Cyborgs and the Second Machine Age are coming to Saint Mary’s University

From killer robots to sex robots, worker robots to companion robots, the second machine age is here and is the topic of the Cyborg Futures workshop to be held at Saint Mary’s University’s March 31 to April 1, 2017.

The Cyborg Futures: Animal Life and Social Robots Workshop brings together an international group of scholars from the University of the West of England to the University of California, Berkeley, to discuss how robots and artificial intelligence are shaping the future of labour, war, the environment, and human relationships.

“This workshop brings together scholars from across the sciences, humanities and social sciences to discuss artificial intelligence and robotics,” said Saint Mary’s professor and workshop organizer, Dr. Teresa Heffernan. “Experts from both science and fiction will come together to discuss what our increasingly robot-filled future means for humanity and non-human animals.”

The workshop will discuss topics such as cyborgs and the mixing of organic and non-organic bodies, autonomous robots and the question of rights, and the increasing tension between technological progress and the environment.

The two-day workshop is free and open to the public, however registration is required.

To register or learn more about the workshop, visit www.cyborgworkshop.com . 

Sobey School professor recognized in international top 40 under 40 list

Poets & Quants, a US-based online resource of international graduate business education information, has recognized Dr. Ethan Pancer, Sobey School Assistant Professor of Marketing, in its annual list, "World’s Top 40 Business Professors Under 40."

"While some may regard marketing as an art, [Pancer's] students get a full on dose of the science behind the success stories. His many student fans say his ability to connect and engage with them has made marketing not only pertinent but pressing."

Learn more on the Poets & Quants site.

Saint Mary’s student takes home honours at National Japanese Language Speech Contest

Kensey Phillips (left) receives congratulations from Asako Okai, Consul General of Japan in Vancouver

Last weekend, Saint Mary’s Asian Studies major Kensey Phillips made the strongest showing ever by an Atlantic Canadian student at Canada’s National Japanese Language Speech Contest.

Competing among 25 students from 13 institutions from coast to coast, Phillips took home the second-place prize in the “open category”—an exceptionally impressive feat, according to Dr. Alexandre Avdulov, a Professor of Japanese and a key supporter for students entering the contest from Saint Mary’s University.

“This is the most difficult category,” says Dr. Avdulov, “because there are no restrictions on the number of years that participants have spent in Japan, or whether their parents or other family are Japanese. So it’s really an extraordinary accomplishment for a born-and-raised Nova Scotian who’s only been studying Japanese for a few years.”

The national contest follows closely after seven regional competitions held throughout Canada. Phillips and international student Lee Jeongseob, of South Korea, earned top honours in the Atlantic Canadian competition held earlier in March.

“But going to the national competition is a different situation,” says Phillips. “You’re facing top students from all over the country. It’s much more intimidating initially, but when you get there it really is all about learning and sharing.”

Speech contests are heavily promoted by Japanese embassies and consulates worldwide as a means of cultural outreach—bringing Japanese culture to the world. As the only university offering advanced Japanese studies in Atlantic Canada, Saint Mary’s has long been a strong performer regionally and nationally, says Dr. Avdulov, who also credits the university’s strong commitment to intercultural education.

“The reason I chose Saint Mary’s was because of the Asian Studies program,” says Phillips, who has long been interested in Japanese language and culture. “I think it’s just an amazing thing for the university, and to have opportunities like this to interact with peers from across the country is just so, so valuable.”

At the regional and national level, the contests feature four categories—beginner, intermediate, advanced, and open—in which students deliver three to five-minute speeches on a topic of their choosing. Phillips chose a reflection on Minamata Disease, a form of extreme mercury poisoning affecting residents of Minamata City, near the city of Kumamoto, where Phillips spent a study-abroad year.

“We did a field trip to there,” says Phillips, “and went to a place called Hot House, a vocational centre for survivors.” Kensey’s speech focused on the social stigma faced by the survivors, and their efforts to find work and be seen as contributing members of society.

Phillips’ placement is an impressive feat for herself and Saint Mary’s, and Dr. Avdulov believes it’s no fluke. “Kensey really earned this,” he says, “and Saint Mary’s has become a regional leader. e are striving to create a comprehensive lingua-cultural environment which urtures th individuality and creativity of each student hile   enriching them with a multicultural international experience. The speech contest s an excellent teaching and learning tool, which inspires students to make real stetowards global citizenship.”

Saint Mary's Students Win Atlantic CFA Competition

Sobey School of Business’ IMPACT Fund Managers Mitchell Norrie, Jorge Gonzalez, Mengqing Chen & Alex Fowler, winners of the Atlantic CFA Competition.

Congratulations to Sobey School of Business’ IMPACT Fund Managers Alex Fowler, Mengqing Chen, Jorge Gonzalez and Mitchell Norrie for winning the Atlantic Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Competition this past weekend.

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition where university students work in teams to analyze and value a publicly traded company. Each team writes a research report on their assigned company with a buy, sell, or hold recommendation and is then asked to present and defend their analysis to a panel of industry professionals.

“We’re happy to see all our hard work has paid off after all the hours we’ve put into the competition since we started back in October,” said IMPACT Fund Manager Alex Fowler. “I feel confident in saying this is the most time any of us have committed to a single project and we certainly couldn’t have done it alone. We’d particularly like to thank our advisors for the competition, Ross Hallett and Mike Mills.”

The team represented Saint Mary’s University at the Atlantic Canada Local Level Competition. Cumulatively, the team put in over 500 hours of work to prepare their report and presentation. With this victory, the team will be advancing to the Americas Regional Competition in Seattle, Washington at the start of April, where they will compete against universities from across North and South America.

There are nearly 100 local level challenges across the world. The winner of each local competition advances to one of three regional competitions, with the winner of each regional event going to the global final.

The performance of the IMPACT Team in the Local CFA Challenge (i.e. Atlantic Region) has been consistently outstanding, as evidenced by their unprecedented streak of three wins.

 The IMPACT Program is unique credit program where students gain firsthand experience in finance, wealth management and portfolio management. Students on the IMPACT team are responsible for managing close to $500,000 in financial investments (mostly equity). They are in charge of portfolio rebalancing, asset allocation, security selection and stock valuation. In addition, the IMPACT program offers unique networking opportunities (a series of high caliber guest speakers from the industry, national and international competitions) and for community engagement and volunteering (e.g. Finance-Focused Career Fair & High School Trading Competition).

Booker Prize-winning author of Life of Pi, Yann Martel, to deliver two-part Cyril Byrne Lecture

Updated with event slideshow:

Booker Prize-winning author of Life of Pi, Yann Martel, will be in Halifax on March 23 and 24, 2017, for two-nights as part of the Cyril Byrne Memorial Lecture.

“We are proud to host world-renowned author Yann Martel as he discusses the themes of loss and the imagination,” said Saint Mary’s University President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray. “The Cyril Byrne Memorial Lecture has grown in stature over the past decade and it builds on our tradition of taking the highest level of knowledge and discourse beyond the university lecture hall and out into the wider community for the enjoyment and appreciation of all.”

Martel’s lecture is a special Saint Mary’s University and Halifax Public Libraries joint presentation and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the first public education courses ever offered by Saint Mary’s through the Halifax Public Libraries system.

“Access to education supports an individual’s ability to have informed engagement in society,” says Åsa Kachan, Chief Librarian and CEO of Halifax Public Libraries. “Offering university lectures at the Library that are open to all feeds curiosity, supports learning, and offers personal fulfillment. Together – the university, the Library, and learners - we work to create an informed citizenry which has remarkable impact.”

The two-night lecture begins on Thursday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the Paul O’Regan Hall at the Halifax Central Library where Martel will speak on the recurring subject of loss in his fiction. Guests are invited to dress all in black to match the theme of the event.

On Friday, March 24 at 7 p.m., the action shifts to the McNally Theatre at Saint Mary’s University, where the lecture will conclude with a celebration of the power of the imagination. Guests are invited to dress in colourful outfits to match the theme of the event.

The Cyril Byrne Memorial Lecture is presented to the community free of charge and all are welcome. Attendees are able to choose between going to one night or both, however seating may be limited.

Two Sobey students chosen for prestigious $25,000 Frank H. Sobey Awards

For the second year in a row, the Sobey School of Business is delighted to announce that not one but two of our students have been recognized with the prestigious and high-value Frank H. Sobey Award for Excellence in Business Studies.

More information

Saint Mary's takes Provincial Open Data Challenge by storm

Top: Sunil Udhayakumar, unknown, judge, Siddharthsenthil Thangharaj, Rasheed Andrews
Middle: Raj Sonani, Kanngi Mahajan, judge, Sanjeevi Ramachandran, Shahriar Mullick Swapnil, Bo Li
Bottom: Janice Lobo, Vivek Karunakaran, judge, Jie Pan

Teams from the Saint Mary's MSc in Computing & Data Analytics (MScCDA) program took the Provincial Open Data Challenge by storm, garnering 1st prize, 3rd prize, and the People's Choice Award.

The event, supported by the province, SIM and hosted at the Dalhousie University, was part of Open Data Day celebrations, March 4.

The challenge is focused on three main areas: 

1. Promoting tourism
2. Assisting new immigrants
3. Effective management of Nova Scotia's natural resources and protection of the environment

 Participants were expected to tackle projects involving application development, data anayis and predictive modelling.

See the story on CBC.ca.

Saint Mary's student receives prestigious leadership scholarship

Sobey School of Business student Boyce Campbell (pictured) has been awarded a Futures Fund Scholarship for Outstanding Leadership.Campbell is one of 10 university business students across Canada who have been recognized for their leadership in their academic and extra-curricular activities.

Participating schools are chosen each year by Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year, an oganization that also honours accomplished Canadian Chief Executive Officers.

Student recipients are selected by their school's Dean's office based on their achievements and demonstrated leadership initiatives in their academic and extracurricular activities. Both graduate and undergraduate students in business degree programs are eligible.

The award program provides students with $7,500 grants to further their educational ambitions.

Boyce Campbell

Solving conflict the Santamarian way

The Saint Mary's University Conflict Resolution Society and their Senior Program Coordinators with Saint Mary's President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray.

For the 13th consecutive year, Saint Mary’s University students representing both undergraduate and graduate study within the faculties of Arts, Science and Commerce, will depart for Northern Ireland to facilitate peace education workshops. These 18 students leave for Northern Ireland today and will begin working with elementary school children throughout Belfast, Northern Ireland, once they arrive.

This long-standing and unique experiential program is a remarkable collaborative effort, coordinated through Saint Mary’s University, Peaceful Schools International and the student led, Conflict Resolution Society. Between November 2016 and February 2017, Saint Mary's students have successfully facilitated a series of peace education and conflict resolution workshops with more than a thousand local children.

Saint Mary’s students visited schools across Halifax for the workshops including: St. Catherine’s Elementary, Inglis Street Elementary, St. Mary’s Elementary, Oxford School Elementary, Halifax Independent School, Halifax Grammar School and Sacred Heart School of Halifax.

"This project is a reflection of the long term commitment made by Saint Mary's University and Peaceful Schools International to the promotion of peace education and conflict resolution locally and globally," said Bridget Brownlow, the Conflict Resolution Advisor at Saint Mary's and a Senior Program Coordinator for this initiative. "Over the past 12 years, the deep and transformative impact of this program is consistently highlighted by student participants as 'life changing'."

"It remains a true privilege to work alongside our students as they volunteer with children and youth in a spirit of collaboration and goodwill that may help to eventually create a more peaceful world."

The topic for the 2017 workshops is ‘Diversity and Inclusion: Sharing Being Unique’.

 The 2017 student group will be accompanied by Senior Program Coordinators Bridget Brownlow, Conflict Resolution Advisor and Part-time faculty, Political Science / Irish Studies and Emily Anderson, Vice-President, Peaceful Schools International and B.A. Program Advisor. Three faculty members will also be accompanying the group, Dr. Ashley Carver, Assistant Professor, Sociology/Criminology, Dr. Catherine Loughlin, Associate Dean, Research, Sobey School of Business and Dr. James Morrison, Professor, History.

Agreement signed for historic Salzinnes Antiphonal exhibition

Front: Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, President, Saint Mary's University; Nancy Noble, Director and CEO, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia; Back: Erin Sargeant Greenwood, Vice-President of Advancement, Saint Mary's University; Judy Dietz; Diane Chisholm, Chief Advancement Officer, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia

A cultural artifact of international significance owned by Saint Mary’s University will featured at the Centuries of Silence: The Discovery of the Salzinnes Antiphonal exhibition at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia later this year as a result of an agreement signed Feb. 2, 2017.

The Salzinnes Antiphonal is a hand-scribed illuminated choir book dated 1554 and 1555, originating from the Cistercian Abbey of Salzinnes on the outskirts of Namur, Belgium.

Illumination is the embellishment of a manuscript with luminous colours including gold and silver. The Salzinnes Antiphonal includes rare full-page illuminations, decorated initials and is unique in that it provides an extraordinary document from the mid-sixteenth century containing religious text, musical notation and vivid illuminations portraying named nuns and patrons’ coats-of-arms. The manuscript contains sung portions of the Divine Office and was used by the choir during the cycle of daily prayers.
 
“The Salzinnes Antiphonal is an important historical and cultural document connected to our own history as an institution,” said Saint Mary’s President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray. “We are extremely pleased to share a piece of history with Nova Scotians by partnering with the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.”
 
The exhibition is scheduled for May 5, 2017 and will be on display until October 29, 2017.
 
The Salzinnes Antiphonal was donated by Bishop James M. Hayes to the Patrick Power Library, at Saint Mary’s in 1975. Originally catalogued as a “Roman Catholic Antiphonary”, it was discovered in 1999 and identified in 2002 by Judy Dietz, who was the Manager of Collections and Gallery Services at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia at the time.

For more information on the Salzinnes Antiphonal and its discovery at Saint Mary's visit: http://www.smu.ca/academics/archives/the-salzinnes-antiphonal.html. 

Saint Mary’s University introduces new Vice-President, Academic and Research

Dr. Malcolm Butler

Saint Mary’s University is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Malcolm Butler (pictured) as Vice-President, Academic and Research, effective July 1, 2017.

“I am delighted to announce this appointment,” said Dr. Summerby-Murray. “Dr. Butler comes to us with the vision and experience to lead the Saint Mary's community in the realization of our Academic Plan. He also brings a wealth of institutional knowledge as a former Dean of Science and professor of Astronomy and Physics at Saint Mary’s.”

Dr. Butler has been the Dean of Science and a professor in the Department of Physics at Carleton University since 2010. Under his leadership, the Faculty of Science made significant progress in developing new programs, increasing enrolment, attracting external funding, and advancing and building a stronger research profile.

Prior to his role at Carleton, Dr. Butler spent 17 years as a professor in the Department of Astronomy and Physics at Saint Mary’s. A tireless advocate for Saint Mary’s University, he was Dean of the Faculty of Science from 2006 to 2010 and Department Chairperson from 2003 to 2006.
 
Malcolm Butler received his PhD in Theoretical Nuclear Physics from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1988 and his honours B.Sc. in Theoretical Physics and Applied Math from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, graduating summa cum laude in 1983. Prior to arriving at Saint Mary’s in 1993, he worked as a research associate with TRIUMF National Laboratory and as an assistant professor and research scientist with the Department of Physics at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Saint Mary’s continues to support and encourage students and immigrants from around the globe

As a member of Universities Canada, Saint Mary’s University supports the statement made by our national association.

As Canada’s International University, Saint Mary’s continues to support and encourage students and immigrants from around the globe.

Students from over 115 countries are currently studying at our university, contributing to the advancement of higher learning for all of us as aspiring citizens of the world.

Our University is known for our excellent support services for international students with over 33 percent of our students arriving from destinations beyond Canada.

Discriminating against peoples in any way, including on religion or country of origin, goes against the principles of respect, the values of our university and the Santamarian experience. Please be assured of this university’s continued commitment to fair process, diversity, principles of non-discrimination, and the transformative power of education to ensure global understanding. As Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, pointed out over the weekend, “Diversity is our Strength”. 

If you are an international student from one of the countries named by the executive order and have concerns, please contact our International Centre.

If you are a faculty member or staff member who believes that your future mobility, including prospective travel to the United States, may be affected by the executive order, please contact your academic dean or immediate supervisor for advice.