Summer fun: Annual Food Drive competition and Faculty and Staff BBQ

Both the sun and the barbeques were sizzling at the annual Faculty and Staff BBQ, held on the Oaks lawn last week.

Organized by the Alumni team as a thank you to faculty and staff for their ongoing support, the event also serves to announce and celebrate the winners of the 8th Annual Food Drive competition.

This year, 9 teams participated, raising over 1,488 pounds of food an $175 in monetary donations for the SMU Community Food Room. Located on the 5th floor of the Student Centre, the Community Food Room offers access to safe, nutritious, and personally acceptable foods in a welcome environment, as well as working to improve food security, equity and literacy.

This year’s bragging rights went to Accounting Matters, the winning team from Accounting department at the Sobey School of Business that donated 482 pounds of food! A special shout-out went to the EIT team for their donation of $95 to the SMU Community Food Room allowing some flexibility in making purchases of much-needed items.

A summer of starlings: students benefit from summer research opportunity

Summer student researcher Gabi Armstrong says her starling research focuses on the nests they use to raise their young. She is examining the materials they incorporate into their nests, including natural (e.g., feathers, greenery, sticks, etc.) and anthropogenic materials (e.g., human-made materials) like garbage. 

Alyssa Wells (shown here steadying the ladder for Armstrong) credits a fourth-year biology course with Dr. Barber as the reason she fell in love with the field of behavioural ecology. She was fascinated with how researchers create observational studies to find out information based on the choices that organisms make to survive and find mating success.

Over the years the research has progressed really well according to Armstrong. It has answered many questions involving paternal investment and mate choice among the starlings along with other research questions involving ectoparasites, urbanization and much more.

Wells (left) is focusing her research on how brood condition and parental investment influence mate fidelity within the starling population.

Both students credited the opportunity to do hands-on fieldwork as an important part of why they were excited to participate in this research project.

The beautiful birdcalls of starlings are a fixture of the Saint Mary’s University campus. The more than 40 starling nest boxes across campus are part of a research project led by Dr. Colleen Barber. The boxes were erected almost two decades ago and have provided research opportunities for numerous students and field assistants. This photo gallery shows Saint Mary’s students Gabi Armstrong and Alyssa Wells checking on the starling boxes and shares some insight into their roles as student researchers.

Additional reading

• The sounds of starlings: SMU team gets to the heart of how they mate

Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Tim Halman, tours Belcher Street Marsh Site

Saint Mary’s University professor Dr. Danika van Proosdij and her TransCoastal Adaptations team members had the opportunity to present their work to the Honorable Tim Halman, Nova Scotia Minister of Environment and Climate Change. The presentation included an interactive tour to showcase the design, implementation and monitoring of the Belcher Street Marsh Dyke Realignment and Tidal Wetland Restoration Project.

The project includes 75 hectares of tidal wetlands along Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy that van Proosdij’s team is working to restore habitat and protect against flooding and coastal erosion. Using nature-based strategies and restructuring old dyke infrastructure, the team creates new tidal wetlands to absorb rising sea levels, protect nearby communities and create new ecosystems for marine life.

The newly realigned dyke at the Belcher Street Marsh protects the active agricultural land behind it. The restored tidal wetland will increase the natural absorption of wave energy during storms, thereby protecting the dyke. The expanded floodplain provides more room for floodwaters. The new marsh is now a productive natural habitat supporting species diversity. The dykes overlooking the new marsh provide a recreational opportunity for enjoying nature and connecting to the restored natural condition of the site. The site is a living laboratory and training site to develop dykeland realignment and marshland restoration skills.

Want to learn more? Join TransCoastal Adaptations for a workshop on Climate-Resilient Coastal Nature-Based Infrastructure, June 29–30.

TransCoastal Adaptations is a Centre for Nature-Based Solutions at Saint Mary’s University that engages in research and partnerships that promote and undertake projects related to climate change adaptation.

Students graduate from unique BNUZ-SMU partnership program

Graduation Cohort

Students graduate from unique BNUZ-SMU partnership program

Xu Jinfeng (left) will continue his postgraduate studies this fall at the University of Macau. Zheng Jingjing (right) will begin a master’s program at the Australian National University. 45 graduates plan to pursue postgraduate studies abroad this year.

Graduates from the Joint BComm Program complete 2 degrees: a Bachelor of Commerce (major in finance) from SMU and a Bachelor of Economics from BNUZ. Yang Junying (left), Zhou Keke (centre) and Wu Xinye (right) pose for a photo wearing the Sobey BComm hoods and gowns.

Jin Yue pictured here standing in front of the BNUZ Library, home to the Joint BComm Program.

From left: Zhou Keke, Wu Xinye, Yu Anqi and Shi Jingyi.

Shi Jingyi enjoys a final afternoon at BNUZ before heading to Scotland to begin a master’s program at the University of Glasgow this fall.

Liu Jiaqi says goodbye to the BNUZ Library where she completed many of her undergraduate courses.

Wu Xinye stands outside of our Joint BComm Program office in the BNUZ Library.  

Zheng Jingjing graduated summa cum laude with a BComm (major in Finance) from SMU and a Bachelor of Economics from BNUZ.

A group of friends celebrate their successful completion of the BNUZ-SMU Joint BComm Program at Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai. From left: Liu Xinran, Liu Jiaqi, Shi Jingyi and Yu Xizi.

This week, the fifth cohort of students graduated from the BNUZ-SMU Joint Bachelor of Commerce program based in Zhuhai, China. 81 graduates received both a Bachelor of Commerce from Saint Mary’s University and a Bachelor of Economics from Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, with 59 earning a major in finance.

Prof. Zhong Xin, Dean of the International Business Faculty at BNUZ, offered words of congratulations to this year’s graduates: “In the midst of uncertainty, you have overcome difficulties, explored inner peace and found the confidence to face whatever challenges may come.” She summed up this sense of hope and optimism by wishing students a bright future and encouraging them to use their actions to “seek and preserve the original passion and mission of your youth.”

The unique partnership of the Joint BComm program allows students at BNUZ to benefit from a cross-cultural undergraduate education, with half of their courses taught by BNUZ professors and the other half taught by visiting SMU faculty. Graduates of the program have earned a reputation as high performers in business and finance. This fall, more than half of the graduating cohort will begin postgraduate programs around the world, including in China, Canada, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Singapore. Others will enter the workforce immediately or begin preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam in China.

Dr. Harjeet Bhabra, Dean of the Sobey School of Business, shared his congratulations with the class, noting “[This program] has provided you with the tools and skills to become successful business leaders with a truly global perspective. As you move to the next stage in your careers, we wish you the very best for your continued success, and we proudly welcome you to our extensive alumni community.”

The longstanding partnership between Saint Mary’s University and Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, dates back to 2002 and has included a range of 2+2 programs in Arts, Business and Science, as well as a number of other exchange programs and summer institutes for students, faculty and members of the community. More than 40 SMU faculty members from the Sobey School of Business and the Faculty of Arts have travelled to Zhuhai to teach in the Joint BComm Program since 2016, which has led to collaborative research opportunities with the International Business Faculty at BNUZ.

Unfortunately, due to the ongoing global pandemic, it was not possible for members of the SMU community to reconnect in person with friends and colleagues at BNUZ in celebration of the outstanding success of this year’s graduates. We honour those achievements as we welcome the newest members of our 53,000+ alumni network.

Saint Mary’s University exceeds goal and timeline for greenhouse gas reduction

The Saint Mary's University Quad

Rendering of what will become North America's North America’s tallest solar-integrated building, the Saint Mary's Loyola Residence.

New Vanier Plant Condensing Boilers

Saint Mary's Campus

Saint Mary’s University has achieved its 2025 target for greenhouse gas reduction three years early.   

“Sustainability is an institutional pillar for Saint Mary’s University,” says President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray. “Using a sustainability lens in our operations allows us to find efficiencies and opportunities to address financial uncertainties while reducing our environmental footprint. I am proud to share that Saint Mary’s University has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions in excess of 40 percent, putting us on a strong footing to meet or exceed the provincial goal of a 53 percent reduction by 2030.”  

Saint Mary’s exceeded its 40 percent reduction by 2025 goal through a series of projects that finished this year.  

“This achievement comes from the forward-thinking and consciousness of many faculty and staff members over the years, the efforts of facilities management and the support of key university executives such as President Summerby-Murray,” says Dennis Gillis, Senior Director of Facilities Management at Saint Mary’s. “We are exceeding our emissions reduction goal, and with innovative projects such as North America’s tallest solar-integrated building Saint Mary’s is taking a leadership role in the post-secondary sector towards a more sustainable future.”  

Fundamental changes that support emissions reduction include: 

• replacing the steam heating plant with a high-efficiency hot water plant; 

• switching from oil to natural gas for heating; 

• using compact fluorescent lights; 

• replacing less efficient lights with LED lights; and 

• increases in Nova Scotia Power’s energy blend from renewable sources.   

From 2005 to 2019, the university's overall emissions reduction was 36.8 percent. In 2021, a conversion from steam to hot water for the university’s central heating plant increased the total emissions reduction to over 40 percent. Further emissions reductions are on the way from the upcoming solar-integrated project at the university’s Loyola residence, the incorporation of solar panels at the Sobeys Inspiration Hub currently under construction, and other forthcoming solar and green energy projects.  
 
All targets and goals use 2005 as the baseline year per the provincial government’s Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act.  

Enactus Saint Mary’s secures spot in national finals

The Saint Mary’s Enactus Team

For the ninth time in 11 years, Enactus Saint Mary’s is off to the final round of competition at the Enactus Canada National Exposition in Toronto this September. At this in-person competition, Saint Mary’s University will compete against Toronto Metropolitan University, Wilfred Laurier University, University of Ottawa and Okanagan College for the title of national champion. 

These students have already gone through two rounds of competition, and those who succeed at the national final will compete at the Enactus World Cup, representing their country. Enactus, an international non-profit social enterprise, supports different student groups and small businesses aiming to tackle social, economic and environmental problems. With more than 2,000 schools from 33 countries taking part in Enactus each year, Saint Mary’s has an incredible opportunity to represent Canada this year. 

With three months until the highly anticipated competition, Enactus Saint Mary's is looking forward to the final round ahead. 

“[We’re] thrilled to be in the top five Enactus teams in Canada,” says Susan MacInnis, a co-president of the team. “Our amazing and supportive team are more motivated than ever to work together, expand our projects, and personal and professional development.” 

Highlighting their food insecurity program, Square Roots, and their digital education program, Options Online, Enactus Saint Mary’s members are ecstatic to have a chance to win a $10,000 grand prize, along with the national champion title to further impact their community. 

Enactus Saint Mary’s are moving forward proudly, with support from various local and global partners and sponsors. One of these partners, Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre (SMUEC), is especially supportive of Enactus Saint Mary’s. 

“I’m proud to support these amazing Saint Mary’s students and excited for them to share their innovative, problem-tackling ideas in the final round,” says SMUEC Director Michael Sanderson, one of the faculty advisors for the team. “This year Enactus Saint Mary’s has a great chance to become the national champions.” 

Reflecting on the past rounds and looking forward to the next, Co-President Maddie Bristol says, “We are putting our best foot forward on the National stage in September in Toronto. The coming months will show our commitment to positive community and environmental impact and our dedication to representing Saint Mary’s on stage.” 

Learn more about Enactus Saint Mary’s.

Making it Mya event photo gallery

June is Pride Month. Wednesday, June 15, the SMU community gathered for Making it Mya: A Drag Dialogue with Dillon Ross at the Patrick Power Library.

DILLON ROSS BComm’17 completed a double major in Human Resource Management and Marketing from the Sobey School of Business and a minor in French from the Faculty of Arts.

In addition to working as an HR professional, Dillon also performs as Mya Foxx, a Halifax-based drag performer known for her high-energy performances and choreography. From live performances to dance workshops to inspirational talks, Mya strives to ensure opportunities and accessibility for the 2SLGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities.

SMU brand wins international awards

Team work makes the dream work! The External Affairs team partnered with groups across campus to bring the refreshed brand to life: L-R: Nadine LaRoche, Director, Integrated Communications; Lisa Neily, Creative Services Specialist; Kate Elliot, Social Media Strategist; Richard Lafortune, Web Developer; Ameeta Vohra, Web Content Editor; Rachelle Boudreau, Manager, Internal and Strategic Communications; Margaret Murphy, Associate Vice-President, External Affairs; Micheala Avery, Communications Specialist; Alex Beckett, Manager, Digital Experience; Shannon Doane, Web Developer; Mary Ellen Beazley, Creative Services Officer; Shannon Morrison, Administrative Assistant; Erin Sargeant Greenwood, Vice-President, Advancement and External Affairs. Missing from photo: Cale Loney, Communications Manager, Media Relations and Issue, External Affairs

One year ago, following extensive consultation and months of collaboration (during a pandemic!), the university officially launched the refreshed brand for Saint Mary’s.

Now the project is being recognized for excellence in the field.

Thousands of colleges, universities and secondary schools from across the United States, Canada and beyond submit work for consideration to the U.S.-based Education Digital Marketing Awards and the Education Advertising Awards, which recognize exceptional work educational marketing communications, branding and advertising.

Saint Mary’s took home awards for the following categories:

• Gold:       Digital Video Ad (Less than 2 minutes)               

• Gold:       Logo/Letterhead Design 

• Gold:       Outdoor             

• Gold:       Website

• Silver:      Institutional Website Category

• Bronze:   Digital Video Category 

• Merit:       Integrated Campaign

Congratulations to the many people who contributed to this project!

Learn more about the Saint Mary’s University brand.

Sexual Violence Prevention Initiative team shares importance of bystander training and understanding of shared responsibilities

The SVPI team

Over the past academic year, four of Saint Mary’s University’s spring graduates worked together as part of the Sexual Violence Prevention Initiative (SVPI), a student-led prevention and awareness program. Hailey Saunders, Krystal Lowe, Lucinda Laskey and Tala Aisheh formed the SVPI team and worked closely with the university’s Sexual Violence Advisor, Dee Dooley, to offer education on bystander intervention, harm reduction, consent and healthy relationships.

“We strive to empower and educate the community towards making change,” says Lowe, who will return to Saint Mary’s this fall as a master’s student in applied psychology while continuing in her role as Sexual Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator through Student Affairs and Services. “It is important for us to challenge the status quo and many of the misconceptions that surround sexual violence.”

Over the last year, the SVPI team delivered training and special events for the Saint Mary’s community, with more than 100 students participating in prevention and response education. Through this training, students learned how to identify and intervene in problematic situations and support those who are affected.

“We want to create a community of support, respect and safety,” says biology and forensic science graduate Laskey.

Programming offered by the SVPI is based on a sense of shared responsibility—namely, the belief that creating a safe campus and preventing sexual violence is everyone’s responsibility. Workshop topics included Bystander Intervention Training to introduce bystander intervention techniques and an Alcohol & Sex workshop to take a harm reduction approach to the issue of alcohol-facilitated sexual violence.

“By spreading awareness on campus, we are making everyone accountable for fostering a safe community,” says criminology graduate Saunders.

The SVPI members also recognize an important link between their educational efforts on campus and the broader community.

“Halifax is a close-knit community, where many people know each other,” says psychology graduate Aisheh. “Our work has helped to create safer spaces and equip students to mitigate situations that could escalate.”

Though the original SVPI facilitators have recently graduated, Student Affairs and Services is currently hiring a new team of facilitators for the next academic year. Lowe will also continue working over the summer, in her capacity as Sexual Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator, to develop a new curriculum and expand SVPI offerings for Saint Mary’s and the broader community.

Krystal Lowe

Much like her fellow original SVPI members, her dedication to sexual violence prevention work continues beyond her role with the initiative. When Lowe returns to Saint Mary’s this September as a Master of Science student in Applied Psychology (Forensic Psychology), her research interests will include gender-based violence.

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• Students who are interested in getting involved in the SVPI are encouraged to email svpi@smu.ca.

• For resources for people who have experienced sexual violence or who want to know more about available supports, visit the Sexual Violence Support section.

Researcher sparks new conversations about machine learning and robotics

Teresa Heffernan

Saint Mary’s University professor Teresa Heffernan is shining a new light on robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) by exploring how the field looks to – and is shaped by – fiction.

As part of her recent work through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Heffernan’s research investigates popular ideas about the future of AI and the relationship between machine learning and language-based humanities. Although interested in the world of science from an early age, Heffernan became intrigued with AI in 2010 when she began reading about the promises of AI and noticed a common theme.

“I was looking around at different scientific journals and articles, and people kept referencing fiction like it was prophetic – as if the fiction was going to come true,” says Heffernan, a professor in the department of English Language and Literature at SMU. “And if you know anything about fiction, that’s the whole point: it doesn’t come true; fiction has lots to say about the world, but it needs to be interpreted.”

Her curiosity led her to visit some of the top robotics labs in Japan and the United States. Through her discussions with leaders and specialists in the field, she began to question some of the assumptions about AI and to consider its impact on culture and humanity.

“When you’re working in the field, you hear people talk about technology becoming more ‘human’ or more intelligent,” she says. “What they’re talking about are increases in storage, data, computing speed, and more sophisticated algorithms. It actually has little to do with human intelligence.’’

Despite the increasing hype about machine learning, Heffernan is trying to reframe the conversation about AI and robotics, looking instead at its social and environmental impacts.

For instance, she points to research from the Water Resources Center at Texas Tech University that asserts a typical data centre uses about 3 to 5 million gallons of water a day – the same amount of water as a city of around 50,000 people. Heffernan says this industry also produces e-waste and carbon emissions.

“Data often is called the new oil because it’s so lucrative, but it really mimics the resource-intensive and climate-altering infrastructure of older technology like automobiles,” she says. “These complications are easily glossed over in the hype about human-like machines.”

This fall, Heffernan will travel to Germany where she’ll be furthering her research at the Käte Hamburger Centre for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies at Heidelberg University.

While there, she says she will continue her work sparking new conversations about the future of AI – and how it can be used responsibly and sustainably.

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• For more information on Dr. Teresa Heffernan’s research, visit socialrobotfutures.com.

• Learn more about the department of English Language and Literature.

Breaking down barriers for women

By Anna Carsley-Jones

Natasha Fernandes

Participants of all ages, experiences and environments came together at Saint Mary’s University with a common purpose—breaking down barriers in the workplace for women. 

The Women’s Empowerment Conference, designed and led by the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre (SMUEC) was held virtually from May 24 to May 27, 2022. In addition to the tools, resources and advice, the key according to Saint Mary’s student and organizer Natasha Fernandes was “seeing strong women being vulnerable and learning from their inspirational stories.” 

Kritika Gurung, Co-President Enactus Saint Mary's, speaking on campus

Kritika Gurung, Co-President of Enactus Saint Mary’s, says that “as an Arts student, I sometimes feel networking events and conferences are out of my reach, so when I heard about this event, I wanted to grab a seat as quickly as possible.” She also notes that this was a first for her—she had never attended a conference that is women-focused, with only women speakers. 

Entrepreneurs, professors, engineers and financial educators alike were involved as panellists and educators in the conference. Panellists such as SMU professors Dr. Rohini Bannerjee and Dr. Patricia Bradshaw, athlete and entrepreneur Keisha Turner BA’12, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion educator Crystal Witter BA’20 shared personal anecdotes of conquering adversity in the workplace. 

Financial educator Mrugakshee Palwe and Sobey School of Business Professor Dr. Ellen Farrell MBA’88 led the roundtable on Women in Finance. Mechanic and entrepreneur Stefanie Bruinsma and Keisha Turner led the discussions around entrepreneurship. A Women in STEM workshop featured engineer Mel Holmes, followed by a roundtable led by geologist Wren Bruce. 

Speakers shared their feelings of displacement in the workplace, but also their journeys of pushing past internalized misogyny and racism to reach own their potential. Panellists encouraged participants to overcome barriers and to understand that women and femmes (people who present as female) are as deserving of the same titles, jobs and awards as men.  

The importance of allyship from men and masculine peoples was also noted by many speakers. Jonathan MacNeil chose to attend the conference because “it is a great way to understand the perspective of women who are rarely given a chance to speak their truth, living in a ‘man’s world’.”  

For participants and organizers, the Women’s Empowerment Conference 2022 was a success, leaving those who attended feeling powerful, capable and a little bit wiser. Participant Tashauna Reid says, “Women’s empowerment means being courageous enough to question and break the social and gender norms. It creates a space for women to uplift and support each other.”  

About SMUEC 

The Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre (SMUEC)  is a leading provider of university-based business support services in Atlantic Canada. In the last five years, the SMUEC has engaged more than 4,000 students and 3,000 businesses in entrepreneurial support and promotion activities. Recognized regionally, nationally and globally for their programs, the SMUEC supports leaders through consulting, training, promoting entrepreneurship and cultivating community connections. 

SMU creative writing contest winners announced

The English Language and Literature department is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s creative writing contests. The Writing Contest Committee shares a few thoughts on each of the winning entries.

The Joyce Marshall Hsia Memorial Poetry Prize:

First prize
Julien Sheppard BA’21, current MA History student, Patrick Power Fellow in Applied History 

We were moved by the narrative energy and particularity in these poems, and by the exactness of the perceptions of natural detail (the shimmer of gaspereau). One believes in the human voices, the characters one encounters: “When did you stop asking / about Margaret?” Some of the poems drew us in with their chilling images, their calculated ambiguities; others by immersing us in a conjured matrix of human and creaturely relationship. 

Second prize
Patrick Inkpen, BA student, English major

We liked the range of themes, forms and tones in this submission, and the way this poet marries poetic convention to original perception. There’s a compelling oddness about many of these poems, despite their traditional formal structures. 

Third prize

Melisa Kaya, BA student, English major, Creative Writing minor

We admire this poet’s attention to detail, to the metapoeic resonances that are possible on the page. The locutions are unexpected and vivid: "I crawled from my mother’s hollow like a squirrel of a willow ...." The concrete poem which begins the submission felt fresh and true: a new perception wrested from language, given linguistic form. 

The Margó Takacs Marshall Memorial Prize For Excellence In Short Story Writing

First prize – “Gone for Good”
By Melisa Kaya, English major 

A metanarrative characterized by an uncompromising wildness, an unwillingness to resolve; it seemed to us the most interesting of the submissions, though we sometimes struggled to follow the narrative thread. Still, we have decided to honour it with the first prize, to recognize its ambition and its distinctness, vis-à-vis the other submissions.

Second prize – "Where Do We Go?"
By Alex Baker, MA Philosophy student

A grisly existential tale, which surprised us with a new take on a familiar genre-fiction scenario. The sentences are compellingly constructed and the characters and settings are deftly evoked.

Third prize – "Soliloquy of Something"
By Theodore Moss III, BSc student 

A story that gradually brings us into sympathy with what initially seems a one-note narrator: the story moves from simplicity to complexity in a way that is compelling. What begins as a simple story about teenaged love and rejection becomes a complex story about friendship and meaning.

The annual poetry and short fiction contests are open to any student currently enrolled at Saint Mary’s University. Next year’s deadline for submissions will be in March 2023. Some of the previous winners have gone on to become nationally celebrated writers, such as Sue Goyette, Jenny Haysom, Jill MacLean and Danny Jacobs.