Saint Mary's to host Touchdown Atlantic 2020

[Left to right] Bruce Bowser, Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, Ross Jefferson, Craig Reynolds, Randy Ambrosie, Brett Lauther and Mike “Pinball” Clemons. (Kelly Clark/CFL.ca)

The biggest Touchdown Atlantic ever is coming to Saint Mary’s University this summer, the Canadian Football League (CFL) announced on Thursday.

Rider Nation comes to Nova Scotia when the Saskatchewan Roughriders face the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday, July 25 in the first-ever regular season game played in Halifax.

“Saint Mary’s University has a proud football tradition, and we are honoured to be a part of CFL history,” said President Robert Summerby-Murray. “We’re thrilled to host Touchdown Atlantic. Great events, like great universities, make our region and our country stronger.”

The game will be played at Huskies Stadium at 5 p.m. AT on Saturday, July 25. Approximately 6,000 temporary seats will be installed to bring the capacity for the game to 10,000.

“Our league belongs to Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast – and for one fabulous weekend this July, the east coast will be its capital,” said Randy Ambrosie, Commissioner of the CFL. “We are bringing the football and the fun. We’re inviting everyone in Atlantic Canada to join the party, and everyone in the rest of the country to come for the game and stay for a vacation!”

Riders’ kicker and Saint Mary’s alumnus, Brett Lauther, called Touchdown Atlantic a dream come true.

“I’ve known the thrill of kicking the winning points on our home field in Regina, but to do that here, in my own backyard, would be just incredible,” said Lauther, a native of Truro, N.S.

Both teams are “leaning in” to make it a special week; they will arrive days before the game and take part in a series of media events and community visits. The game will be preceded by a three-day “mini Grey Cup festival” featuring music, parties and tons of family-friendly fun.

Tickets will go on-sale at the end of February and a full list of prices will be announced soon. Fans can sign up for the most up-to-date information and access to priority-purchasing at CFL.ca/TDA. Ambrosie stressed that the game will be affordable with an average ticket price of approximately $50.

The 2020 edition of Touchdown Atlantic will be the first CFL game of any type to be played in Nova Scotia since 2005, when the Argos and Hamilton Tiger-Cats played a pre-season game at Huskies Stadium.

Dr. Sam Veres wins prestigious award in spinal research

Dr. Sam Veres, Associate Dean of Science at Saint Mary’s University

Dr. Sam Veres, a biomedical engineer and Associate Dean of Science at Saint Mary’s University, has won the prestigious ISSLS Prize in Basic Science for 2020 from the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine.

The winning paper, co-written with student Tyler Herod (MASc in Biomedical Engineering at Dalhousie), is titled “Beyond microstructure: Circumferential specialization within the lumbar intervertebral disc annulus extends to collagen nanostructure, with counterintuitive relationships to macroscale material properties.”

The work focuses on intervertebral discs, which are a component of the skeletal system that is not yet fully understood, despite being critically important to everyday living. These thin soft tissue discs interposed between adjacent vertebrae are what provide the spine with flexibility, allowing us to bend and twist.

Intervertebral discs support mechanical load in a similar way to an exercise ball or car tire, explained Dr. Veres. “When compressed, the pressure generated within the centre of an intervertebral disc resists the compressive load, while the periphery or annulus of the disc is stretched in tension, restraining the pressurized interior from escaping.”

A herniation, or slipped disc, occurs when the stretched disc ruptures, allowing the pressurized centre of the disc to escape—with painful, debilitating consequences for the patient. Disc herniations often occur posteriorly, and their proximity to the spinal cord makes this especially problematic. Herniated nuclear material from within a disc can cause pain by mechanically compressing or chemically irritating the spinal cord or its enveloping membrane, the dura.

“What struck us as odd about the posterior annulus is not that failure often occurs here, but that the rates of microdamage accumulation in this area—the small tears, clefts, and fissures that start to develop within the first few decades of life—are not remarkably higher compared to other less loaded regions of the annulus,” said Dr. Veres. “We suspected that the posterior annulus may possess structural differences to other regions on a smaller structural scale.”

To test their theory, Dr. Veres and Tyler tested the lumbar spines of sheep to study the structural organization of collagen molecules using a thermo-mechanical technique known as hydrothermal isometric tension analysis.

“In general, our results showed that the collagen fibres of the intervertebral disc annulus are much stronger than previously thought—more than double the strengths previously reported,” said Dr. Veres.

“Interestingly, despite being composed of fibres with greater intermolecular connectivity, the posterior annulus was significantly weaker than the anterior annulus,” he said. “These results show that a previously unknown regional variation exists in the fundamental load-bearing structural makeup of the intervertebral disc annulus.”

Currently the standard treatment for herniated discs is to remove the discs and fuse the two adjacent vertebrae to become a single column of bone; successful, well-established techniques for repairing discs don’t yet exist.

“Our work is just one piece in a much larger attempt by the spinal research community to understand normal function and failure within intervertebral discs, in order to inform how to better care for and perhaps one day repair or replace these critical elements of our skeletal system,” said Dr. Veres.

Dr. Sam Veres’s Research

Biomedical engineer Dr. Veres uses a multidisciplinary approach, using knowledge and techniques from engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine to improve understanding of tissue development, normal function, aging, injury, and repair. His work has provided fundamental insights into the structural changes that occur in mechanically overloaded soft tissues, and work continues on the development of new therapies for treatment of tendons, ligaments, and the intervertebral discs of the lower back.

The award-winning work was funded by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The Veres Group is part of a tissue development, damage and repair research collaborative located at Saint Mary’s University and Dalhousie University.

The Group specializes in investigating interactions between structure and function in the load-bearing tissues of the human body, and how these relationships change in health and disease.

The ISSLS Prize for Lumbar Spine Research

The ISSLS Prize program is sponsored by the European Spine Journal. Three prizes of $20,000 each are awarded annually based on scientific merit in the areas of basic science, bioengineering, and clinical science. Papers submitted for the competition must be original, full article manuscripts, not previously published or submitted for publication. The prize also comes with an invitation to present the winning paper in Australia in 2020.

SMU welcomes Ryan Francis as first Indigenous Visiting Fellow

Ryan Francis in the Homburg Centre

Ryan Francis has only been on campus for a couple of weeks and already he’s bringing new ways of thinking to Saint Mary’s, as the university’s first Indigenous Visiting Fellow. Starting with the Red Tape Game on January 22 in the Dauphinee Centre, between the men’s Huskies hockey team and the Acadia Axemen. The game aims to promote inclusion in ice hockey, with a ceremonial puck drop, Mi’kmaw flag raising and a special focus on Indigenous athletes and reconciliation themes.

Sport can be a unifying force and a meaningful way to connect with culture, says Francis, who grew up in Cole Harbour and is a member of the Acadia First Nation. 

“For me, getting involved with the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships really connected me with my culture. I was always aware of my culture but growing up off reserve, I had that experience of sport really helping to connect me to my culture,” he says.

He played on Team Atlantic in the national championships in 2012 and has remained involved in various volunteer coaching capacities – currently as Head Coach for the women’s Team Atlantic program.

Even before his four-month fellowship began with the Faculty of Arts on January 1, Francis was working with Athletics & Recreation and the Centre for the Study of Sport and Health to organize the Red Tape Game. He’s also a key player as Saint Mary’s gears up to be one of the venues for the 2020 North American Indigenous Games, to be held in Kjipuktuk (Halifax) and Millbrook First Nation for the first time. The event is expected to bring more than 5,000 participants to Mi’kmaki this summer, with many staying and competing on campus.

Francis was an organizer for the 2019 Atlantic Indigenous Games, which took place at Saint Mary’s and included educational sessions along with the sport competitions. “It was really cool to see the opportunity that campus life gave to the participants,” he recalls. “We hosted some sessions in the McNally Auditorium and a few times as the kids walked into the space, they said ‘Oh, it’s just like the movies!’ They were able to experience what university was like and they got to imagine themselves in that setting. Not a lot of them had that opportunity before, so it was pretty special.”

He holds a Master of Physical Education degree from Memorial University, and a Bachelor of Science from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, with a major in sport management and minor in sport outreach. Now working as a Sport Consultant within the Communities, Sport, and Recreation Division of the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture & Heritage, Francis coordinates education sessions with sport and recreation organizations across the province. He also leads the division’s Sport Hosting Program and initiatives on sport concussions, while supporting the government’s gender equity and Indigenous sport files. Previously, he worked with Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey, the Aboriginal Sport Circle, and in several roles with Sport Nova Scotia.

His fellowship runs through April 30. The new position builds on Saint Mary’s ongoing initiatives to engage with Indigenous communities, strengthen intercultural research and curriculum, and respond to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and our own university task force. Francis applied because he felt he could assist in making the academic environment a more welcoming place for Indigenous students, and he’s also intrigued by the research dynamic between athletics and academics. 

“The Faculty of Arts was open to that and encouraged that. Recognizing the potential of sport and recreation in bringing people together and providing those intercultural lessons,” he says.

For his research, Francis is focusing on Indigenous youth and sport, with links to the Certificate in Health, Wellness, and Sport in Society. He is also coordinating the delivery of Indigenous coaching modules for on and off campus. These courses will cover such topics as dealing with racism in sport, and holistic approaches to coaching. Stay tuned for news about more upcoming events, projects and opportunities for discussion, and follow him on Twitter at @RyanFrancis58.    

Saint Mary's community celebrates the Dauphinee Centre

Saint Mary’s University celebrates the Dauphinee Centre.

A new chapter in Huskies hockey lore was recognized and lauded on Saturday, Jan 11. On Hockey Day at SMU, the Santamarian community came together in the Barbara Holmes Gathering Centre to celebrate the Dauphinee Centre and the donors who supported the project: Glen and Nancy Holmes, and the late Bob Dauphinee BComm’60.

"Saint Mary's University has a proud and successful hockey tradition that will continue for generations to come in the Dauphinee Centre," said Saint Mary's President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray. "This new arena will contribute to the continued success of our varsity men's and women's hockey teams, and provides our athletes and coaches with a new home to continue their tradition of excellence."

The Dauphinee Centre is named in honour of the late Bob Dauphinee, a Saint Mary's alumnus and community champion, who donated $2 million for an arena through his estate.

The Dauphinee Centre is the home of both the women's and men's hockey teams. The centre features an NHL-sized ice surface with seating for 850 fans and ample standing room that brings the capacity to more than 1200 people. The building is fully accessible with an elevator between floors and six accessible changing rooms for visiting teams, community-based recreational sports groups and summer camps.

On the upper level is a heated gathering centre with an attached room for spectators overlooking the ice surface. This community-oriented space is named the Barbara Holmes Gathering Centre.

The Pseudio Link, a pedway connecting the Homburg Centre for Health & Wellness to the new arena, is another new addition. The Huskies also have a great new area to prepare for games in the Holmes Family Varsity Suite.

These enhancements and the varsity suite were made possible by a generous gift of $2 million from local entrepreneurs Glen and Nancy Holmes, parents of Saint Mary's students. Glen and Nancy Holmes are the owners of Pseudio, Samuel & Co and Envy.

“The main reason I did this was that I love Halifax – I love everything about Halifax. There was a need for a rink, and we were in a position that we were able to pull it together,” said Glen Holmes. “I got a lot more out of this than I put into it. Everything I do in life, normally at this size, there’s a return that’s expected. This was more than any financial return I could have asked for. ”

Saint Mary’s University mourns the death of students in Tehran crash

Flags flying at half-mast.

I am deeply saddened to share with the university community that Maryam Malek and Fatemeh Mahmoodi, both students in the Master of Finance program at Saint Mary’s, lost their lives in the tragic Ukraine International Airlines plane crash in Tehran Wednesday morning.

It has also been reported that another young woman, Mahdieh Ghavi, was on the flight travelling to Halifax, with plans to study in the city.

Maryam and Fatemeh were intelligent and passionate Santamarians and Mahdieh was about to start her post-secondary journey. Their loss will be felt keenly by many in our university, in Halifax and across the global community.

Flags at Saint Mary’s University are being flown at half-staff in mourning and solidarity. Classes for Master of Finance students have been cancelled today (Thursday, January 9th) as they mourn the loss of their fellow students.

All are invited to join a gathering being held tomorrow, Friday, January 10th, at 3 pm in Loyola Conference Hall, to remember Maryam and Fatemeh.

On behalf of the entire Saint Mary’s community, I extend deepest sympathies to the many families and friends who are grieving in the wake of this terrible tragedy, not only those here in Halifax, but to the many others across Canada, in Iran, and around the world. I recognize also the grief of members of many other universities and colleges across Canada who have been touched by this tragedy.

Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray
President and Vice-Chancellor
Saint Mary’s University

---

The supports below are available to all within the Saint Mary’s community:

• The Counselling Centre
  4th Floor, Student Centre
  902.420.5615  / counselling@smu.ca 
  Drop-ins welcome 
   

• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
  https://smu.ca/about/efap.html
   

• Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team (24/7, telephone response)
  Crisis support across Nova Scotia
  902.429.8167 or 1.888.429.8167
   

• Student Health Centre
  4th Floor, Student Centre
  902.420.5611
   

• Good2Talk
  24/7 free and confidential phone counselling
  1.833.292.3698 
   

• SMUSA Health Plan is providing services through I.M. WELL. Please contact the SMUSA Health Plan Office for assistance:
  SMUSA Health Plan Office
  5th Floor Student Centre
  902-496-8754; or, if you wish to speak directly with a counsellor:
   

• I.M. Well (24/7, 365 days per year) 
  Download (I.M. Well) Counselling App, and/or resources and live chat available for ALL students: 
  1.877.234.5327
   

• Grief consultation will be available on campus. For further information please  email: healthplan.smusa@smu.ca

Saint Mary’s University statement on plane crash in Iran

We are aware of reports that Maryam Malek and Fatemeh Mahmoodi, both current students in our Master of Finance program, were listed on the passenger manifest of Ukraine International Airline flight PS752 which crashed in Tehran.

This is an evolving situation and the university continues to work with the relevant authorities for more information.

We extend our thoughts to family, friends and loved ones of anyone impacted by this tragedy.
 
Supports are available to all within the Saint Mary’s community:

• The Counselling Centre
  4th Floor, Student Centre
  902.420.5615  / counselling@smu.ca 
  Drop-ins welcome 

• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)

  https://smu.ca/about/efap.html
  

• Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team (24/7, telephone response)
  Crisis support across Nova Scotia
  902.429.8167 or 1.888.429.8167

• Student Health Centre
  4th Floor, Student Centre
  902.420.5611

• Good2Talk
  24/7 free and confidential phone counselling
  1.833.292.3698 

• SMUSA Health Plan is providing services through I.M. WELL.
  Please contact the SMUSA Health Plan Office for assistance: SMUSA Health Plan Office, 5th Floor Student Centre, 902-496-8754; or, if you wish to speak directly with a counsellor:

• I.M. Well (24/7, 365 days per year) 
  Download (I.M. Well) Counselling App, and/or resources and live chat available for ALL students: 
  1.877.234.5327

• Grief Consultation will be available on campus. For further information please email: healthplan.smusa@smu.ca

Venture capital students celebrate another successful year

For start-up businesses, finding capital can seem like a never-ending battle. Competitions, elevator pitches and networking are all done in the hopes of finding those with the power to bring an idea to reality. The Venture Grade at the Sobey School of Business puts that power in the hands of students.

Dr. Ellen Farrell is part of the Venture Grade governance team from Saint Mary’s University.

“Venture Grade is Canada’s most comprehensive venture capital university program. It involves theoretical courses, practical courses, and a $250,000 fund that the students raise themselves,” she says. “It also includes extensive engagement in the community and competing in the Canadian Venture Capital Investment Competition, as well as others. Our students have competed in New England against the best universities in the world.”

Dec. 12, 2019 saw Venture Grade host its fourth annual meeting in the Scotiabank Theater at Saint Mary’s University. The team outlined their achievements from 2019, including raising $35,000 for the fund. They also invested in two new companies this year: Ashored and Aurea Technologies. Both are local businesses that provide sustainable solutions to their respective industries of oceans technology and wind-power technology. Venture Grade invested $30,000 in Ashored, and $20,000 in Aurea.

Cat Adalay is the CEO of Aurea. “The money is going to be used for launching our first product, which is the Shine turbine, into the consumer market and to fulfill not only pre-orders, but orders made by retailers that we’re already in the process of onboarding,” she says. Adalay also says that the investment will help Aurea to explore new technologies and potential new markets.

The annual meeting also featured a discussion with Jevon MacDonald, serial entrepreneur and CEO of Manifold. MacDonald spoke about his own experiences with entrepreneurship, venture capital and the lessons he learned through starting and running numerous businesses.

The common thread through the discussion was that there is no one correct way to run or fund a new business. “Anyone who tells you there is one single way to do something is full of it. They just haven’t done it enough times” he chuckles.

As Venture Grade puts a successful 2019 behind them, the team is already looking towards next year. “My hope is that Venture Grade will become a prime initiative of the university and be promoted outside of the school,” says Dr. Farrell. “In that way, we will draw students to Saint Mary’s who are interested in entrepreneurship and its financing.”

She says that the number of students involved that are entrepreneurs themselves speaks to the value of the program in “teaching entrepreneurship from the inside out.”

For more information on Venture Grade, visit https://venturegrade.ca/

Award-winning local authors at Saint Mary’s Reading Series

Authors Frank Macdonald (at left) and Tom Ryan at the Saint Mary’s Reading Series earlier this month.

A pair of very different authors from Inverness kept a full house spellbound at the most recent Saint Mary’s Reading Series event, Dec. 4 in the Patrick Power Library Classroom.

Frank Macdonald shared passages from his hilarious novel, The Smeltdog Man, published in October 2018 by Pottersfield Press. The book tells the tale of a Cape Bretoner who learns to survive in the corporate world after his accidental invention – a marijuana-induced, munchie-inspired ‘Smeltdog’ – evolves into Canada’s most successful fast food franchise, the Good Karma Corporation. 

Macdonald is the award-winning author of A Forest for Calum and other novels, short stories, plays, poetry and songs. He has twice been nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Awards, and is also well known for his long-running column in The Inverness Oran. 

Joining him was Tom Ryan with readings from his gripping new novel for young adults, Keep This to Yourself, published in May by Albert Whitman & Company. Just a few days before the event on campus, the thriller was selected by The Globe and Mail for ‘The Globe 100: Books that shaped 2019’. The story revolves around a gay teenage sleuth in a small coastal town that has been terrorized by a string of murders, including the death of his best friend. Among many great reviews, Quill & Quire calls the novel “both a powerful coming-of-age story and a frequently surprising mystery”.

A 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction, Ryan has also been nominated for the White Pine Award, the Stellar Award and the Hackmatack Award. His books have been Junior Library Guild selections and chosen for the ALA Rainbow List. He currently resides in Ottawa. Follow his adventures at www.tomryanauthor.com or via his Twitter and Instagram feeds.

The Saint Mary’s Reading Series is open to the public and explores a wide variety of literary genres, from novels to poetry, graphic novels, creative non-fiction and more. Other highlights through the fall season were Anne Compton, Ryan Turner, alumnus Danny Jacobs, and Sylvia Nickerson.  

For updates on events coming up in 2020, follow the Series on its Instagram and Facebook channels, or through the Department of English Language & Literature on Twitter.