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

LSC closure: Saturday, Sept. 14

Please be advised that the Life Sciences Centre (LSC) will be closed to all but essential personnel on Saturday, September 14 for scheduled maintenance work. Please see this Today@Dal memo for more details.

New course urges students to use science as a force for social change

Introduced last winter and offered again this fall, Science Communication for Social Change (BIOL 4811) encourages students to use their final projects to inspire positive change in their communities, from debunking myths about diabetes to visualizing the dangers of antibiotics overuse. Read our Dal News story on the success of the course and how instructor Leticia Magpali, a Biology PhD candidate, applied her unique background in science communication in its development.

Dal Innovation Week: Sept. 16-21

The inaugural Dal Innovation Week is taking place from September 16-21. Join us for Dalhousie’s new premier innovation and entrepreneurship event featuring workshops, live demos, pitch competitions, exhibits, and more. Visit the Dal Innovation Week website for a full list of events and registration info.

Falling Walls Lab pitch competition: Sept. 17

Part of Dal Innovation Week, the Falling Walls Lab Atlantic Canada pitch competition challenges some of the region's brightest young minds to share their ideas and innovations to make the world a better place. The winner will earn a chance to make their pitch at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin, Germany later this fall.

Faculty of Science PhD students have performed strongly during the competition's first two years; in 2022, Tina Taskovic and Sarah Martell advanced to Berlin, while in 2023 Joseph Bedard (pictured) won the grand prize against a field of 100 competitors from around the world! Register to attend, and read this Dal News story for more details on the competitors.

Date: Tuesday, September 17
Time: 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Irving Oil Auditorium (G109), Richard Murray Design Building, Sexton Campus, 5257 Morris Street

Fall 2024 seminars: Department of Economics

All interested students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend the Department of Economics’ fall term seminars, which begin today:

Speaker: Ceren Baysan (University of Toronto)
Title: Voter Misperceptions and Preferences for Democratic Institutions with Daron Acemoglu, Cevat Aksoy, Carlos Molina, and Gamze Zeki
Date: Friday, September 13
Time: 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Marion McCain Arts & Social Sciences building, Room 2198

Seminars will be held in-person, unless otherwise noted. See the full schedule on the Economics website.

Dal Innovates fall programming

Dal Innovates is thrilled to present three programs this fall for students and faculty interested in commercialization or building their skills in entrepreneurship and innovation:

Collide Discover: For undergraduate students that may say, “I’m interested in exploring entrepreneurship, forming a business idea, or finding a solution to a global challenge in a new and innovative way”. In-person on Wednesday evenings from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. starting October 2 (7-week program, deadline to apply: Sept. 25, 2024).

Lab2Market Discover: For current or recently graduated researchers in STEM (Masters, PhDs and Postdocs) who may be interested in discovering how entrepreneurship and innovation can play a role in their graduate degree and beyond. Program sessions every Thursday starting October 10^th at 2p.m. (10-week program, deadline to apply: Sept. 20, 2024)

Collide Validate : For undergraduate students that may say, “I have a business idea that I’m ready to test out in the market, with a little help from entrepreneurial experts.”  Offered in-person in Halifax on Wednesdays from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. starting January 22, and virtually on Thursdays from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. starting January 23.

Interested participants can visit the Dal Innovates website for more details and to apply.

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.