Government of Canada supports ground-breaking research through new Canada Research Chairs

Dr. Christa Brosseau, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry; Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, Saint Mary’s University President; Andy Filmore, Member of Parliament for Halifax; Dr. Todd Ventura, Associate Professor, Department of Geology

Saint Mary’s University was pleased to welcome Mr. Andy Fillmore, Member of Parliament for Halifax, and representatives from Dalhousie University to the Saint Mary’s campus today to announce new Canada Research Chairs being named to both universities.

The Canada Research Chairs Program supports and attracts the world’s best researchers, in the fields of engineering, and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences.

“Being named a Canada Research Chair is one of the highest honors that Canadian researchers can achieve,” said Saint Mary’s University President, Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray . “These researchers are at the forefront of their respective fields, and their work embodies the type of innovation that will help strengthen our economy and our society.”

From ensuring nanotechnology is sustainable to improving our understanding of the human microbiome, exploring the impact of nitrogen on different ecosystems, investigating the transformation of organic matter into oil and gas and studying the cultural history of Europe’s “small nations”, these Canada Research Chairs (CRC) are truly making an impact on our world.

Dr. Christa Brosseau –  Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry:
Dr. Brosseau is the Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Chemistry and Materials. Dr. Brosseau’s research focuses on sustainable nanotechnology. While nanotechnology has made great strides over the last several decades, the idea of sustainable nanotechnology hasn’t been a focal point. Dr. Brosseau aims to make sure that the future of nanotechnology, whether for human health, renewable energy or other purposes, is a sustainable future.

Dr. Todd Ventura – Associate Professor, Department of Geology:
Dr. Ventura is the Canada Research Chair in Petroleum Systems, Geochemistry and Reservoir Characterization. His research investigates how organic matter deposited at the Earth’s surface becomes transformed into oil and gas once it is buried deep underground. This research will help improve our understanding of what the molecular composition of oil actually is and how that composition changes over time. This has the potential to improve the efficiency of finding oil reserves while minimizing impacts to the environment from its extraction.

Erin Sargeant Greenwood named new Vice-President of Advancement

Erin Sargeant Greenwood [high-res]

Saint Mary’s University is proud to announce the appointment of Erin Sargeant Greenwood to the position of Vice-President of Advancement, effective Feb. 1, 2017.

Sargeant Greenwood is coming from the University of Waterloo where she held leadership positions in Advancement since joining in 2008, first as Associate Vice-President, Development, and most recently as Interim Vice-President, Advancement. As Interim Vice-President, she was responsible for strategic fundraising and alumni relations programs across the university, locally, nationally and internationally and accountable for raising more than $50 million per year for the university.

"Erin brings more than 20 years of experience in advancement and not-for-profit management to Saint Mary's," said Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, President of Saint Mary's University. "We are very pleased to welcome someone who is a strategic, collaborative leader to this critically important position and we look forward to working with Erin in the near future.

The Vice-President, Advancement portfolio is new to Saint Mary’s University and has an important role to play in advancing the goals and ambitions outlined in our Institutional Strategic Plan. Sargeant Greenwood and the Advancement team will provide leadership to the entire university community in deepening the university’s focus on friend-raising and fundraising, on engaging external benefactors, our internal community, and our alumni, encouraging them to connect with and give back to the university with its 214 year-old history of providing value and values.

During her time at University of Waterloo, Sargeant Greenwood provided exemplary leadership to portfolios that spanned all aspects of development including annual, planned, major and principal gifts, along with faculty relations and campaign strategy. Her portfolios also included strategic direction for donor relations and stewardship, alumni relations and advancement communications. In addition to serving on university committees and representing the university in the community, she was a resource to the Board of Governors and a member of Senate.

Sargeant Greenwood has also been a leader at organizations such as York University, Nipissing University and Branksome Hall and as a consultant at KCI Philanthropy where she successfully led two hospital campaigns and worked with more than 15 not-for-profits across every sector as Associate Vice-President of the firm.

Sargeant Greenwood is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), and a member of CASE, CCAE, CAGP and AFP. An active volunteer and conference presenter, Sargeant Greenwood is well-known and respected as an advancement leader in Canada and beyond.

Saint Mary’s launches Success Maps to support students

Dr. Steven Smith, Dean of Science, introduces Success Maps.

Saint Mary's has launched Success Maps, a tool to help students set goals, track accomplishments, discover new opportunities, and prepare for their post-graduation career.

Students using the site will be given guidance on their specific academic requirements and suggestions for other worthwhile activities tailored to their year and their major. They can use the site on their own, and as a tool to review their progress with academic advisors.

Saint Mary’s is the first university in Atlantic Canada to offer such a resource to its students, and only the second in Canada.

The launch was attended by Karen Oldfield, Board Chair; Robert Summerby-Murray, President & Vice-Chancellor; and Dr. Steven Smith, Dean of Science.

Kitrina Godding (BSc ’05) spoke about her experiences at Saint Mary's as being a strong foundation for her life as a geologist, offshore surveyor and accomplished SCUBA diver.

Interest in creating the conditions that enhance student learning and supporting students in their educational goals is at an all-time high at Canadian universities.

The Success Maps tool is representative of Saint Mary’s University's ongoing efforts to help students make successful transitions into university, through their academic programs, and into the larger community as knowledgeable citizens of the world.

SMU student contributes profiles to African-Canadian war heroes celebration

Until November 18, visitors to the Patrick Power Library can get a look at one Saint Mary’s student’s contribution to a national effort to commemorate Canada's contributions to the First World War.

James During (right, beside his profile of Pte. George Downey) is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in History. He researched and wrote biographies of five African-Canadian soldiers for an exhibit in Parks Canada’s “‌Hometown ‌Heroes" initiative, which commemorates the stories of Canadians who fought in the Great War, with exhibits at National Historic Sites nationwide. A permanent display of James’ work can be found at the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, with the Patrick Power Library hosting a copy.

James’ research focused on members of the No. 2 Construction Battalion, the only black battalion in the Canadian Forces during World War I. The battalion, largely comprising African-Nova Scotians, also included black soldiers from Ontario, Western Canada, and the United States.

James conducted research at the Nova Scotia Archives and the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia.

James During

Legislature recognition for Saint Mary’s University

Today the Nova Scotia Legislature heard two special resolutions recognizing the work of Saint Mary’s University.

The first recognition was for the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia (LISNS) and four Saint Mary’s students who built a digital prototype for them using open source software to support members of the public. 

They were recognized by the Minister of Justice, Diana Whalen, for innovation in promoting access to justice for Nova Scotians.

• Ollando Brown – Bachelor of Commerce
• Tapiwa Munyanyi – Bachelor of Commerce
• Gilroy Gordon – Master of Science, Computing and Data Analytics
• Dominic Collie – Bachelor of Arts

The project came about thanks to a partnership initiated by the Co-Curricular Record and Career Services.

The second recognition was for the Sobey School of Business’s important role as an asset to the academic and business communities, in particular for the leadership and initiative shown by being the first business school to undergo the Business School Impact System. The conclusions of this analysis are highlighted in the recently released Creating an Impact with Purpose, Sobey School of Business’ First Impact Report.

The Minister of Business, Mark Furey, acknowledged Dean Patricia Bradshaw and congratulated the Sobey School of Business on its successes.

Saint Mary’s shoots up rankings in Canadian Research Universities report

Dr. Kevin Vessey

‌‌Saint Mary's University has shot up in the rankings of the well-regarded Research Universities of the Year (RUY) report by Toronto-based consultants Research Infosource.

The 2016 report, released October 27, shows Saint Mary's has leapt nine positions to 35th place from last year’s 44th ranking.

The RUY ranking method takes into account financial input (sponsored research income) and research output at Canadian universities. It also considers the impact and quality of that research output as reflected by the number of publications, publication intensity (research income per full-time faculty) and publication impacts (citations in peer-reviewed literature).

“I like this ranking system because it is a measure of return on investment of research dollars,” says Dr. Kevin Vessey (pictured), Associate Vice-President Research and Dean of Graduate Studies at Saint Mary’s.  “The increase in our standing in the RUY ranking shows that the extraordinary impact of our research is being well recognized by others.”

Learn more about the Research Infosource reports.

New Scholarship Opportunity for students from Antigua & Barbuda at Saint Mary’s University

Saint Mary’s University is pleased to announce a new partnership with Henley and Partners in support of the Halo Hero Scholarship. 

An official signing of the new scholarship will be hosted by the Governor General, Sir Rodney Williams, and his wife, Lady Williams at Government House in Antigua on October 20, 2016 at 11:00 am. The Halo Foundation was founded by the Governor General and Lady Williams.

"The Halo Foundation is pleased to join with Henley & Partners and Saint Mary's University in offering this annual award to deserving students in Antigua and Barbuda, who have contributed to the well-being of their communities,” said Lady Williams. “We commend the courage of all the present and future recipients of this scholarship and humanitarian medal, as they strive to make this world a more charitable and compassionate place in which we all can live ".

The scholarship is exclusive to Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Lady Williams’ Alma mater), and the recipient of the scholarship will have all of their annual costs covered. Henley and Partners commits to $25,000 per year per recipient to a maximum of $100,000 per student. Saint Mary’s University commits to a further $5,000 per year per student to a maximum of $20,000 per student.

“This award is a tribute to the long-standing and excellent relationship between Saint Mary’s University and the people of Antigua & Barbuda,” said Saint Mary’s President, Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray.  “We are pleased one of our alumni felt so strongly about encouraging education and community service she not only worked with us on developing this scholarship, but also identified a like-minded sponsor in Henley & Company, to make this happen.”

The scholarship is part of ongoing efforts to create opportunities for the development and empowerment of young people in Antigua and Barbuda.

The Halo Hero Award seeks to identify students in their last year of secondary and tertiary institutions who deserves recognition for their exceptional acts of bravery and kindness, and their involvement in humanitarian efforts.

In January 2016, Marie Braswell, the Director of Admissions and Recruitment from Saint Mary’s University, had the opportunity to meet with Lady Williams in Antigua.  “From the first moment I met Lady Williams and heard about her experiences at Saint Mary’s, I could see she was determined to help other strong students from Antigua and Barbuda have the same opportunity,” said Braswell.   We’ve worked closely together over the past 6 months to develop the Halo Hero Scholarship, and I continue to admire her kindness and dedication to helping others.”

Further information on the Halo Hero Award

Saint Mary’s retains 7th position in Maclean's university rankings

Saint Mary’s University is once again ranked as one of Canada’s top ten universities, as determined by Maclean’s magazine. Saint Mary’s is ranked seventh among primarily undergraduate universities, maintaining our overall ranking from last year.
 
Saint Mary’s Faculty continue to receive high marks, placing first in the Faculty Awards category and fourth in Social Science and Humanities Grants category, the highest of any of its regional peers in those areas.
 
Saint Mary’s ranked a strong fifth in the Student Awards category and sixth in the Scholarships and Bursaries category. Maclean’s places Saint Mary’s in the Primarily Undergraduate category along with 18 other institutions.
 
As Canada’s International University, we are very proud of our continued success. Saint Mary’s places a great importance on our commitment to academic excellence, community-engaged research, experiential learning, and support for teaching excellence.

Maclean's University Rankings

Partnership ready to help businesses respond to breast cancer in the workplace

Leaders of the Partnership for a Healthy Workplace Response to Breast Cancer research project want to connect with small and large businesses to help them implement their action plan to create “bright spots,” or best practices for a healthy workplace response to breast cancer.

The Partnership is comprised of a system of individuals who touch the working lives of breast cancer survivors in some way: breast cancer survivors, themselves, professionals working in public policy, organized labour, labour law, health services, cancer advocacy groups, and students and research experts in psychosocial oncology, work psychology, disability management, and knowledge mobilization, among others. The Partnership will spend the day on Friday designing workplace interventions to create a healthy workplace response to breast cancer. They are also developing an action plan that day, and would like to talk to community organizations, managers, and large and small businesses to help them implement this action plan.

“Help us get it right,” says Dr. Catherine Loughlin, co-investigator with the project. “We need the engagement of businesses and community members who have experienced breast cancer in the workplace.”

The project began in April 2016 and is led by researcher and Saint Mary’s University professor, Dr. Lucie Kocum and co-investigators, Dr. Catherine Loughlin (Saint Mary’s University), and Dr. Lynne Robinson (Dalhousie University). The project is funded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Canadian Institutes of Health research, Saint Mary's University and the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation and community partners.

“We are doing this research for women who deserve a healthier workplace response to their disease. For the 68 Canadian women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer today, and the 68 more who will be diagnosed tomorrow,” says Dr. Kocum.

Dr. Robinson agrees: “This is about women hit hard by a life-threatening illness, and the cure rate is increasing, so is the number of working aged women diagnosed.”

Currently breast cancer is the most common cancer among women aged 20-59.

The second Partnership for a Healthy Workplace Response to Breast Cancer workshop will be held at Saint Mary’s new CLARI facility on Friday, October 28 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Website: workwellnesslab.com
Twitter: @WorkWellnessLab
Facebook: WorkWellnessLab

Contact

Nicole Webb
Partnership for a Healthy Workplace Response to Breast Cancer
Project and Communications Manager
Cancer and Work Communications Coordinator
902-293-5857
Nicole.Webb@smu.ca

Welcome to Mi’kma’ki, the Territory of the Mi’kmaq

Saint Mary's University hosted an opening smudge, followed by singing, chanting and drumming led by Eastern Eagle, to welcome and honour its indigenous students. The event was open to all to celebrate.

Opening remarks were delivered by Grand Council of Mi’kmaq, Sɨkɨpne’katik (Shubenacadie) District and Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, President of Saint Mary’s University.

The event was hosted on campus in front of the Atrium and Burke buildings.

The event was organized by SMUSA Indigenous Student Society and Indigenous Education, Studio for Teaching and Learning.

Helping working women diagnosed with breast cancer

New research being conducted at Saint Mary’s University will help working women diagnosed with breast cancer. The Work Wellness Team led by Saint Mary’s professors Dr. Lucie Kocum and Dr. Catherine Loughlin and Dalhousie professor Dr. Lynne Robinson, is conducting workshops at Saint Mary’s this week to create interventions that will help women diagnosed with breast cancer in the workplace.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second deadliest cancer for women. Every day, 68 women in Canada are diagnosed with breast cancer most of whom are of working age.

“Breast cancer is the cancer of the working woman,” says Dr. Kocum. “It can have devastating effects on working women that other forms of cancer just don’t seem to have. Women become unemployed after being diagnosed with breast cancer, more than any other cancer. Why is that?”

Thanks to funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Saint Mary's University and the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation community partners from across Canada came together at Saint Mary’s this week for the first of many meetings to be held over the next two years to develop and test workplace interventions.

“Our research is unique as we will meet with union members, academics, breast cancer survivors, insurance companies and disability professionals, says Dr. Kocum. “Each brings a different perspective to the issue and allows us to brainstorm and test the best practices for employers and employees to implement to better cope with illness and promote health within the workplace.”

The first Partnership for a Healthy Workplace Response to Breast Cancer meeting is being held at the Sobey School of Business Unilever Lounge on Wednesday, July 20 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Saint Mary’s team attends BioFuelNet’s Advanced Biofuels Symposium in Vancouver

(L-R) Emily Peters, Jingwen Zhao, Dr. Kevin Vessey  Dr. Zhongmin Dong and Dr. Houman Fei.

A five-member team from the Faculty of Science at Saint Mary’s University recently attended the BioFuelNet’s Advanced Biofuels Symposium in Vancouver. 

The BioFuelNet (BFN) is a network of biofuels research community members. Their mandate is to focus “on the challenges impeding the growth of an advanced biofuels industry,” says the organization. 

Drs. Dong and Vessey have been involved with BFN since 2012 as researchers and Dr. Vessey is a member of the group’s Research Management Committee and  leads a Task Force in the Network on Biomass Feedstocks. 

“Advanced biofuels are part of our green and clean energy future,” says Vessey.  “Advanced biofuels can be used as replacements for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. In their production, many other high-valued bioproducts can also be produced like precursors for biomaterials and pharmaceuticals.”

Vessey also explains that advanced biofuels are produced from biomass waste. Along with forestry and other agricultural residues and municipal waste, they may also be derived from high-yield, low-input species such as willow or hybrid poplar. 

“Our research at SMU looks at how we can efficiently produce these biomass crops in Nova Scotia by using plant growth prompting supplements like seaweed extracts and beneficial soil bacteria and fungi,” says Vessey. 

Master of Science student Emily Peters found the conference to be beneficial, explaining that one of the biggest obstacles to research in this field is the lack of communication between researchers and the community that will be impacted.

“The student workshop at the conference was focused on teaching students how to use the skills and knowledge that we have worked so hard to attain during our research to find a job in Canada’s bioeconomy,” says Peters. 

“I think sometimes it’s hard to transfer skills learned in academia into a non-academic sector, so having successful professionals telling us how to transfer our skills most effectively based on experience was a great opportunity,” she added. 

BFN says it is working to develop and apply novel and innovative science, engineering and socio-economic strategies that will enhance environmental sustainability for future generations.