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

Dal Science Spotlight: Dr. Joseph Bielawski

This week’s Dal Science Spotlight subject is Dr. Joseph Bielawski, professor in the Departments of Biology and Mathematics & Statistics. Dr. Bielawski was nominated by a graduate student. “Joe is a brilliant professor and supervisor, and a genuinely good person,” the student says. “As a supervisor, he stimulates creative discussions, teaches with sensibility, and builds an environment where students feel truly respected, heard, and acknowledged. Every meeting with him inspires me to keep working. He has also founded and supported equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and science communication initiatives such as the Dalhousie Science Scholars and Leaders Program, Diversity of Nature, and the BIOL 2111 and 2112 Becoming a Scientist courses. I am grateful to have him as a supervisor and role model.”

A great supervisor can absolutely make the difference in a grad student's experience and it's wonderful to hear about some of Dr. Bielawski's inspiring work. We appreciate your time, effort, and dedication, Dr. Bielawski!

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. Michael Freund on Sciographies

The sixth episode of the fifth season of the Sciographies podcast features Dr. Michael Freund, materials scientist, Harry Sherriff Chair of Chemical Research, and director of the Clean Technologies Research Institute. 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.

Ask an Expert: Dr. Alana Westwood

In late summer, the Nova Scotia government invited feedback from the public regarding updates to the province's environmental assessment process. Led by Dr. Alana Westwood of the School for Resource and Environmental Studies, a group of Dal faculty and graduate students wrote a letter detailing changes they would like to see implemented. For the 'Ask an Expert' series in Dal News, Dr. Westwood provided insight into how environmental assessments in Nova Scotia can be modernized and why she and her colleagues came together to call for change.

Host labs wanted for Dalhousie Integrated Science Program research projects

The Dalhousie Integrated Science Program (DISP) is seeking host labs to supervise nine to 10-week (three hours per week) winter term research projects for small groups of DISP students. Projects can be supervised by faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows, or graduate students. Interested supervisors are asked to fill out this expression of interest form by Friday, Nov. 3. Any questions can be directed to Kerrianne Ryan (kerri.ryan@dal.ca). See this post on the Faculty of Science myDal site (login required) for more details. 

Next week: 2023 Stanfield Conversation

CBC Radio host and Dal psychology alum Jeff Douglas (BSc'93) returns to campus to moderate the 2023 Stanfield Conversation, featuring panelists Megan Leslie, Naheed Nenshi and Mark Jaccard discussing whether democracies can meet the challenge of climate change. The event takes place on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7:00 p.m. at the Joseph Strug Concert Hall and via online livestream. Learn more and register to attend. 

Next week: Halifax Universities Career Fair

Students and alumni are invited to attend the Halifax Universities Career Fair on Tuesday, Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Halifax Convention Centre. Visit the Halifax Universities Career Fair website to register to attend, find answers to frequently asked questions, see a list of exhibitors, and more.

Next week: Canadian Career Symposium for grad students and postdocs

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are invited to take part in the 2023 Canadian Career Symposium from the Graduate and Postdoctoral Development Network, which is being held online from Tuesday, Oct. 24 through Thursday, Oct. 26. Prepare for your future career with presentations on marketing yourself, interview tips, networking strategies and more. Participation is free for Dalhousie University grad students and postdocs. Learn more and register via Eventbrite.

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, Oct. 27 and features a presentation from Yigit Aydede of Saint Mary's University titled "Understanding the Dynamics of a Viral Spread by Sparse Composite Likelihood Selection." Learn more and see the fall 2023 schedule on the Economics 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 of 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.