the knowledge you’re learning at university.”

---

Philosophy program teaches students to use critical thinking in an AI-driven world

Dr. Shelagh Crooks

With political turmoil, social divides, economic instability and the complexities of AI, the global landscape is full of challenges.

Philosophy teaches students how to think about concepts like fairness, autonomy and justice, skills that are increasingly important as we interact with AI-driven systems in the workplace. Understanding the societal impact of AI is not just a technical challenge—it’s a moral one.

“If we consume AI, we have to consume it with a critical eye,” says Saint Mary’s Philosophy professor Dr. Shelagh Crooks. “One of the things you learn in all philosophy classes is to be a skeptic…ask yourself, ‘Why should I accept this as truth?’ That is not something people do naturally.”

---

Co-op program brings Halifax high schoolers to campus to learn about AI and analytics

Through SMU’s Youth Business Analytics & AI Co-op Program, students earn a high school credit while spending several Fridays on campus, learning from the university’s faculty, student mentors and industry professionals. Organized by the Sobey School of Business, the program exposes students to university-level academics while building foundational skills in AI, machine learning, data analytics and visualization.

"I am learning about how AI is being used by businesses to visualize and interpret data,” said Peter Lutz, a grade eleven student at Charles P. Allen High School. “I am hoping to learn more about market trends and what generative AI is. I am new to this, and we are living in a time when AI is being revolutionized. I want to be able to utilize it."

---

Start a career in AI with SMU’s Master of Business Analytics (MBAN)

Interested in working in the growing industry of business analytics and AI? The Saint Mary’s Masters of Business Analytics (MBAN) program equips students with cutting-edge expertise and practical knowledge, emphasizing the development, evaluation, refinement and implementation of AI-powered analytics solutions to transform data into actionable insights, driving business innovation and success.

Students are eligible for an 8-month paid internship, offering hands-on experience with AI-driven tools and methodologies, strengthening their expertise and establishing a solid foundation for a successful career in business analytics and AI.

---

Researchers using AI to solve real-world problems

Chris Mitchell and Shahriar Swapni of Citco with Dr. Pawan Lingras

The Office of Innovation and Community Engagement (OICE) facilitates research relationships between Saint Mary’s University and external partners, such as companies, government departments and community organizations. In their 2025 report, OICE highlights a number of completed and ongoing research projects which benefit from integrating AI systems.

Harnessing Data to Reduce Food Waste

Easy Platter, a meal-planning and personal chef service, partnered with Mathematics and Computing Science professor Dr. Yasushi Akiyama to design a framework to calculate ingredient costs, potential food waste and nutritional value for selected meal plans.

Virtual Guides Transform Tourist Experiences

Fundy Language Analytics Inc., which specializes in artificial intelligence and machine learning for language applications, partnered with Mathematics and Computer Science professor Dr. Somayeh Kafaie to use Large Language Models to enhance their virtual tour guide app, Strollopia.

A Partnership to Diversify Revenue and Reduce Risk

Citco, a global network of independent firms, partnered with Dr. Pawan Lingras, Director of the Master of Science in Computing and Data Analytics (CDA) Program and his team of graduate students. Together, they developed a document scraping application powered by generative AI to diversify their revenue streams within the fund administration sector.

AI-Powered Animation Enhancing Creativity One Frame at a Time

Moonshot Rights Inc., a Canada/UK-based animation company, partnered with Dr. Jason Rhinelander, an Associate Professor in the Division of Engineering and Head of Technology and Innovation at the David Sobey Retailing Centre. Together, they are pioneering a new approach to animation by accelerating the generation of Ultra-High-Definition (UHD) computer-generated frames.

---

Sharing AI insights with the business community and beyond

Arjun Asokakumar speaks at the 2024 Responsible Leadership Day

Driving responsible leadership of AI

The Sobey School of Business brought together inspiring leaders and forward-thinking students for its sixth annual Responsible Leadership Day in November 2024: The Future of Responsible Work in an AI-Driven World. As artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent, the need for specialized knowledge remains high. Understanding how to judge the information AI provides you—and being able to evaluate its output critically—is key to using the technology responsibly.

The event included a thought-provoking keynote by Arjun Asokakumar, Director of Data Science at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), on how AI-driven automation may reshape job roles and skill requirements.

---

Demystifying AI for businesses

In March, Sobey School of Business professor Dr. Yigit Aydede hosted a half-day conference titled Beyond the Code: Demystifying AI. The event featured three engaging sessions designed to educate, demonstrate and inspire action around the transformative power of AI.

Sessions covered simplifying AI concepts for both technical and non-technical users, demonstrating AI in action to illustrate how the technology is applied to solve real-world challenges, and a practical discussion with key stakeholders on how small and medium-sized businesses can effectively leverage AI to drive growth, boost productivity, and achieve long-term success.

---

SMU competition supports AI innovation in healthcare

The Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre at Saint Mary’s hosted The Arena, an annual pitch competition, in March. More than 60 student entrepreneurs from across Canada participated.

The winning project was Wonder Guard—an AI-powered Catheter Bag Module, created by McMaster University PhD student Manak Bajaj. Wonder Guard is capable of detecting and predicting urinary tract infections (UTIS), integrating electrochemical biosensors for real-time detection, quantification, and prediction of UTIs. This allows immediate diagnostic feedback to users and health information systems for AI-driven clinical decisions.

---

Considering the impact of AI development

In fall 2024, Faculty of Arts professor Dr. Teresa Heffernan joined UofT Jackman Humanities Institute Humanities at Large podcast host Melissa Gismondi for a conversation about AI. They discuss topics like the public's perception, limitations, environmental impact, and AI’s relationship with fiction. They also touch on the need for regulation and ethical considerations in AI development.

---

Guidance for students and faculty

The Patrick Power Library's Artificial Intelligence (AI) guide is designed to help students use AI responsibly and ethically in their academic work.

The Studio for Teaching & Learning has helpful guides and resources for instructors here: Generative AI in Higher Education. They also host learning events and share resources from other institutions, including an upcoming webinar series titled Mind the (Bias) Gap: Ethical AI for Inclusive Teaching, from May 28-30.

Engineering solutions: improving sustainability in additive manufacturing

Ghazaleh Afrahi of Shifting Shap3s with OICE Director Kevin Buchan. Photo: Wiebke Schroeder

Dr. Adel Merabet, a Professor in the Division of Engineering at Saint Mary’s University, is driving innovation through his partnership with Shifting Shap3s, a clean tech startup company leading the way in additive manufacturing and sustainable plastic waste solutions.

Shifting Shap3s has developed FilamentPro™, a product that decentralizes the recycling of additive manufacturing plastic waste. By allowing users to transform waste into reusable filament, the company tackles two key challenges: reducing environmental impact and improving material efficiency. To enhance FilamentPro’s performance, Shifting Shap3s collaborated with Dr. Merabet, leveraging his expertise in heat distribution, automation, and energy efficiency.

Dr. Merabet and his postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Mohammadali Kiehbadroudinezhad, conducted comprehensive feasibility studies and simulations, addressing critical challenges like filament quality, energy consumption, and productivity. These findings informed significant improvements to FilamentPro and paved the way for the next phase of the project. Dr. Merabet now leads efforts to design and test an optimized version of the product, ready for real-world application and market launch.

“Our experience collaborating with Saint Mary’s University has been truly transformative,” said Ghazaleh Afrahi, Founder of Shifting Shap3s. “This partnership significantly advanced our product development journey and enhanced the diversity of our talent team. We look forward to continuing this collaboration to strengthen our impact in reducing plastic waste and preserving resources.”

Through his work with Shifting Shap3s, Dr. Merabet is not only advancing engineering innovation but also contributing to a more sustainable future in additive manufacturing and material efficiency. This partnership highlights the power of combining expertise, creativity, and shared commitment to addressing global environmental challenges.

---

The Office of Innovation and Community Engagement (OICE) at Saint Mary’s University facilitates research partnerships between the University and companies, government departments and community organizations. OICE is the initial point of contact for faculty members and external partners wishing to collaborate. The office assists with finding suitable expertise, contract development and advising on funding opportunities.

This project highlight is from the 2025 OICE Report, which features researchers from Saint Mary's University and their external partners.

Dr. Karly Kehoe receives King Charles III Coronation Medal

Saint Mary’s University is proud to announce that Dr. Karly Kehoe has received the King Charles III Coronation Medal. An internationally recognized advocate of science diplomacy, Dr. Kehoe is a professor of history and the university’s Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Communities.

Dr. Kehoe with Alain Gagnon, President of the Royal Society of Canada

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) nominated her for the award, presenting it to her at a March 27 ceremony at its headquarters in Ottawa.

“I am grateful to have received the King Charles III Coronation Medal from The Royal Society of Canada,” says Kehoe. “As academics, our role must be to work as hard as we can to make our societies better, smarter and more inclusive. It's been my privilege to work with these inspiring people to activate change.”

The medal honours individuals who have made a significant contribution to Canada or to a particular province, territory, region of, or community in, Canada, or attained an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada.

The Royal Society of Canada nominated 30 individuals who have made significant contributions to its mission over the past 25 years. Other medal recipients included Chad Gaffield, Constance Backhouse and Julia Wright.    

Kehoe is a past president of the Royal Society of Canada’s (RSC) College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists (2020-2022) and is the founder and lead of RSC’s At-Risk and Displaced Academics and Artists (ARDAA) program. This program emerged out of her extensive work to support academic researchers whose work has been disrupted by war, conflict and threats of violence. In addition to ARDAA, she co-founded the At-Risk and Academic Refugee Membership programme (Young Academy of Scotland) and the At-Risk Scholar Initiative (Global Young Academy).

Also a Fellow of the International Science Council (ISC), Kehoe is a member of its Freedom and Responsibility in Science Standing Committee. She currently chairs the RSC’s Sustainable Migration statement committee for the S7 (science academies of the G7).

Research publication award

Kehoe also recently received the Peter M. Toner Research Publication Award, for her monograph Empire and Emancipation: Scottish and Irish Catholics at the Atlantic Fringe, 1780-1850 (University of Toronto Press, 2022). Administered by the University of New Brunswick, this award supports the publication of scholarly works in Irish Canadian history by scholars worldwide.

“It was wonderful to receive this news – and completely unexpected. It’s nice when really hard research work gets recognized like this,” says Kehoe.

Kehoe is the academic lead and board chairperson for the Gorsebrook Research Institute for Atlantic Canada Studies, based at Saint Mary’s. Through her own research, Kehoe explores settler colonialism and how religious minority migrants acquired and exercised colonial privilege in the north Atlantic world between c. 1750 and c. 1850. Underpinning this research is the pioneering work she has been doing since 2010 on the complex links between Catholic colonialism in the Caribbean and what would become Atlantic Canada.

Kehoe is the convenor of the Scottish Historical Review Trust and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She co-edits the Histories of the Scottish Atlantic book series with Edinburgh University Press. Recent publications include The Scottish Highlands and the Atlantic World: Social Networks and Identities (Edinburgh University Press, 2023), co-edited with Annie Tindley and Chris Dalglish. She is a collaborator on the current SSHRC-UKRI funded research project “One People, Two Places,” looking at historic linkages between Cape Breton Island and Western Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Coronation medal background 

The King Charles III Coronation Medal was established to mark the 2023 Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. It will be awarded to 30,000 individuals across Canada, including 4,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The medal program is administered by the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, with nominations provided by a list of partner organizations.

Related:

• History professor joins International Science Council Fellowship

• Saint Mary’s University historian unveils discoveries on Catholic migration in Atlantic Canada

Event to examine the role of Acadian soldiers in the First World War

165e Batailon Acadian, 1916

The Gorsebrook Research Institute (GRI) for Atlantic Canada Studies is pleased to welcome Dr. Gregory Kennedy for a public presentation on April 3 at Saint Mary’s University.

Lost in the Crowd: Acadian Soldiers of Canada’s First World War

• POSTPONED: Date to be announced

Dr. Kennedy is a leading historian from Brandon University. The presentation will focus on his recent award-winning book about Acadian participation in the First World War, Lost in the Crowd: Acadian Soldiers of Canada's First World War (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2024).

The event will follow an interview format with Q&A to follow. Dr. Kennedy will be in discussion with Stefanie Slaunwhite BA’14 MA’17, PhD candidate in History at the University of New Brunswick and graduate of the Master of Arts in Atlantic Canada Studies program at Saint Mary's University.

Dr. Gregory M. W. Kennedy is Professor of History and Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Brandon University. A historian of early Canada and particularly of New France and the French Atlantic World, Kennedy has published two monographs and numerous scholarly articles and book chapters. His first book, Something of a Peasant Paradise? Comparing Rural Societies in Acadie and the Loudunais, 1604-1755 (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2014), was awarded the Canadian Historical Association’s Clio prize for the best scholarly book on Atlantic Canadian history and is also available in French with Septentrion (2021).

His second book is Lost in the Crowd: Acadian Soldiers of Canada's First World War (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2024). It was recently named winner of the New Brunswick Scholarly Book Award by the Journal of New Brunswick Studies/Revue d’études sur le Nouveau-Brunswick.

Dr. Kennedy also co-edited a collection of essays in French entitled Repenser l’Acadie dans le monde: Études comparées, études transnationales, forthcoming in May from McGill-Queen’s University Press, as part of its Rethinking Canada in the World series. A second collection of essays in English, Military Service and Society in Atlantic Canada Communities, is in progress. His current research focuses on mobility, migration, and military service in French Canada, contributing to an SSHRC-funded partnership project, “Trois siècles de migrations francophones en Amérique du Nord”.

All are welcome to attend this event in person or online. Bookmark Halifax will be on site with copies of Dr. Kennedy’s books.

GRI Lecture Series 2025

Dr. Kennedy’s event falls amid a series of spring presentations as the Gorsebrook Research Institute continues its GRI Lecture Series 2025. On March 14, the lecture series launched with "Fogs Love This Shore: Living with Fog in Atlantic Canada," with Dr. Sara Spike of the Department of History at Dalhousie University. On March 28, SMU History alumnus Alex Myrick MA’21 presented “The Meyerian Diaspora and Nova Scotian Psychiatric Reforms, 1913-1970.

Coming up on Friday, April 11: "Cousins of the Empire: Nova Scotia and Bengal, 1756-1867," with Dr. Madhuparna Gupta, Instructor, SMU Department of Political Science and Global Development Studies. Noon to 2 p.m. in McNally North room 219 and online.

---

The Gorsebrook Research Institute (GRI) for Atlantic Canada Studies at Saint Mary’s University is a regional hub for research and collaborative scholarship in Atlantic Canada. Its Atlantic Canada recognizes First Nation communities and their land sovereignty, the ethnic and cultural diversity of those who were settled as part of forced immigration and colonization, and those who are here by their own choice and agency. Its mandate is to provide an interdisciplinary research environment that facilitates exchanges and partnerships among researchers at Saint Mary’s University and affiliates from many different fields who can come together to improve understandings of Atlantic Canada. Learn more on the GRI website.