Faculty of Science News

• Running the (lab) table: Dal researchers win big at 16th annual Discovery Awards
  It was a clean sweep for Dal researchers at the 16th annual Discovery Awards Thursday evening (Nov. 22).
  
• Meet award‑winning Chemistry teacher Alison Thompson
  In a field where women are often underrepresented, Alison Thompson has distinguished herself as an outstanding mentor for aspiring organic chemists through her supportive approach to teaching in the classroom and her work as a graduate student supervisor.
  
• Hidden in plain sight: Dal evolutionary biologists uncover a new branch on the Tree of Life
  Scientists at Dalhousie University have discovered a new branch on the ‘Tree of Life’ that no one knew existed. Their findings were published today in the journal Nature and will be critical to better understanding the evolutionary history of life on earth.
  
• Settling a spirited "Great Debate"
  At the event’s core was a simple question, deliberated by six of the world’s leading minds in ocean science and space exploration: what is the next frontier, space or the ocean?
  
• Perfectionists more likely to develop bulimia
  Perfectionists are rarely satisfied with their performance or appearance and engage in harsh self-criticism when their efforts fall short. Perfectionists are also more likely to develop the eating disorder bulimia nervosa, according to new research.
  
• Linking Dal expertise and community teachers
  Grade-school science teachers have a lot on their plate — which makes keeping up with the science itself a challenge at times. There’s where the Atlantic Science Links Association (ASLA) comes in. A volunteer-based charitable organization, ASLA aims to bridge the gap between the scientific community, schools and the public.
  
• Diving into Ocean School
  On Thursday, October 4, an innovative online learning experience that is transforming the way we learn about and engage with the ocean officially became available to students across Canada.
  
• Meet Dal's two new Schulich Leaders looking to make an impact
  Launched in 2012, the Schulich Leader scholarship program funds a total of 50 undergraduate scholarships for the most promising incoming science, technology, engineering and math students at top universities across the country annually.
  
• Head of the class
  Aaron Prosper, now President of the Dalhousie Student Union, grew up as a member of the Eskasoni First Nation before moving to Halifax to study at Dalhousie. Now in his fifth year of the Neuroscience program, Prosper has his sights set on a career in medicine.
  
• Armed with data: Unprecedented experiment with Canadian military provides new insights on right whales
  The Whale Habitat and Listening Experiment (WHaLE) team collaborated with a number of federal agencies, including the Canadian military, to conduct a unique data collection experiment in the Gulf of St. Lawrence this past summer.