Honorary Degree: Hope Swinimer

Hope Swinimer, Doctor of Science, honoris causa
Wildlife champion, animal advocate and rehabilitator

Born and raised in Argyle, Nova Scotia, Hope Swinimer spent most of her time outdoors as a child enjoying everything the natural world had to offer. She knew that she wanted to work with nature in some capacity, and after missing life by the ocean terribly while attending college in Truro, she knew she needed to stay near the ocean.

While working at Dartmouth Veterinary Hospital as a manager, Ms. Swinimer took in her first rehab animal in 1995—a robin that had been attacked by a cat. Researching how to care for the bird inspired her to learn more about injured wildlife, and as her knowledge grew, colleagues began sending wildlife-related calls her way.

Later that year, she became certified in Basic Wildlife Rehabilitation from the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Association. Ms. Swinimer was offered an opportunity to work as a wildlife rehabilitator in Ontario but couldn’t leave behind the place she called home.

With just a few cages in the backyard and a room in her house as a nursery, Ms. Swinimer rehabbed about 40 animals in her first year. By 1996, word of this grew, and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) determined that a permit was required; however, such a permit did not exist in the province at that time. She worked with DNR to establish a licensing process (using the United States as a model), and in 1997, moved to Winnie’s Way in Seaforth where she received her rehabilitator permit. She considered Seaforth as the perfect place for animal rehabilitation.

The Eastern Shore Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre became the first privately owned wildlife rehabilitation centre in Nova Scotia, taking in about 200 animals per year. The centre was in such demand that it soon outgrew its property again, and in 2001, Ms. Swinimer relocated within Seaforth to “the farm,” which was a larger property that would accommodate the rehab’s immediate needs but also leave room to grow.

Hope for Wildlife now accepts over 4500 wild animals per year, and over 20,000 callers are assisted through its wildlife helpline, thousands of visitors are also welcomed to its facilities for guided tours. In December of 2015, Hope for Wildlife moved into a new custom-built facility, which replaced the more than 100-year-old barn previously in use, and in the summer of 2017, opened their onsite Country Clinic which acts as a fully functioning wildlife hospital. In 2019, Hope for Wildlife will install 109 solar panels onsite to reduce their ecological footprint, lower electricity costs, and help move the farm from fossil fuels to green energy.

Ms. Swinimer and her team share their journey through their globally-syndicated television show that follows them as they nurse thousands of injured and orphaned wildlife back to health and return them to the wild.

Saint Mary’s venture capital students invest in haircut house calls

House calls for haircuts proved to be to be a cut above the competition and too good an investment to pass up for Saint Mary’s University’s Venture Grade Fund. They are investing $15,000 in Cribcut, an online booking service that connects consumers with top hair stylists that bring the salon to them.

“Cribcut has a novel business model that we are proud to support,” said Saint Mary’s student and Venture Grade Associate Emma Scott. “We are confident in David’s lean startup methodology and experience as a serial entrepreneur who’s exited three past ventures and one in Silicon Valley. Cribcut is positioned to be a major disruptor in the beauty industry.”

Cribcut was co-founded by serial entrepreneur David Howe, who has built and deployed a software-enabled marketplace for hairstylists. Cribcut's solution helps stylists become travelling hairdressers - providing clients with haircuts, colors, and styles at their homes and offices. Cribcut's software solution helps stylists with bookings, travel optimization, payments and ratings. Cribcut also facilitates new client introductions for stylists. Bookings can be made through their online booking app with on-demand appointments available.

 "We're happy to welcome Venture Grade as one of our investors,” said David Howe, the Chief Executive Officer with Cribcut. “We're confident that this investment will help us continue growth and product development and set us up for further funding over the coming months. We look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership with Venture Grade and welcome them with open arms to our growing team."

Should the company experience a successful exit, meaning if they are purchased for a large sum, the investors, including Venture Grade, will receive a payout scaled to the purchase. Any returns made on Venture Grade’s investments are returned to Venture Grade, the student fund.

The Saint Mary’s University Venture Grade Fund is a student-raised and run venture capital fund and the first student-raised venture capital investment fund in Canada in which the students raise the capital.

The fund was started by students of Dr. Ellen Farrell at the Sobey School of Business in fall 2016, with a connection to Silicon Valley’s C100 group, Boston’s Canadian Entrepreneurs in New England, and initial support from Innovacorp. It has expanded to include members at other Atlantic universities including Acadia University, Dalhousie University, and Memorial University.

Saint Mary’s students make their first venture capital investment in international travel start-up

Saint Mary’s University’s Venture Grade Fund, a student-raised and led venture capital fund, is making its first investment, $15,000 to travel start-up Trip Ninja.

Trip Ninja is a travel-planning software for use by online travel retailers such as Expedia or Priceline. When retail customers are booking plane trips to several different places, Trip Ninja helps online travel retailers find the best price. This multi-destination platform finds the best way to book the trip, whether travellers are flexible in their route or if they need to visit destinations in a particular order.

“It has been great working with Saint Mary’s University’s Venture Grade Fund, and seeing the confidence they have in our product,” said Trip Ninja Co-Founder, Andres Collart. “Saint Mary’s has helped us through reviewing aspects of our business with their MBA students who have a firm grasp on entrepreneurship and innovation. It’s been great working with an organization who is committed to helping start-ups and entrepreneurs have success.” 

The Saint Mary’s University Venture Grade Fund is a student-raised and run venture capital fund and the first student-raised venture capital investment fund in Canada in which the students raise the capital. Their fund is operating at about $200,000 currently.

The team seems to have chosen well as the fledgling travel tech company has attracted notable local, national and international investors, including East Valley Ventures, Innovacorp and other investors experienced in the travel industry. Innovacorp is also a supporter of Saint Mary’s University’s Venture Grade Fund’s assessment of Trip Ninja, and provided Venture Grade with half the capital required for their investment.

The team’s faculty advisor and mentor is venture capital expert and SMU professor, Dr. Ellen Farrell.

“This is a win-win-win situation,” said Farrell. “Venture Grade’s donors and partners like Innovacorp get to offer students an unparalleled experiential education experience, the students get the benefit of raising the capital and conducting due diligence, and the start-up spends the investment thus supporting their business.”

Should the company experience a successful exit, meaning if they are purchased for a large sum, the investors, including Venture Grade, will receive a payout scaled to the purchase. Any returns made on Venture Grade’s investments are returned to Venture Grade, the student fund.

The fund was started by students of Dr. Ellen Farrell at the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University in fall 2016, with a connection to Silicon Valley’s C100 group, Boston’s Canadian Entrepreneurs in New England, and initial support from Innovacorp. It has expanded to include members at other Atlantic universities including Acadia University, Dalhousie University, and Memorial University.

“Sobey School of Business and Saint Mary’s University are proud to offer students the opportunity to experience the risks and rewards of investing,” said Dr. Harjeet Bhabra, dean of the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University.

“With the School’s strengths in finance and entrepreneurship, the Venture Grade Fund could only have been created here. We’re proud to continue making an impact on our region and on the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Award-winning Square Roots food bundle program partners with Hellmann’s

Square Roots bundles. 

The award-winning Square Roots food bundle program is partnering with Hellmann’s to help combat food insecurity across Nova Scotia.

“At Hellmann’s, we believe that food is too good to be wasted,” said Andria Prada, Senior Assistant Brand Manager at Hellmann’s. “Square Roots fights issues of food waste and food insecurity at both farms and restaurants. They redirect perfectly good food that would be thrown away, into the hands of communities. Hellmann’s is proud to support Square Roots.”

Launched in November 2016, Square Roots fights food insecurity, food deserts and food waste in Nova Scotia through a monthly, affordable and healthy food bundle service. The food bundles cost $5 and $10 each and feature 10 pounds of fruits and vegetables sourced locally from the Annapolis Valley. There is also a $60, three-month bundle where members can purchase a bundle for themselves and a family in need.

“For two years in a row, the Square Roots bundle program has won the Hellmann’s Food Security Challenge, which opened the door to this partnership,” said Becca Watts, Square Roots bundle program manager. “We are proud to announce that all future bundles will feature a recipe book and coupon for a free Hellmann’s product. We want to thank them for their support as we fight food insecurity in Nova Scotia.”

The August bundle includes corn, cucumbers, apples, potatoes, carrots and a recipe book and free product coupon.

There are currently ten franchises throughout Nova Scotia, and the program continues to look towards expansion by finding community champions to bring Square Roots to their community.

Square Roots is an Enactus Saint Mary’s social enterprise. With over 100 students, Enactus Saint Mary’s currently operates eight projects and social enterprises and one process. These range from consulting with entrepreneurs on the autism spectrum, to forming food-based social enterprises, to operating a computer literacy program for young people. Enactus Saint Mary’s is proud to partner with the Saint Mary's University Entrepreneurship Centre to offer its programs.

For more information about Square Roots, pick-up locations or to order a bundle, visit www.squarerootsfood.ca . 

Saint Mary’s enhances entrepreneurship and innovation through new centre

• See gallery of high-res images

To celebrate more than 25 years of cultivating entrepreneurship at Saint Mary’s, the school is today introducing the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre.

Meet the disruptive entrepreneurs from Saint Mary's

“Although Saint Mary’s has always aimed to instill an entrepreneurial mindset within our students across all academic disciplines, we’re now taking our focus on entrepreneurship to the next level,” says Saint Mary’s University President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray.To launch the new entrepreneurship centre, more than 200 Saint Mary’s alumni, business partners, and government representatives are gathering tonight at a special venture showcase. In conjunction with the centre’s launch, the university is also kicking off a creative campaign celebrating graduates’ entrepreneurial successes.

“We created this campaign to highlight the immense number of inspiring stories that started in the hallways of Saint Mary’s University,” says Dr. Patricia Bradshaw, Dean of the Sobey School of Business. “Today, and over the coming months, we’re celebrating the success of our alumni by showcasing the great entrepreneurial careers launched by graduates in Arts, Business, and Science.”

The Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre, formerly known as the Sobey School Business Development Centre (BDC), has played a key role in building workforce skills, creating employment, supporting start-ups, and growing companies. It has also offered undergraduate and graduate students hands-on business research and consulting experience.

“Approaching the BDC’s 30-year mark, we’ve helped thousands of businesses and tens of thousands of graduates,” says Michael Sanderson, the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneur Centre’s Acting Director. “As a bridge to the community, we’re pleased to see the repositioning of our role through the launch of the Saint Mary’s Entrepreneurship Centre; we’re ready for growth.”

“Saint Mary’s has been developing and mentoring entrepreneurs for decades,” says
Dr. Summerby-Murray. “We’re proud to play a key part in the ongoing growth of Atlantic Canada. And I hope that when our federal, provincial, and industry partners look to Saint Mary’s, they see eager learners and doers who spark innovation within our region, across Canada, and around the world.”

The Saint Mary's Entrepreneurship Centre

Saint Mary’s archaeological expedition to share the story of people enslaved at coffee plantation in Cuba

Students unearthing artificacts at the Angerona Plantation archaeology site. 

A group of Canadian university students are about to depart on an archeological expedition to Cuba, spearheaded by Saint Mary’s University. The students will be excavating historical artifacts and investigating the cemetery at Angerona, a Cuban national historic site and former slave plantation, 80 kilometres east of Havana.

Interested in applying to join the expedition or looking for more information?

Email Professor Taylor at c.aarontaylor@gmail.com. The fee to join the expedition is $1600 (this includes accommodations, meals and transportation within Cuba) plus airfare and tuition (2 credits). The deadline to apply is May 4th.

“This expedition offers an opportunity to work with our partners in Cuba to uncover more of the lost history of the Angerona Coffee Plantation,” said Aaron Taylor, a Professor of Archaeology at Saint Mary’s and the program’s instructor.  “This plantation has a big historical significance in Cuba, and we want to help tell the stories of the people who were enslaved there.”

During the 19th century, Angerona was one of the largest slave plantations in the Americas—yet little is known about the day-to-day lives of the people who lived there.

A collection of some of the artifacts found in the first year of the excavation.

From June 10 to July 1, students from Canada and Cuba will be working together on excavating, identifying and interpreting the artifacts they find.

In addition to continued exploration of the site’s barracks, this expedition will include an investigation of the plantation's cemetery and the recovery of skeletal remains. This will provide a clearer story of life on the plantation. The team will be able to learn more about the people on the plantation, such as their general health, diet, age of death, and burial customs. This will include further research into the possibility that Nova Scotia supplied large quantities of codfish to Cuba during the period of the plantation system.

This trip marks the second year of what will be at least a five-year partnership between Saint Mary’s University, Havana’s Cabinet of Archeology and the College of San Geronimo.

 For more information about the expedition and to apply to join the team, visit http://www.smu.ca/academics/departments/cuba-archaeology.

Saint Mary’s biologists receive federal funding for Fish Behaviour and Physiology (FiBP) Lab

Dr. Laura Weir and Dr. Anne Dalziel

Two Saint Mary’s biologists have received funding to investigate how environmental variation influences fish populations in Atlantic Canada, which should help predict how fish will fare with continued changes in climate. Drs. Laura Weir and Anne Dalziel will use their $200,000 John R. Evans Leaders Fund award from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to develop a Fish Behaviour and Physiology (FiBP) Lab at Saint Mary’s University.

 “Saint Mary’s is delighted that Drs. Weir and Dalziel have received a prestigious CFI research award,” says Dr. Malcolm Butler, Vice-President Academic and Research. “This investment supports not only the world-class research taking place at Saint Mary’s, but also our students access to state-of-the-art infrastructure and technologies.”

Integrative studies that combine the genetic, biochemical, physiological, and behavioural mechanisms are needed to understand how fish populations adapt to environmental change. The FiBP Lab will investigate how these mechanisms contribute to differences in environmental tolerance, physiological performance, and reproductive behaviour among populations and species of fish common to Atlantic Canada, including salmon, trout, stickleback, killifish, alewife, and herring.

“Fish are a valuable natural resource,” says Dr. Laura Weir, assistant professor in the Department of Biology. “Our research will provide important baseline knowledge and inform policy and conservation efforts for our local fish populations.”

Research in the FiBP Lab will also help scientists and the public understand how biodiversity in aquatic environments is affected by coastal development.

“Canada has the longest coastline in the world, and understanding how changes to coastal waters will impact the animals living there is essential,” says Dr. Anne Dalziel, assistant professor in the Department of Biology.

The FiBP Lab formalizes an existing research collaboration between Dr. Anne Dalziel, an expert in fish physiology and evolutionary biology, and Dr. Laura Weir, whose expertise lies in behavioural and evolutionary ecology. Currently, the pair are working together to discover the physiological and behavioural mechanisms that lead to the unique breeding coloration of the white stickleback, an endemic Nova Scotian fish.

About the John R. Evans Leaders Fund

The John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) supports Canadian researchers by providing them with the research tools and infrastructure required to become leaders in their field. It also helps Canadian institutions attract and retain world-class researchers by remaining internationally competitive in areas of research and technology development aligned with their strategic priorities.

New arena with NHL-sized ice surface coming to Saint Mary’s

Saint Mary’s Huskies Anthony Repaci (3rd year, Psychology), Siobhan Birch (2nd year, Commerce) and Athletics and Recreation Director Scott Gray, share the great news of the new arena coming to campus in 2019. 

Saint Mary’s University has approved construction of a new, state-of-the-art arena. The on-campus facility will feature an NHL-sized ice surface for the Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams.

“This new arena will not only support our varsity athletes and coaches but will enrich athletics and recreation opportunities for all of our students,” said Saint Mary’s University President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray. “This facility will benefit the Saint Mary’s community but also Halifax as a whole. As a university, we are community engaged and focused, and our new arena will be available to community sports teams and other groups looking for a place to learn and play.” 

The new arena will continue the tradition of hockey excellence on-campus and will be built on the same location as the arena it will replace. The new arena will have seating for 800 fans with standing room for 200 plus. The planning and design of the arena will incorporate flexibility for future growth should that be needed during the life of the building. Cost and funding details will be announced later in the spring.

The arena is scheduled to open in time for the 2019 hockey season.

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See updates on the progress of the Dauphinee Centre.

Province of Nova Scotia invests in entrepreneurship, innovation and discovery at Saint Mary’s

Entrepreneurship, discovery and innovation are being recognized at Saint Mary’s University with a significant investment from the Province of Nova Scotia.

On Thursday, March 15, the Province of Nova Scotia announced an investment of approximately $11 million for a new facility dedicated to growing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Nova Scotia.

“Since I became President, we’ve made entrepreneurship a strategic direction for the university and we’ve been working and investing in this field,” said Saint Mary’s University President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray. “We are incredibly pleased and honoured by this significant investment in the future of Saint Mary’s and Nova Scotia.”

The new Entrepreneurship, Discovery and Innovation (EDI) Hub will be a catalyst for knowledge creation, innovation and commercialization. Located on the Saint Mary’s University campus, this facility will be an on-campus innovation superhighway. It will bring together students and professors from all of the university’s faculties and connect them with entrepreneurs, businesses and the external community to drive an innovation agenda.

This project aligns with Saint Mary’s overall capital and campus master plans. It also advances the ‘Discovery and Innovation’ and ‘Intercultural Learning’ components of the Saint Mary’s University 2017-2022 Strategic Plan.

For more information about entrepreneurship at Saint Mary’s visit our Entrepreneurship activity page.

On Social

$11 million will create the @smuhalifax Entrepreneurship, Discovery and Innovation (EDI) Hub - a physical location that will advance creativity, innovation and commercialization and connect students and faculty with entrepreneurs, businesses and the external community. https://t.co/NUe0H2ADin

— Stephen McNeil (@StephenMcNeil) March 15, 2018

Great news! @nsgov just announced $11 million for an Entrepreneurship, Discovery & Innovation Hub @smuhalifax to create a location that will advance creativity & innovation and connect students with entrepreneurs, businesses and the external community! #DoWhatYouDo #nspoli https://t.co/c6sgatVrCo

— SMUSA (@SMUSAhfx) March 15, 2018

What a huge success for our campus @smuhalifax and the Halifax business community. As a SMU Board Governor and SMUSA Director I‘ve seen the incredible plans for this project, and I am so excited and grateful for what the @nsgov has contributed. #SMUStrong https://t.co/nHhLyIPXAx

— Mitch (@archibald_mitch) March 15, 2018

Province Invests to Grow the Economyhttps://t.co/9O3JIQuS4L
Investissements pour la croissance de l'économie, l'amélioration des
soutiens communautaires https://t.co/2JKEM41Jxe pic.twitter.com/pMUsmJV7cM

— Nova Scotia Gov. (@nsgov) March 15, 2018

“Nova Scotia’s post-secondary institutions are great drivers and hubs for research and innovation. Today’s investments recognize the world-class talent of our people.” -Professor Dianne Taylor-Gearing, Chair of CONSUP

— Labour & Advanced Ed (@NSLAE) March 15, 2018

Saint Mary's statements regarding Football, Loney Bowl

Updated March 14, 2018

Saint Mary’s and U Sports reach joint settlement on eligibility

March 14, 2018

Saint Mary’s University and U Sports, the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, are pleased to announce a joint settlement regarding football player eligibility for the fall 2017 season.

“Reaching a mutual settlement is an important step forward for our football players, coaches and supporters,” said Margaret Murphy, Associate Vice-President, External Affairs. “Saint Mary’s is pleased that U Sports has agreed to honour our agreement of October 27, 2017, in accordance with the ruling of the Ontario Superior Court.”

As part of this settlement, U Sports acknowledges that there was previously an agreement made with Saint Mary’s in October 2017 that resolved the player eligibility question and where both organizations agreed to work together to address ambiguity in U Sports eligibility rules moving forward.

Saint Mary’s goal has always been to ensure that there is equity and fair play for everyone in the AUS and Canadian varsity athletics. In order to achieve this, we believe there must be collaboration between the AUS, its members and the national organization. We will continue to seek every opportunity to collaborate with the AUS and U Sports to ensure rule clarity and its equitable application, to the benefit of everyone involved.

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Saint Mary's University is pleased with the prompt action of the Supreme Court

November 12, 2017

Saint Mary's University is pleased with the prompt action of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia and the decision of Associate Chief Justice Deborah Smith. The decision reinstates the Loney Bowl, the final game in the AUS Conference that determines the conference champion.

Saint Mary's reaffirms our position that the player eligibility question was put to rest and there isn’t and hasn’t been any impediment to Saint Mary’s position to play in the Loney Bowl. The Nova Scotia Supreme Court has seen fit to recognize the importance of the university football season to players, coaches, support staff, Faculty and alumni in the Atlantic Region and across Canada. We are pleased that the Court has agreed with our position that the game should proceed. We are ready to play. We look forward to the game on Tuesday.

Saint Mary’s University introduces new director of athletics and recreation

Scott Gray

Saint Mary’s University is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Gray to the position of director, athletics and recreation at Saint Mary’s University, effective November 6, 2017.

“I am very happy to announce the appointment of Scott Gray as our new director of athletics and recreation,” said Saint Mary’s University President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray. “Scott is a seasoned athletics and recreation administrator who brings a holistic approach to athletics and recreation to our campus. He understands the important role that sport, recreation, health and wellness play in student life at Saint Mary’s, and he will be an excellent support for our students, student-athletes, coaches, faculty and staff.”

Gray joins the university from Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology, where he led the athletics department and managed the college’s recreation facility since 2006.  In that role he was responsible for the college’s various athletic programs including varsity sport, club sport, campus recreation and community ventures.

“My primary focus is on student engagement and student involvement in athletics and recreation on campus,” said Gray. “I want to build on the proud traditions of the Huskies and also continue to promote our facilities as a place for recreation, wellness and community connection.”

Gray has served as a head coach and assistant coach in various sports at the recreational, collegiate and university level.  He has assumed many leadership positions within both the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and the Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association (OCAA). Most recently, he served as president of the OCAA from 2014 to 2017.

Gray has also been an active athletics and recreation leader in his local community. He has served as the vice-president: director of operations, and a founding member, of the Sault Minor Football Association. He has also served in leadership roles in the community supporting curling, cross country and women’s volleyball.

Gray is a graduate of Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Physical Education. As a student at Queen’s, he was also an Academic All Canadian (football) and Vanier Cup Champion.

Saint Mary’s astronomer part of Canadian collaboration exploring how galaxies form and evolve

Canadian astronomers will soon build the Gemini InfraRed Multi-Object Spectrograph (GIRMOS), a sensitive infrared spectrograph capable of producing images of the sky in unprecedented detail, thanks to a $13 million Canada Foundation for Innovation grant announced today, Oct. 12.

GIRMOS will help shed light on how galaxies form and evolve over cosmic time and is designed for use on the 8-metre telescopes of the Gemini Observatory, which are among the largest telescopes currently in existence. With it, researchers will be able to study some of the faintest, oldest, and most distant objects in the universe; probe the formation of stellar and planetary systems; and investigate galaxies in the early universe.

Dr. Marcin Sawicki

Saint Mary’s University’s contribution to the GIRMOS project is to develop the data-processing pipeline and instrument simulator. The instrument simulator will allow astronomers to plan their observations, while the pipeline is essential for taking the raw observations from the instrument and turning them into data suitable for scientific analysis.

“Developing these elements of GIRMOS taps directly into the expertise in observational astronomy and computational astrophysics that are research strengths at Saint Mary’s,” said Dr. Marcin Sawicki, Canada Research Chair in Astronomy at Saint Mary’s. “Our researchers and students will get a chance to participate in the construction of GIRMOS and then use it to study distant galaxies.”

Dr. Sawicki and researchers from other Canadian institutions are developing the ground-breaking technology under the direction of project lead Dr. Suresh Sivanadam from the University of Toronto’s Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Physics. GIRMOS will also serve as a precursor to a spectrograph for the $1.5 billion Thirty Meter Telescope, which is now under construction in Hawaii.

Other GIRMOS partners include the National Research Council, University of British Columbia, University of Victoria, Laval University, Dalhousie University, York University, and the University of Manitoba.