SMU students bring home six awards from ChemCon event

Ifenna Mbaezue, Taylor Link, Julia Killorn, Melanie Davidson, Kaitlyn Blatt-Janmatt, Kyle Awalt

Saint Mary’s Department of Chemistry took home six awards at the Science Atlantic/CIC Chemistry Conference, better known as ChemCon, held May 4-6 at Memorial University. Thirteen Saint Mary’s students took part in the annual conference, which acknowledges the research excellence of students across the Maritimes.

Saint Mary’s undergraduates won awards for both oral and poster presentations related to computational modelling and material; physical, theoretical, and computational chemistry; medicinal chemistry; and analytical chemistry. All of the students’ presentations were based on research they conducted under the supervision of researchers at Saint Mary’s University.

Winners

• Ifenna Mbaezue
  ACEnet Award in Computational Modelling and Material
  A Spectroscopic and Computational Investigation of the Rh-catalyzed [5+1+2+1] Cycloaddition Reaction
• Taylor Lynk
  Best Undergraduate Oral Presentation in Analytical Chemistry
  Green Synthetic Approaches for the Production of High Performance Plasmonic Sensors
• Melanie Davidson
  Best Overall Oral Presentation in Physical, Theoretical & Computational Chemistry
  Exploration of Surface Plasmon-Assisted Catalysis (SPAC) as a New Route for Heterogeneous Catalysis
• Kyle Awalt
  Best Overall Poster Presentation
  Utility of Iron Nanoparticles and a Solution-Phase Iron Species for the N-demethylation of Alkaloids
• Julia Killorn
  Best Overall Oral Presentation in Biological/Medicinal
  Modified Polonovski Reactions in Ionic Liquid Solvents 
• Kaitlyn Blatt-Janmaat
  Science Atlantic Award for Best Undergraduate Student Presentation
  Adventures in Ionic Thiourea Organocatalysis in Ionic Liquid Solvents

Honorary Degree: John S. Fitzpatrick

John S. Fitzpatrick

John S. Fitzpatrick, Q.C. is a senior partner at BOYNECLARKE LLP.  Over his 30 year legal career, John has been a committed volunteer for a myriad of community and professional organizations, who have benefited from his energy and commitment.

John graduated with a BA in Political Science from Saint Mary’s University and an LLB from Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law. 

For John, Saint Mary’s University has always been close to his heart. John has served on the Board of Governors for 20 years, with eight years as Chair and Vice-Chair. John served on and chaired, a multitude of Board committees. He was a member of the Hearts and Minds Campaign Cabinet.  He also chaired the 2015 Presidential Search Committee. In recognition of his commitment to students, he was awarded an honorary “Gold M” by the Saint Mary’s University Students’ Association.

A tireless advocate for literacy causes, John is the past Chair and Co-Chair of several Peter Gzowski Golf Tournaments for Literacy.  For ten years, John served on the Board of Directors and Executive of ABC Canada Literacy Foundation (now ABC Life Literacy) in Toronto.

For more than 20 years, John has been actively involved in politics, having served as a regional chair for Federal and Provincial leadership and election campaigns and as past president and executive member of Federal and Provincial riding associations.

In recognition of his volunteerism John has received the Canada 125 Medal, the Peter Gzowski Award, and the Canadian Bar Association Community Service Award. He is also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Appointed Queens Counsel in 2008, John’s distinguished career in law has been recognized by the Dalhousie Law Alumni Association and the Schulich School of Law, as a recipient of the Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service and as an inductee into the Bertha Wilson Honor Society. Since 2012, John has been selected by his peers to be included in “Best Lawyers in Canada”.

He is currently a member of the National Board of Directors for World Wildlife Fund Canada and the Halifax International Airport Authority. He is also a member of the advisory committee for Queens Counsel Appointments.

John resides in Halifax with his wife Heather, and their three children Laura, Jennifer and Andrew. John’s father, Ed, is a proud 1953 Saint Mary’s graduate.

Honorary Degree: Dr. Donald M. Julien, C.M., O.N.S., DCL, DHumL

Dr. Donald M. Julien

Dr. Donald Julien is a Mi’kmaw Historian, Human Rights Advocate, and Leader. With over 40 years of experience researching and documenting Mi’kmaw history, Donald shares his knowledge and experiences through speaking engagements, University Lectures, and research papers. His lifelong advocacy has also helped to preserve important archaeological sites in Nova Scotia. No matter the topic, Donald brings a well-grounded, informed, and unique Mi’kmaw perspective to current issues.

Donald has 30 years of experience with the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq, and has held the position of Executive Director of the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq since 1994. Donald is a member of both the Order of Canada and the Order of Nova Scotia.  He has earned the United Nations Peace Keeping Medal (Cyprus), the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medals.  He has received two Honorary Doctorate Degrees in Civil Laws and Humane Letters Acadia University and Mount St. Vincent Universities respectively. 

Donald is a peace time veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, has served with the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, in both the Second Battalion in Calgary, and with the First Battalion in Esquimalt, and has served in the United Nations Peacekeeping Tour in Cyprus.  Donald is presently serving on Community Liaison Advisory Committee for Maritime Command for the Admiral of Canadian Navy.  He has been an Advisor to the Commissioners of the RCMP and the Advisor to the Auditor General of Canada on First Nations Issues. 

In 2012, he donned the Canadian Army uniform once again becoming the third Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of 3 Intelligence Company at the very same location where he signed on 45 years earlier. In 2016, he was appointed Full Colonel to 5th CDTC, Gagetown N.B., for another three year term as the first honorary colonel to a Canadian Army Training Centre in Canada

Donald is a family man, and currently lives in Truro, Nova Scotia along with his wife Diane and four children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. In his spare time Donald is a sports enthusiast, an avid golfer and enjoys reading and researching history.

Honorary Degree: Dr. Joseph Jabbra

Dr. Joseph Jabbra

Dr. Joseph Jabbra has played a prominent role in higher education and accreditation in Atlantic Canada and the United States for decades.

Currently the President of the Lebanese American University, Dr. Jabbra has served in this capacity since 2004.  He has also served as Vice President of Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles.  He is well remembered at Saint Mary’s University as both an active member of the Political Science Department and as the Vice President, Academic and Research from 1980 to 1990. 

During his time at LMU and SMU, Dr. Jabbra gained profound experience in academic administration. He served on and chaired over 100 academic committees and boards, ranging from academic senates to boards of trustees. At both universities, Dr. Jabbra was fully engaged in strategic planning and fundraising.

In Canada, he played a major role in the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC), which accredits university and college programs in the three Canadian Maritime Provinces. In the United States, he was very active in the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a leading U.S. accrediting commission. He always participated vigorously in the revision of accreditation standards and served on accreditation visits for many institutions. He also was active in the accreditation of American law schools for the American Bar Association (ABA).

Dr. Jabbra earned his law degree at the Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

He is the author, co-author, and co-editor of 12 books. The latest, Public Administration in Transition, was recently published in London, England. He has also published over 33 articles and chapters in books and scholarly journals, over 26 book reviews in both English and French, and scores of scholarly papers and keynote addresses given at society meetings and professional gatherings.

Honorary Degree: J. William (Bill) Ritchie

J. William (Bill) Ritchie

Born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, J. William (Bill) Ritchie has raised millions of dollars for governments,   businesses, charitable institutions and individuals over a nearly six decade-long career in the investment industry. He has also mentored and assisted many start-up companies and aspiring entrepreneurs during his career.

In 1951, Mr. Ritchie received his BSc (Agr.) from McGill University (Macdonald College) specializing in economics. After his graduation he joined a leading investment firm, A.E. Ames & Co. Limited, where he spent four years being trained in the art of finance. From there he and a partner acquired a small firm in Fredericton, which was later sold to Eastern Securities Co. Limited of Saint John. That firm transferred Mr. Ritchie to Halifax in 1958, where he managed their operations until resigning in 1963 to acquire Scotia Bond Company Limited with a silent partner.

From a relatively modest beginning with only one salesman and two assistants, Mr. Ritchie grew the company to a total of fifty five employees in four offices. Along the way, the company acquired seats on the Montreal and Toronto Stock Exchanges. The company engaged in both institutional and retail business and acted as a fiscal agent for the Province of Nova Scotia.

During the seventies, Mr. Ritchie worked very closely with Michael Donovan helping him with the establishment of the film industry in Nova Scotia. He was a director of Salter Street Films Limited which was subsequently sold to Alliance Atlantic a leading Canadian film production company of that era.     Subsequently Mr. Donovan incorporated DHX Inc. which in twelve years has grown to become a leading owner and provider of children’s television programming with a market capitalization of nearly one billion dollars. Mr. Richie assisted with the financing of that entity and served as a director from inception until his retirement from the board in 2014.

Mr. Ritche has been involved in numerous business ventures over the years including his role as Chairman and CEO of Scotia Bond. He was a founder of Keltic Savings Corporation Limited. He served on over forty boards of directors for various periods of time including over twenty-five years on the boards of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc.

Mr. Ritchie is currently active on the boards of Kivuto Inc., SimplyCast and Morien Resources Inc.

Honorary Degree: Louise Bradley

Louise Bradley

Louise Bradley, MS, RN, CHE, has dedicated her professional life to improving the mental health of Canadians.

Ms. Bradley’s own deeply personal experience with recovery has informed a leadership style that is both compassionate and courageous. Unwavering in her commitment to reimagining a recovery-oriented, person-centred mental health system, Ms. Bradley has influenced improved patient care through large-scale hospital administration and pioneered recovery within a forensics and corrections setting.

An impassioned advocate, Ms. Bradley feels her professional perspective is enriched and authenticated by her lived experience. In her current role as President and CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), Ms. Bradley oversaw the development of Canada’s first Mental Health Strategy, undertook the signature Opening Minds anti-stigma initiative, and created a globally recognized Knowledge Exchange Centre. A tireless advocate for workplace mental health, Ms. Bradley has overseen the creation of the world’s first workplace psychological safety standard, which has gained international acclaim.

Lauded as a transformational leader by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), Ms. Bradley will receive the 2017 Humanitarian Award for her work to enhance the psychological well-being of Canadians. Ms. Bradley is also the recipient of the Innovation Award for Health Care Leadership, bestowed by the Canadian College of Health Leaders, as well as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

She holds degrees from Dalhousie University and Northeastern University in Boston, and is frequently called upon to speak and write nationally and internationally on various mental health topics. Ms. Bradley uses her platform to urge increased mental health funding, and highlight the need to work inclusively to address the mental health needs of vulnerable and at-risk populations.

Ms. Bradley has a passion for nurturing emerging mental health leaders, and prioritizes the mentorship of young champions in the hope of inspiring the next generation of transformational leaders.

Saint Mary’s University student awarded the 2017 3M National Student Fellowship

Naina Garg

This week, Saint Mary’s University Economics and Finance student Naina Garg was one of ten students from across the country to be awarded the 2017 3M National Student Fellowship. 

“This fellowship provides me with an opportunity that I have been seeking since childhood,” said Garg. “I plan to use this national platform and the associated fellowship money to start my social enterprise project that addresses child labour and illiteracy in my home city, New Delhi. I have invested months of research and resources in developing my plan, and now I finally have the ability to address an issue that is quite close to my heart.”

Presented by 3M Canada and the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE), Garg was one of over 90 highly accomplished contenders from various universities and colleges across Canada to apply for this prestigious fellowship.

“This award highlights the leadership role that Saint Mary’s students demonstrate throughout the world,” said Saint Mary’s University President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray.  “Naina has worked for years with underprivileged children and children with disabilities in her home city of New Delhi. She has also been involved in research publications, coaching, tutoring and peer mentoring work through Saint Mary’s LEAP program, as well as a lead role with Enactus Saint Mary’s first women empowerment project based in South America called Options International.”

“Naina is an important part of our community at Saint Mary’s and I know I speak for all of us when I say it is incredibly fitting that her dedication to helping others is being recognized on a national stage.”  

The 3M National Student Fellowship Award was introduced in 2012 to honour undergraduate students in Canada who have demonstrated qualities of outstanding leadership and who embrace a vision where the quality of their educational experience can be enhanced in academia and beyond.

“Upon meeting Naina, you are immediately impressed by her intense desire to immerse herself in activities that help those in need regardless of if there are fiscal or academic benefits to her,” said Tom Brophy, Senior Director, Student Services at Saint Mary’s. “By focusing on others, she was instrumental in building one of the core Enactus projects to empower women in Peru. It now serves as an impactful platform for future generations of students.”

Each of the ten winners receives a $5,000 award as well as registration at this summer’s STLHE conference, which will be hosted in Halifax by five post-secondary institutions including Saint Mary’s University. 

Garg is quick to acknowledge the many team members involved in the award nomination process including Dr. Eric Lee, Dr. Mohammad Rahaman, Dr. Shayama Chona, Mr. Thomas Storring, Dr. Colin Dodds, Dr. Patricia Bradshaw, Mr. Tom Brophy and Mr. Alex Krimer.

“It is my honour to represent my alma mater on a national scale,” said Garg. “This award is a powerful recognition of the support and encouragement that Saint Mary’s University unconditionally offers to all its students, domestic or international. The incredible faculty and staff recognize potential in ordinary students and work with us to bring out our very best.”

Big win for Saint Mary’s students at international stock picking competition

Far left: George Athanassakos, Professor of Finance & Director of Ben Graham Centre for Value Investing @ Ivey Business School, Western University
Middle:  The Winners  Bill MacGregor, Dev Jyoty Nath, Morris MacLeod
Far right: Doug Winslow of Burgundy Asset Management one of the judges for the event. Burgundy is one of the sponsors for the event.

A team of MBA students from the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax has won an international stock picking competition, beating teams from prestigious universities around the world such as Columbia Business School, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern and the Ivey Business School.  Bill MacGregor, Morris MacLeod and Dev Jyoty Nath competed last week in the Ben Graham Centre For Value Investing Competition at the Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario.

This stock picking competition is different from others in that it focuses on the value investing approach to stock analysis. Value investing is the strategy used by high profile investor Warren Buffett, among others. The investor chooses stocks they believe to be undervalued, and buy for the long term. The team will split the $10,000 prize money – decent earnings for a few weeks of intense research.

From a field of 27 top-ranked business schools (see below), the Sobey team advanced to the final round in Toronto along with Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University), Columbia Business School, and Ivey Business School. After presenting to a distinguished panel of value investors, the team was awarded 1st place and received a prize of $10,000!

The team greatly appreciated the opportunity to represent the school and would like to thank Ross Hallett, Thomas Storring, Mohammed Rahaman, Jeff Young, James O’Brien, Chantal Hervieux, Wendy Carroll, Colin Dodds, and the research resource team at the Patrick Power library for their invaluable support. The team advisor was Saint Mary’s marketing professor, Dr. Ethan Pancer.

Participating teams included:

• Carnegie Mellon (Tepper School of Business)
• CEIBS
• Columbia Business School
• Cornell University
• Fordham University (The Gabelli School of Business)
• IESE Business School
• Indiana University (Kelley School of Business)
• INSEAD
• London Business School
• McGill (Desautels Faculty of Management)
• Nanyang Business School
• Northwestern University (Kellogg School of Management)
• NYU (Stern School of Business)
• Queen's University (Smith School of Business)
• Saint Mary's University (Sobey School of Business)
• SDA Bocconi School of Management
• The University of Manchester (Alliance Manchester Business School)
• UCLA (Anderson School of Management)
• University of California Berkeley (Haas School of Business)
• University of Cambridge (Judge Business School)
• University of Chicago (Booth School of Business)
• University of Notre Dame (Mendoza College of Business)
• University of Stirling
• University of Toronto (Rotman School of Management)
• University of Waterloo
• USC (Marshall School of Business)
• Western University (Ivey Business School)

Collection documenting more than 50 years of African Nova Scotian history available to the public

Documents and newspaper clippings detailing more than 50 years of African diaspora and African Nova Scotian heritage and history will be available for public viewing at the Halifax North Memorial Public Library on Thursday, April 13 at 6:30 p.m.

This event marks the official launch of the Lynn Jones African-Canadian & Diaspora Heritage Collection which Dr. Jones donated to Saint Mary’s University last year. The collection documents the lives of Dr. Lynn Jones, the Jones family and over 50 years of African diasporic and African Nova Scotian heritage and history. A portion of the collection will be on display at the library for the launch.

Key parts of the collection include materials on:

• civil rights and social justice struggles in Halifax, Canada and beyond
• Lynn’s career as an athlete, politician, union activist, and work as an election observer for the 1994 South African Presidential election of Nelson Mandela
• thousands of news clippings, programs, reports and other materials documenting the lives and culture of African Nova Scotians.

The launch of this collection is a community event and all are welcome.

More information on the collection or the launch event.

Computing and Data Analytics students win prizes, internships at Hackathon

Students in the M.Sc. in Computing and Data Analytics program at Saint Mary’s University won top prizes and internships at last weekend's Hackathon.

The top two teams comprised students from the M.Sc. program at Saint Mary’s, while a group from Acadia University won third place. The cash prizes totalled $5000, with $10,000 also available in potential internship opportunities.

The event, hosted by SMU and sponsored by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, IBM, and the David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing and Services, was open to current students and new professionals who graduated after January 2015. It took place over three days.

From Atlantic Lottery: “We believe that delving into data can unleash many new opportunities for our customers and our retailers. The goal of this hackathon is to help us identify areas where we can improve, innovate, and implement the latest technologies and service design to make positive impacts in the retail experience.”

The winning team of Reshma Gopinathan, Shahriar Mullick Swapnil, Akhilesh Kotiya, and Ross MacDonald won prizes totaling $2400.

Judges were from T4G, IBM, CGI, Government of Canada, SimplyCast, Affinio, Venor, Living Loyalty, Gartner, and Leadsift.

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.