The Dean's Office Dispatch is the Faculty of Science's weekly e-newsletter sent out to students, faculty and staff. 

Please note that Dalhousie University will be closed on Monday, October 9 for Thanksgiving Day.

Dal Science Spotlight: Dr. Heather Cray

This week’s Dal Science Spotlight subject is Dr. Heather Cray of the School for Resource and Environmental Studies (SRES). Dr. Cray was nominated by a fellow SRES faculty member. “In her five years since joining Dalhousie, Heather has been a dedicated advisor to both undergraduate and graduate students,” her colleague says. “To help address the demand for hands-on experiential learning and field skills in our course-based master’s program, she co-developed our new graduate-level field course, ENVI 5005 Field Skills for the Environmental Sciences. Inspired by her students and passion for pedagogy, she has recently presented at two teaching conferences as well as the Dalhousie Centre for Learning and Teaching’s Transformative Education Retreat. Restructuring courses to embrace Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and a focus on inclusive teaching, Dr. Cray strives for excellence in her teaching practice and believes in lifelong learning for students and teachers alike.”

We applaud Dr. Cray's focus on inclusion in the classroom and appreciate her leadership in sharing her insights and experiences with other course instructors. Wonderful work, Dr. Cray!

The Dal Science Spotlight highlights the contributions of instructors and advisors in the Faculty of Science. Recognize an outstanding instructor or advisor by filling out our nomination form. A new submission will be featured weekly in the Dean’s Office Dispatch.

Listen to Dr. Aaron Newman on Sciographies

The fourth episode of the fifth season of the Sciographies podcast features Dr. Aaron Newman, professor and chair of the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the director of the SURGE Innovation Sandbox. Listen to the episode on SoundCloud, YouTube or find it on most podcast apps.

New episodes are released on Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. AST on CKDU 88.1 FM in Halifax as well as on SoundCloud, most podcast apps, and on YouTube. Visit our website to learn more about Sciographies and listen to previous episodes.

Fall 2023 Convocation

Congratulations to the Faculty of Science graduates who were part of Fall Convocation on Wednesday, October 4. Recordings of the week's ceremonies are available to be watched online. Plus, read our Dal News grad profile story on Sara Wong, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Sciences (Honours) with a minor in Chemistry. 

Earth and Environmental Sciences Pockwock Watershed Tour

Join the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences for a field tour of the Pockwock Watershed on Sunday, October 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Bus transportation from Dalhousie's Studley campus is included, but space is limited.

Learn more and RSVP to attend via Eventbrite. If you register and can no longer attend, please cancel your reservation no later than Wednesday, October 11 so that your place can be given to someone on the waitlist.

Fall 2023 seminars: Department of Economics

The Department of Economics holds departmental seminars on Friday afternoons from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. in room 2198 of the Marion McCain Arts and Social Sciences Building. Seminars are open to all interested students, faculty and staff. The next scheduled seminar takes place on Friday, October 13 and features a presentation from Edda Claus of Wilfried Laurier University titled "Purse Strings Versus Heart Strings: Transmission Channels in Economics and Psychology." Learn more and see the fall 2023 schedule on the Economics website.

Alumna earns award for cancer research

Psychology and Neuroscience alumna Dr. Perri Tutelman is the 2023 recipient of the Jen Johnston Award from the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute. The award recognizes outstanding trainee research and encourages trainees to pursue careers in cancer research. The award was established in 2022 to honour Jen Johnston, the daughter of former BHCRI scientific director Dr. Gerry Johnston, who lost her life to advanced breast cancer in 2021.

Now a postdoctoral fellow in psychosocial oncology at the University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, Perri will be making a virtual presentation on Friday, October 13 at 11:00 a.m. titled “It isn’t over when the cancer ends: Understanding fear of cancer recurrence in survivors of childhood cancer and their families.” Register to attend at this link. 

Lunch and learn: Science Co-op Information Session

Are you a first- or second-year Science student who is curious about work-integrated learning opportunities at Dalhousie? Would you like to test drive your career, grow your network, earn an income, and graduate with experience? If so, join the Work-Integrated Learning & Co-operative Education office to learn about how co-operative education can add value to your academic journey.

On Friday, October 13 from 12 to 12:30 p.m., join a virtual lunch and learn session to find out more about the Science Co-op program. Registration is not required - you can join the Microsoft Teams meeting at this link.

Can't make this session? Join future meetings on November 10 or December 15.

Halifax Universities Career Fair

Students and alumni are invited to attend the Halifax Universities Career Fair on October 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Halifax Convention Centre. Learn more and register on the career fair's website.

Multiple choice questions wanted for junior high science contest

The Atlantic Science Links Association (ASLA) is holding its second annual science contest for junior high students in Nova Scotia on December 5. The contest consists of a multiple-choice test featuring questions covering topics in biology, chemistry, geology, and physics. 

A question bank is being created based on submissions from the Dal Science community, in particular instructors in those four subject areas. For more information, please see this post on the Faculty of Science myDal site (login required) or contact ASLA@Dal.ca. 

Would you like to make a submission to the Dean's Office Dispatch? Email communications.science@dal.ca with a brief summary of your notice, a supporting link or email address, and a photo/image if you have one.