The Dean's Office Dispatch is the Faculty of Science's weekly e-newsletter for students, faculty and staff.
Listen to Dr. Sian Kou-Giesbrecht on Sciographies
Sciographies, the podcast and radio show that details the lives and research interests of some of Dalhousie's leading scientists, has returned for its sixth season. New episodes will premiere on Thursday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. from October 3 - November 14 on CKDU 88.1 FM in Halifax. Sciographies can also be found on most podcast platforms, including Apple, Spotify, and Amazon Music. Learn more about the new season, which is again hosted by Dal oceanographer Dr. David Barclay and includes seven episodes featuring nine researchers and alumni.
Biogeochemist Dr. Sian Kou-Giesbrecht of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences is the featured guest in this week's episode. She talks about her research on nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems and its role in understanding climate change, as well as her passion for increasing diversity in science. Read more in this week's Dal News story that includes excerpts from the conversation and listen to the full episode.
LSC closure: Saturday, October 26
Please be advised that the Life Sciences Centre (LSC) will be closed on Saturday, October 26 for essential maintenance work requiring a power outage. Please see this Today@Dal memo for more details.
Fall 2024 Convocation webcasts available
The Faculty of Science held its Fall Convocation ceremony on Wednesday, October 23. Webcasts of this week's ceremonies can be watched on Dal's Convocation website.
Dr. Shannon Sterling of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences delivered a Convocation address that begins just before the 2-hour mark of the Wednesday morning ceremony webcast.
Follow the Faculty of Science on LinkedIn
Follow the Faculty of Science on our new LinkedIn page! We’re excited to connect with our amazing community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni and share updates and insights from Dal Science every week.
Friday evening: Tigers volleyball games in support of the United Way
Join us for men's and women's volleyball games in support of Dal's United Way campaign this Friday, October 25 at 6:00 p.m. at the Dalplex. Entry is free with a donation to the Dal United Way campaign, and everyone who makes a donation will receive free popcorn.
Workshop: Introduction to the Sentinel Applications Program (SNAP)
The Copernicus Dataspace Ecosystem is where you can obtain free passive optical imagery from Sentinel-2, synthetic aperture radar data from Sentinel 1, sea-surface topography, sea- and land-surface temperature, ocean colour and land colour from Sentinel 3, and more. SNAP is an open source remote sensing software platform designed for the Sentinel series of satellites, but is compatible with other platforms like Landsat, SPOT, and Worldview. The workshop is open to Dalhousie faculty, staff, and students. Minimal GIS or remote sensing experience is required. Register for the workshop and see a more detailed agenda via Eventbrite.
Science Co-op lunch and learn 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 Dal’s Work-Integrated Learning and Co-operative Education office to learn about how co-operative education can add value to your academic journey!
Study abroad and summer research internships in Germany
RISE (Research Internships in Science and Engineering) Germany offers Canadian undergraduate students the opportunity to complete a summer research internship at top German universities and research institutions. The German Federal Foreign Office funds RISE through DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service).
Application window: October 15 to November 30, 2024
Duration: 10 to 12 weeks, starting between May 15 and July 15, 2025
The program provides:
Monthly stipend for living expenses
Housing assistance
English-language work environment (German not required)
Mentorship by PhD students or researchers
Eligibility:
Enrolled at a Canadian university in biology, chemistry, computer science, physics, earth sciences, or engineering (or related fields)
Completed at least two years of your degree by summer 2025
Maintaining undergraduate status after the internship
Find more details about applications and partnered institutions on DAAD's RISE page.
If you have further questions, reach out to Olivia MacDonald, Dalhousie’s Young Ambassador for DAAD’s study abroad programs by email at macdonald.daadya@gmail.com
Scantron Replacement Update: Crowdmark
As you may be aware, the Scantron system in the Print Centre is on its last legs (the plan is to continue to provide Scantron service through to the end of the fall term). As such, it will be phased out this year (24/25) and be replaced with a new system, Crowdmark. Crowdmark is a grading solution for paper-based and online assessments. In practice, there will be many similarities for course instructors who are currently using multiple-choice tests and bubble sheets (scanning through Print Centre/Scantron), including the ability to have students fill out a printed bubble sheet, scanning completed sheets at the Print Centre, and receiving reports of graded assessments.
In an effort to ensure course instructors are familiar and comfortable with the technology ahead of the winter term, we’re working with Crowdmark to offer online training sessions in the coming weeks. All sessions will be recorded – all registrants will receive a link to the recording following the session and we’ll share the links in the Dean’s Office Dispatch.
Crowdmark Training Sessions for Faculty of Science (all sessions online via Zoom)
The Basics: Multiple Choice Testing Monday, October 28, 1:30-2:30pm Click here to register
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.
IMPORTANT DATES
October 31 Last day to drop Fall term courses with a "W."
Last day to drop multi-term courses without a "W."
Last day to change multi-term courses from Audit to credit and vice versa
See refund schedule for fee implications
November 11
Remembrance Day, university closed
November 11-15
Fall Study Break (except students in co-op, clinics or internships)
December 1
Last day to apply to graduate for Spring 2025 Convocation via Dal Online (login required)
Account detail (tuition and fees) available via Dal Online (login required).
