Building confidence in chemistry: Dr. Mary Sheppard’s research supports how students learn in her lab

Dr. Mary Sheppard wins the Father William A. Stewart Medal for Excellence in Teaching. Her PhD research focused on how students learn chemistry.

L-R: Alumni Association member Fiona King BComm’93, SMU President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, and Dr. Mary Sheppard at Spring Convocation.

First-year chemistry classes introduce students to an exciting field of science—with new terminology and research methods, and the opportunity to study in a university laboratory setting for the first time.

Arriving at Saint Mary’s from Halifax or homes around the world, students’ first university classes can be an exciting, eye-opening experience—and a big adjustment.

Luckily, these new students at Saint Mary’s have an award-winning professor who understands the challenges they face. As a first-generation university graduate from Taylor’s Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Dr. Mary Sheppard still remembers leaving her small community for Memorial University.

“Leaving my family behind and going to the ‘big city’ of St. John’s was huge for me, and I understand what our rural students, and those from close-knit communities, are missing,” said Dr. Sheppard.

Finding the right path in her academic career meant being flexible and open to new paths.

“At first I wanted to be a pharmacist,” explained Dr. Sheppard. “When I was growing up in rural Newfoundland there was no access to career counseling. If you got good grades you were told you should be a pharmacist, nurse or doctor…I didn’t want to be a nurse or doctor—too much blood.”

It was her first-year chemistry professor who suggested that pharmacy might not be the best fit for her, and offered a chance to do a summer project that led to more than two decades studying and teaching chemistry.

“Growing up, I didn’t even know that a career in chemistry was a possibility,” said Dr. Sheppard. “I tell my students to keep an open mind. You don’t have to stick with what you first thought you wanted to be—I wouldn’t have been happy as a pharmacist.” 

Along with teaching first-year classes as a senior lecturer, for the past five years, Dr. Sheppard was also a student, pursuing a PhD at the University of New Hampshire.

Dr. Mary Sheppard

Dr. Sheppard’s PhD research has made her uniquely qualified for her role teaching at the university level. Her interest in how students learn led her to pursue the topic of chemistry education research for her doctoral degree. She explains that during the first few weeks of classes, she intentionally slows the pace to let students adjust to the environment.

“For some students, the lab can be very daunting because they didn't have a lab in high school—coming from a big city high school is not the same as any rural area in the world,” she says. “As part of our student success program, their first experience in that room isn’t an experiment—they go into the space as part of a scavenger hunt around campus…it helps them get oriented first.”

Once the term is underway, students will look forward to performing guided inquiry experiments along with a more traditional curriculum of procedural experiments. Guided inquiry prepares students for real-world work by challenging them to design an experiment to tackle a problem, tweaking it in the lab and submitting their group’s finalized experiment.

“Learning how to approach a problem teaches creative thinking— if the procedures don’t all work out perfectly, they learn more from that,” she says.

In her PhD research, Dr. Sheppard looked at how students learn about pH buffers, a chemistry topic that many find difficult to grasp. “I was trying to figure out why is this so tough for students—what are the roadblocks,” she explained. First, she interviewed students at the University of New Hampshire using a “think out loud” approach, recording them as they worked through problems. A qualitative analysis followed, allowing her to design teaching strategies that matched students’ successes and challenges.

“It was interesting to see that while the American students might have different backgrounds, they have the same or similar challenges that our students have.”

Her last goal for her PhD was to design a teaching strategy that addresses those challenges, setting students up for success. After many years of teaching, the instinct to help students is strong.

“You have to separate yourself from the student, you can’t help them because you want to see what they’re thinking and what the issues are,” she explained. “I think I ground the enamel off my teeth because I kept wanting to jump in and help.”

This research is beneficial to students in the classroom and lab and may lead to changes in how the topic is introduced in textbooks.

“Textbooks come from an expert point of view, but if you’re not an expert yet, that approach can be frustrating,” she explained. “One of the tenets of teaching pedagogy is that it’s not about knowing the topic, it’s about knowing how to teach it.”

Dr. Sheppard explained that like most PhD topics, hers was very narrow in focus. But she says it also exposed her to literature and people at conferences who are talking about different ways to teach.

“Understanding better how students learn at a higher level, it’s easier to transfer that knowledge to other areas of chemistry,” explained Dr. Sheppard.

Dr. Sheppard’s history of successful teaching and her drive to continuously build on that success have been recognized. This spring she won the Father William A. Stewart. S.J. Medal for Excellence in Teaching, the top teaching award at Saint Mary’s. The award is determined by nominations from alumni, students and colleagues and is awarded to a professor who has made significant contributions to the education of Saint Mary's students through excellence in teaching and service.

Father Stewart was known for his strong beliefs in promoting accessible education to marginalized communities and was also very much involved in promoting teaching innovation and excellence on campus. The award honours this legacy.

After receiving the award at the May convocation ceremony, Dr. Sheppard travelled to the U.S. where she received her PhD at the University of New Hampshire.

Congratulations Dr. Sheppard!

Documentary by Dr. Kate Ervine reveals the unseen ways we contribute to greenhouse gas emissions

Dr. Kate Ervine, The Carbon Cage

When you think of your carbon footprint, you may think of your daily commute or home energy consumption. One Saint Mary’s professor is shedding light on the other unseen ways we contribute to greenhouse gas emissions every day.

Kate Ervine is an associate professor of Global Development Studies. Last November, her short documentary, “The Carbon Cage,” was published by Scientific American. 

“Perhaps we can start reimagining a world where we reprioritize things that contribute to people’s well-being” - Dr. Kate Ervine

Ervine co-created the documentary with journalist and documentary filmmaker Duy Linh Tu through a grant from the Global Reporting Centre. It highlights how wealthy countries like the United States and Canada have become trapped in a cycle of fossil fuel reliance, and how attempts to combat climate change sometimes don’t address the root of the problem.

“I set out to explore the global political economy of climate change and the centrality of carbon to our economies, our society and our lives, and why that makes climate change hard to address,” says Ervine. 

“It's not that we're not doing some effective things, but there’s a lot of delay and distraction.”

Ervine traces the roots of contemporary climate change to the rise of our current economic system during the Industrial Revolution. Since then, demands for unchecked growth in production, consumption and energy use have contributed to record-high CO2 emissions.

Ervine’s documentary shows that the last time Earth experienced similar levels of atmospheric CO2 was more than four million years ago.

“Fossil fuels have become central to powering economic growth,” says Ervine. “They still provide roughly 80 per cent of global energy.” 

Changing this system is no easy task. Ervine worked her way through university and graduate school with jobs at an automotive assembly plant and steel mill in her home province of Ontario. These jobs were in carbon-intensive industries, but they provided her—and other families—with a secure livelihood. 

“It's a challenge when we're talking about the kinds of deep transformations that need to happen because so many people's lives are going to be impacted in profound ways,” Ervine says. “It can provoke a lot of fear because you're asking, ‘What does this mean for my job? What does it mean for my family?’”

Ervine’s research looks at how just transitions and sustainable development for all might be possible within the context of carbon dependency. 

For Ervine, cutting emissions is key to combatting climate change. But as the effects of climate change have worsened, she says these reductions are not happening fast enough.

Ervine points to investments in things like carbon offsets as a way businesses and governments are delaying real, lasting change. In recent years, voluntary carbon offsetting has ballooned to a more than $2-billion industry. But research shows significant problems with carbon offsetting, which doesn’t actually lower emissions. 

“Part of my research has been about saying, when we know what needs to be done and how significant the problem is, why do we design policies that are not particularly effective?” says Ervine. 

As we look forward to a changing future, Ervine says more investments need to be made in phasing out fossil fuels and laying the groundwork for transformative and equitable change.  Democratic green energy, accessible mass public transit and sustainable food systems are just some of our many options. 

“Perhaps we can start reimagining a world where we reprioritize things that contribute to people’s well-being,” says Ervine. “It does require change, but we might actually get some pleasure and joy out of it.”

The Carbon Cage by Kate Ervine and Duy Linh Tu

Meet your Valedictorian: Emperor Ben Robertson MTEI'23

Emperor Ben Roberston MTEI’23

When Emperor Ben Robertson was selecting a school to obtain his Master of Technology Entrepreneurship & Innovation degree, he knew Saint Mary’s University was the right choice.

The university's commitment to providing high-quality education, unique experiential learning opportunities, a vibrant location and extensive student support services contributed to his decision.

His education has provided him with a strong foundation in the principles and practices of technology entrepreneurship and equipped him with the knowledge to help businesses thrive in the digital age.

Q&A with Emperor Ben Robertson

Where is your hometown?: Accra, Ghana.

What was your favourite class?: Out of all the classes I took in my MTEI program, my favourite courses were Technology Entrepreneurship and Tech Strategy and Productivity.

What was the best piece of advice you received?: The most profound piece of advice that has had a significant impact on my life did not come from anybody I know personally. It was a quote that I stumbled upon while walking down Barrington Street that read, "Think and act like failure is impossible for you." This simple yet powerful quote has transformed my perspective on how I approach my goals.

Which instructor had the biggest impact on you?: Throughout my academic journey, I was fortunate to have had many exceptional professors who delivered transformative lectures. However, one professor in particular, Dr. Ramesh Venkat, had an enormous impact on me. Thanks to Dr. Venkat's exceptional teaching, I gained a deeper understanding of marketing and developed valuable skills that have been essential to my career. His influence on me has been invaluable, and I am grateful for the impact he has had on my personal and professional growth.

What was your thesis research?: I collected data on the challenges that businesses faced and explored ways to create opportunities for them to succeed in their respective locations. One of the most intriguing aspects of this research was its timing, as it was conducted during the post-COVID period when businesses were transitioning to new ways of operating. By talking to business owners, I gained valuable insights into their challenges and how they were adapting to the changing business environment.

Overall, this experience gave me a unique opportunity to explore the challenges and opportunities facing small businesses in the Halifax-Dartmouth area. It also allowed me to develop key skills that are essential in any business environment, including communication, research and problem-solving skills.

What advice would you give to your younger self?: If I could go back and speak to my younger self, I would tell them to try new things and challenge themselves as much as possible. I would encourage them to embrace failure as a natural part of the learning process and to adopt a mindset of "failing fast and failing often."

The reason is simple: by trying new things and taking risks, we are more likely to stumble and fail along the way. However, each failure provides an opportunity to learn and grow; the more we fail the faster we can learn and adapt. This can lead to faster progress and success in the long run.

Do you volunteer in the community?: As a passionate individual interested in promoting economic growth and prosperity, I volunteer as a member of the African Nova Scotian Road to Economic Prosperity Youth Council (REPYC). This council is an initiative aimed at promoting economic growth and prosperity among African Nova Scotian communities in Nova Scotia.

What are your future goals?: I am excited about the future and the opportunities that lie ahead. I am confident that with my skills, knowledge and experience, I will be able to make a meaningful contribution to a multinational company while also pursuing my passion for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Spring Convocation takes place May 17-19, 2023. Watch the ceremonies live at smu.ca/graduation or on our Facebook page.

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

Dr. Karly Kehoe and team researching at Pollett’s Cove in Cape Breton, NS

For historian Karly Kehoe, it took leaving Nova Scotia to see its importance in her research. 

Kehoe is from Margaree Forks, Cape Breton, and studied history and anthropology as an undergraduate at Saint Mary’s University. In 2000, she left Canada to pursue her PhD at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. 

“For me, being a historian is very much understanding the legacy of the past and how we can talk about and deal with where we are right now.” - Dr. Karly Kehoe

Besides research fellowships at institutions like Trinity College Dublin, Yale University and Durham University, Kehoe worked in Scotland as a university professor until 2016. There, she began exploring the migration of Scottish and Irish Catholics to British territories in the Atlantic during the 18th and 19th centuries. 

“When I worked at the University of the Highlands and Island, it was clear there were a lot of people in the area whose ancestors had gone to Cape Breton in the 19th century. I found it easy to connect with them and learned a lot about Cape Breton and how its communities had evolved in the process,” she says.

Now, Kehoe is back at Saint Mary’s University and sharing her findings with her students and local communities beyond the university. 

As the Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Communities, she is also building on the work she has been doing for more than a decade on religious minority migration to the Caribbean and what would become Atlantic Canada.

“I never thought I would end up here doing this work, but research is about following the evidence. The source material, the landscape and the conversations were showing me important things,” says Kehoe. 

“The research chair I hold is allowing me to look at settlement patterns here in the Maritimes and investigate why Catholics—a persecuted religious minority in the United Kingdom—migrated in such large numbers to places like Cape Breton, mainland Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and various islands in the Caribbean.”

Last year, Kehoe published her second book, Empire and Emancipation: Scottish and Irish Catholics at the Atlantic Fringe, with the University of Toronto Press. 

Through her research, Kehoe has shed light on how the arrival of Catholic migrants—displaced because of their religion—led to new communities in Nova Scotia and nearby provinces.

It has also revealed a darker history of how these newcomers knowingly displaced the Indigenous Mi’kmaq and extended Britain’s imperial reach. 

“When you start putting the pieces together about how communities here formed and how they were informed by an imperial program that was very powerful and very thorough, you start to uncover more of what the legacy is,” says Kehoe. “For me, being a historian is very much understanding the legacy of the past and how we can talk about and deal with where we are right now.”

This approach to history and her work on migration has also led Kehoe to the world of science diplomacy and advocacy. She has founded programs in Canada and Scotland to help researchers and artists displaced by war, conflict and threats of violence continue their work in their host countries. 

“It's about recognizing that it doesn't matter where you come from—as an academic researcher, you should have the freedom to continue with your work,” Kehoe says, noting the rise in displaced researchers in places like Ukraine, Syria and Turkey. 

“These researchers may come up with an invention that changes the world. But we need to make space for their integration and collaboration. I would rather be the person who opens doors than the one who guards them.”

Both through her research and advocacy work, Kehoe says it’s vital to take steps to preserve historical perspectives at risk of being overlooked or forgotten.

“The humanities matter,” she says. “They are so important in helping us to understand where we come from and where we need to go.” 

Fulfilment through research: Bernice Perry’s journey at Saint Mary's University

Bernice Perry

In 2021, Bernice Perry applied for a summer research assistantship to learn more about a topic of keen interest to her—the history of Northern Canada. Working alongside SMU History professor Dr. Heather Green, Bernice researched the High Arctic relocations of the 1950s, a Government of Canada effort to establish sovereignty in the Far North through the relocation of Inuit families from northern Quebec to the region.

The outcome of her research is a story map detailing the 1953 relocation as part of a teaching module created by the Northern Borders Project. Bernice’s project focuses on the experience of Markoosie Patsauq, who survived the relocation at the age of twelve and went on to become a pilot, novelist and activist lobbying for government reparations.

For Bernice, this research opportunity reaffirmed her decision to pursue post-secondary education as a mature student at the age of 56.

Growing up in a rural community on the East Coast, pursuing academic research was not presented to Bernice as a realistic or sustainable option. Instead, she spent much of her adult life caring for her family, volunteering in her community and working at flexible, low-wage jobs around her husband’s unpredictable schedule as a truck driver. Through those years, she always knew she had more to offer, but lack of education and financial means limited her opportunities.

It wasn’t until she was an empty nester and had faced and beaten cancer—twice!—that she was able to explore what was next for her. Those experiences, she says, led her to question her purpose in life.

Bernice’s daughter, a Saint Mary’s graduate, inspired her to attend university. With trepidation about being a mature student, Bernice applied to Saint Mary’s, was accepted, and proudly entered the classroom in January 2020.

Spurred on by her love of learning, her passion for history and the thrill of research, Bernice works hard to balance the demands of a full course load. She proudly holds a 4.22 GPA, which she says is the result of “long days and late nights of studying.”

But it hasn’t been easy. Along with the rigorous demands of her studies in the Bachelor of Arts program, Bernice has keenly felt the financial challenges of being a full-time student.

“Scholarships and awards have played a crucial role in my academic achievements, reducing my financial stress and anxiety while navigating through my education,” she says.

This support has also given her greater freedom to focus on her research, and in turn, contribute to the awareness and understanding of the Indigenous experience in Northern Canada.

“The injustices and lack of knowledge of the High Arctic relocations have led me to broaden my research to unveil other Northern narratives lacking attention,” she says. “I have been educated beyond my imagination, conversing and sharing information with those who are willing to listen.”

Three-Minute Thesis winner to represent Saint Mary’s at Eastern Regional competition

Stephen Paterson, Gabrielle Armstrong and Shannon MacFarland placed in the top of the 3MT competition

Saint Mary’s 3MT competitors

Miranda Frison, MA Geography

Julie Dayrit, MSc Applied Science

Stephaniie Erhunmwunsee, PhD Applied Science

Stephen Paterson, PhD Applied Science

Tamana Hamid, MA Global Development Studies with Dr. Evie Tastsoglou

Shannon MacFarland, a first-year Master of Science student in Astronomy, won first place in the recent Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at Saint Mary’s University. Her topic ‘How does a galaxy die? Determining the star formation history from a galaxy's colour’, also earned the People’s Choice award at the competition. MacFarland will compete in the Eastern Regionals in June.

In second place was Gabrielle Armstrong, Master of Science in Applied Science. Stephen Paterson, PhD in Applied Science, received an honourable mention.

Condensing a thesis—the result of months or even years of work—into three minutes is an impressive feat. Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competitors are challenged to condense and communicate their work while still making it accessible to a non-expert audience—with the clock ticking. Hosted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, the annual 3MT event saw seven Saint Mary’s Masters students and PhD candidates explain their research with one static Powerpoint slide, no other props or aids. The participants spoke about a wide range of topics, showing the breadth of research and study at Saint Mary’s University.

Originally from White Rock, British Columbia, MacFarland completed her BSc at the University of British Columbia. She chose Saint Mary’s for her graduate studies because her supervisor, Dr. Marcin Sawicki, is part of CANUCS (The Canadian NIRISS Unbiased Cluster Survey). CANUCS has guaranteed observation time with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

“It's very competitive right now to get time with such a new instrument, so I could not turn down an opportunity to work with JWST data within the first year of its operating time,” says MacFarland. “I'm very fascinated by the distant past and galaxy evolution. JWST is the perfect tool for looking far back into the universe, and Dr. Sawicki's group is full of experts and students that share that passion, so SMU seemed like a good fit.”

Shannon MacFarland presents at 3MT

More about Shannon MacFarland’s research: The colour of a galaxy contains a large amount of information about what stage of life a galaxy is in. Broadly, we put galaxies into two categories: Blue galaxies are considered "alive" because the gas within them is being compressed to form new stars. Red galaxies are considered "dead" because there is little to no star formation within them. We also know that in the past, there were more blue galaxies than there are today. This indicates some process by which a galaxy's colour transitions from blue to red, and its star formation is suppressed or shut down. What I'm interested in is how quickly/slowly a galaxy transitions from blue to red, also known as a galaxy's star formation history. To do this I am using the most powerful telescope ever created, the James Webb Space Telescope. This research is important because we know from the diversity of galaxies that we see that all galaxies evolve differently. My work will aim to answer how all galaxies, like our own Milky Way, will eventually die.

Saint Mary’s 3MT competitors:

• Gabrielle Armstrong (second place), MSc Applied Science (Biology)

  Occurrence and preference of anthropogenic materials in European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) nests

• Julie Dayrit, MSc Applied Science (Chemistry)

  Ancient solution to a modern problem: Combating antimicrobial resistance using Philippine medicinal plants

• Stephaniie Erhunmwunsee, PhD Applied Science (Geology)

  Organic geochemical analysis of Early Jurassic oil shows in the Scotian Basin

• Miranda Frison, MA Geography

  Understanding habitats and distributions of threatened lichens within Atlantic Canada through the creation of species distribution models and their model-derived products.

• Tamana Hamid, MA Global Development Studies

  Afghan immigrant women and their integration into Canadian society

• Stephen Paterson, PhD Applied Science (Environmental Science)

  The silent migration beneath our feet: understanding the spread of non-native earthworms in northern Canada

Research Expo 2023

Each year in March, talented Saint Mary’s researchers in the faculties of Science, Arts and the Sobey School of Business gather to share their academic achievements and projects. The Research Expo showcases work from students, faculty members and researchers.  

The event is hosted by the Office of Innovation and Community Engagement (OICE), which facilitates research relationships between faculty members, government departments and the SMU Community. The OICE supports joint research initiatives, assists faculty in research contract development, intellectual property protection and private sector sponsorship The Office works to establish collaborations between researchers and external partners and license technologies to industry. 

Events like Research Expo are key to building partnerships across university departments and with external organizations. presenters at the 2023 Research Expo included: 

Dr. Steven Smith, Psychology 
Dr. Diane Crocker, Criminology 
Dr. Joniada Milla, Economics 
Dr. Yasushi Akiyama, Mathematics and Computer Science 
Dr. Karly Kehoe, History 
Dr. Danielle Tokarz, Chemistry 
Dr. Erin Adlakha, Geology 

To learn more about the research at Saint Mary’s University, click here.  

Saint Mary’s joins TRIUMF, Canada's national particle accelerator centre

Meson Hall is TRIUMF’s first and largest research facility. Four storeys high with another four storeys below ground, the building houses the laboratory’s 520 MeV cyclotron – certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest accelerator of its type in the world.

On March 6, 2023, Saint Mary’s University became a full member of TRIUMF, Canada's particle accelerator centre, joining a group of 21 universities across the country.

TRIUMF is a hub for discovery and innovation along with its partner institutions—solving problems, from the hunt for the smallest particles in our universe to advancing research that discovers the next generation of batteries or develops isotopes to diagnose and treat disease.

As a full member, Saint Mary’s will be empowered to participate in and lead the TRIUMF science program, including the laboratory’s vision-setting and its multifaceted and intersectional portfolio of collaborations and network opportunities.

“Saint Mary’s University is honoured to be enhancing our partnership with this renowned facility," says Dr. Adam Sarty, Associate Vice-President, Research. “By committing to now change our status to have full membership with TRIUMF, our professors and students will be ensured to maintain their access to sophisticated, isotope science and technology to innovate, inspire and educate. Working more fully within the TRIUMF family of member universities, we will achieve greater collaboration across communities and disciplines, from nuclear and particle physics to the life and material sciences.”

TRIUMF is one of the few subatomic research facilities in the world that specializes in using particle accelerators to produce extremely intense beams of isotopes. Particle accelerators use a combination of electric and magnetic fields to accelerate and guide streams of charged particles to relativistic velocities. 

In fact, TRIUMF is home to the world’s largest cyclotron, a special type of particle accelerator that accelerates particles up to 75% of the speed of light as they follow a spiral path through it. 

Particle accelerators are useful tools for science, medicine and business. For example, they can produce some of the most extreme conditions in the universe, allowing researchers to study how exotic, unstable isotopes form and break apart, as well as particles and molecules in their work. Some of these isotopes also have tremendous value for use in diagnostics scans for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, or even direct therapies for diseases like cancer. At TRIUMF, scientists from around the world use particle accelerators for particle and nuclear physics, life sciences and medical research, materials science, and more.

Saint Mary’s has long had a collaborative relationship with TRIUMF, and two years ago Saint Mary’s led a national project for rare isotope research at the facility. A team of scientists including SMU Principal Investigator Dr. Rituparna Kanungo achieved a major milestone, accelerating for the first time a radioactive isotope beam through the CANREB (CANadian Rare isotope facility with Electron Beam ion source) facility and delivered to the IRIS experiment in the ISAC-II experimental hall. The IRIS facility is also a SMU-led CFI project that unveils the secrets of the rare isotopes with nuclear reactions.

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About TRIUMF

TRIUMF was founded in 1968 by Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria; it has expanded to include members across Canada. The science program has expanded from nuclear physics to a multidisciplinary effort that includes particle physics, molecular and materials science, and nuclear medicine. TRIUMF provides research infrastructure and tools that are too large and complex for a single university to build, operate, or maintain.

Located on the UBC campus, the houses almost 600 scientists, engineers, and staff performing research. A hub for discovery and innovation, the laboratory attracts almost 900 national and international users every year and provides advanced research facilities and opportunities to 150 students and postdoctoral fellows. In addition to the onsite program, TRIUMF serves as a key broker for Canada in global research in particle, nuclear, and accelerator physics.

Winemaking and place-making? Nova Scotia’s craft wine industry is revitalizing rural areas

SMU researchers meet with NS winemaker

PhD student Fariba Seyedjafarrangraz (left) with Dr. Claudia De Fuentes (center) and John Mclarty standing in Planters Ridge vineyard (Photos: Lisa Neily)

Sign outside of Planters Ridge winery in Port Williams, NS

Dr. De Fuentes stands inside the winery

De Fuentes and Seyedjafarrangraz stand inside the winery

De Fuentes and Seyedjafarrangraz seated at the winery bar with Mclarty standing behind

De Fuentes, Seyedjafarrangraz and Mclarty stand with Planters Ridge vineyard behind them

De Fuentes standing with a selection of NS wines

Dr. Claudia De Fuentes

Nova Scotia’s thriving craft wine industry is playing a key role in transforming rural areas of the province into vibrant communities. In interviews with winery owners, winemakers and experts from a variety of supporting organizations, Dr. Claudia De Fuentes, a professor in the Sobey School of Business, is exploring how industry specialists from different parts of the world are collaborating with Nova Scotia’s wineries to create and accumulate skills for continuously innovating their processes and products. The result of this collaboration is a one-of-a-kind craft wine industry in Nova Scotia.

The first two wineries in Nova Scotia—Jost Vineyards and Domaine de Grand Pre—began with their trailblazing founders’ vision. They saw the region’s potential, back when it was only a blank canvas. Their vision, and that of those who followed, unleashed Nova Scotia’s potential for wine production.

Today, the region has a truly inclusive innovation ecosystem which has led to the development of new products and services and constitutes a crucial socio-economic engine for rural Nova Scotia. Results of this innovation include the ‘Tidal Bay’ appellation, which is one of the few Canadian products to have a denomination of origin. Wineries continuously experiment with ways to improve their wines and contribute to place-making through the growth of the industry in rural Nova Scotia while connecting with local communities and providing visitors with a relaxing environment.   

“Thanks to the evolution of the local industry, we are enjoying the ‘transfer and creation of knowledge’, where practices developed in other wine-producing countries are embraced and transformed to fit the very specific characteristics of the province’s terroir,” says De Fuentes. “The momentum of these efforts has contributed to place-making via the attraction and retention of talent, by contributing to the diversity of industry in rural Nova Scotia, and to the relevance of the wine industry in particular.”

Dr. De Fuentes and Sobey School of Business PhD student Fariba Seyedjafarrangraz, along with colleagues from HEC Montréal and the University of Waterloo, will soon release an SSHRC-funded research publication outlining the impact of Nova Scotia’s thriving craft wine industry on rural revitalization.

SMU researchers working with US government to recover remains of lost service personnel

Dr. Aaron Taylor and Dr. Jonathan Fowler work with a 500 Noggin ground-penetrating radar, shown here

A Saint Mary’s University archaeology team is assisting the US government in identifying and recovering the remains of service personnel lost on foreign battlefields.

The Defense Prisoners of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency (DPAA) is the US government agency responsible for locating, recovering and identifying the remains of unaccounted-for US Department of Defense personnel from past conflicts. This project will focus on World War II (WWII) battlefields and aircraft crash sites. Saint Mary’s is the first university in Canada to partner with DPAA on a project of this nature.

“We have been developing our remote sensing expertise at Saint Mary’s University for several years now, providing assistance to different organizations across Canada,” says Dr. Jonathan Fowler, a professor in the Department of Anthropology.

“For us, these are more than projects. In many instances, we work with people looking for closure and do our best to provide them with that. This is about people who have been lost and bringing them home.”

Dr. Fowler is one of Canada’s leading researchers in archaeological geophysics and remote sensing. His ground-penetrating radar research has successfully mapped burials associated with the 1873 sinking of the SS Atlantic and identified nearly 300 unmarked graves in the pre-Deportation Acadian cemetery at Grand-Pré National Historic Site. Dr. Fowler has also worked with the Sipekne'katik First Nation in recent years related to the former Shubenacadie Residential school site.

The first search project with DPAA is in the final planning stages. It will offer opportunities to students for archaeological field experience in France this summer. Dr. Aaron Taylor BA'09 MA'12 will direct the project.

“Students will participate in excavations of a downed WWII US aircraft in an attempt to recover the remains of an aircrew member who perished in the crash,” says Taylor. “Students will be trained in archaeological field methods and best practices while following forensic archaeology techniques meeting DPAA protocols and guidelines.”

More on this story:

• Canadian Press/CBC article, “Halifax university's technology to help U.S. find missing soldiers on former European battlefields”

• Interview on The Todd Veinotte Show (hour three)

• To find out more about the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), visit dpaa.mil

Dr. Danika van Proosdij recognized for excellence in environmental research

Dr. Danika van Proosdij at Winter Convocation

Saint Mary’s University is pleased to announce that Dr. Danika van Proosdij was honoured with a President’s Award for Excellence in Research for her innovative work on the effects of climate change on the environment. The award was presented recently during the Winter 2023 convocation at Saint Mary’s University.

An international leader in her field and an established pioneer in the implementation of nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation, Dr. Danika van Proosdij has dedicated almost three decades to finding and promoting solutions to prevent coastal erosion and flooding. In the past six years, Dr. van Proosdij has received $15.8M in direct research funding from federal and international agencies.

“Time and again Dr. van Proosdij has proven to be a tremendous innovator in her field, and her prolific success in publishing and securing funding from federal agencies is recognition of the value of her work,” said Dr. Adam Sarty, Associate Vice-President, Research and Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at Saint Mary’s.

“Her research on coastal ecosystems will become increasingly beneficial to coastal communities in Nova Scotia and potentially around the world as climate change necessitates new solutions. We are proud of the advancements she is making in this field, and that she is leading the next generation of researchers and environmental specialists.”

Dr. van Proosdij’s ability to embrace challenges from the individual through to the global scale is ultimately what sets her apart. Her work is collaborative, cross-disciplinary and transboundary between biophysical and social sciences; her efforts to address the effects of climate change on ecosystems and ultimately human systems will have a vital impact on the ecosystem in Nova Scotia and beyond.

“I’m proud of the results of decades of collaboration with provincial and federal governments and restoration industry leaders such as CB Wetlands Environmental Specialists have made a real impacton the protection of coastal ecosystems,” said Dr. van Proosdij. “I’m also gratified that this research and teaching is building capacity in the region, so that so much of this work can be done increasingly by trained people in our community.”

“We’re always happy to collaborate with others on restoration and rehabilitation of vulnerable areas; these partnerships have proven to be greater than the sum of their parts and lead to advanced knowledge in this field.”

It has been an especially successful year for Dr. van Proosdij; in the fall of 2022 she was elected as a new Fellow of The Royal Society of Canada and received the award at a ceremony in Calgary. Elected by their peers, the 102 new Fellows were chosen for their outstanding scholarly, scientific and artistic achievements. Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) recognizes excellence, advises the government and the larger society, and promotes a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada and with other national academies around the world. She was also a finalist for a Discovery Award in the Professional of Distinction category.

As the Director of the TransCoastal Adaptations Centre for Nature-Based Solutions, Dr. van Proosdij has been engaged in understanding how the biophysical processes of coastal ecosystems respond to natural and anthropogenic drivers of change. As a leading expert in coastal geomorphology, she merges field studies of sediment transport and hydrodynamics with GIS and geo-visualizing technologies to assess and enhance the resilience of coastal systems.  This knowledge is then applied to the implementation of nature-based solutions on the ground.  She has also served as a scientific advisor to federal and provincial governments.

Dr. van Proosdij earned her PhD in Biophysical Processes and Environmental Analysis from the University of Guelph in 2001 and has been a professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Saint Mary’s since 1999. With a willingness to generously share her knowledge, she has provided a stimulating training environment for 136 highly qualified personal, from undergraduate to postgraduate levels. She has co-authored more than 42 papers and 105 technical reports, and has given 200+ presentations around the world.

The President's Award for Excellence in Research honours continued exceptional contributions to research and scholarship conducted by a full-time Saint Mary's University faculty member. More information can be found at smu.ca/fgsr/presidents-award.

Saint Mary’s students research Sable Island horse skulls

Sable Island is a place of mystery and history, a remote island in the North Atlantic fabled for its sand dunes and shipwrecks, and almost impossible for the average person to access. But for naturalists and biologists, there is much to learn, especially from studying the wild horses who thrive there.  

On a November evening, dozens of Haligonians gathered in the McNally Theatre Auditorium to hear the latest Sable Island research and get up close to the skulls of these unique horses collected over 30 years by Zoe Lucas, President of the Sable Island Institute.  Katharyn Chadwick and Richard Orton, doctoral students at Saint Mary’s University, collaborated on the project with the Sable Island Institute, Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History and was possible due to funding from SMU Works. The project involved 716 skulls and more than 13,000 measurements and over 6000 photographs. Members of the public were invited to ​view​ the skulls on display, ask questions​,​ and even carefully touch the specimens. ​Two​ skull​s​ stood out​, one​ for ​a​​ ​large growth protruding from the upper jaw and ​the other for an ​odd deterioration​ and pitting of the​ lower jaw.  The researchers want to know if anyone can suggest what caused th​ese​ malformation​s; suggestions include a bone abscess or tumour, and a root canal abscess​.  

More importantly, why study this group of horses and their skulls for clues about their development,​ variation in skull morphology and age?​ Richard and Katharyn explain that ​​since the horses first arrived on Sable Island there have been numerous introductions of other horse breeds, to improve breeding stock, provide additional labour and produce foals for resale back on the mainland. This has likely led to a complex mixing of the population, with genetic work revealing traces of Morgan, Clydesdale, and Thoroughbred.​ Sable Island horses have been isolated for at least 50 years and it is common that island populations exhibit unique traits.

“However, we do not always understand the biological mechanisms underpinning such unique adaptations,” says Katharyn Chadwick. “ Therefore, a deeper understanding of the ​skull ​morphology might further our understanding of the evolution of the Sable Island horses​ and highlight any unusual morphologies unique to this population​​.”

One of the main aims of the project was to catalogue this unique collection, photographing each skull, estimating age, and noting gender unusual features, post-mortem/storage damage and injuries. Finally, thousands of bagged teeth were paired with the correct skulls.​​     ​​ 

​​​From the teeth, several well-described aging metrics commonly used in equine studies were recorded for each horse. Using data collected by Zoe Lucas on known age horses, the researchers hope to confirm the suitable use of these metrics for the Sable Island horses.​​     ​​ 

“Kate and Richard’s study of the horse skulls is an important contribution to the Sable Island Institute’s long-term research program. There is still much to be learned from the collection, and now we have a detailed inventory and preliminary data that will assist in planning follow-up work,” says Zoe Lucas. “This unique and extensive reference collection will enable the Institute to study variations within the Sable population. It will also provide a basis for comparisons with other groups and breeds of horses, as well as with Sable Island horses living on the Island decades from now. This project has been a very productive and encouraging collaboration, and the Sable Island Institute looks forward to further work with Saint Mary’s University and the Nova Scotia Museum.”

Both PhD candidates have travelled from other countries to pursue their studies at the Frasier Lab at Saint Mary’s University. In addition to their research project on the Sable Island horses, they will be addressing conservation concerns of the North Atlantic Right Whale using different genetic approaches. Specifically, Katharyn Chadwick’s thesis is centered on understanding how ship strikes and non-lethal entanglements lead to ​changes in ​gene​     ​​ expression​​     ​​ via epigenetic​ modifications, while Richard Orton is assessing the impact of genetic mutation on reproductive success in North Atlantic Right Whales.