Coming to Dalhousie University brought a lot of change to Ruby Harrington’s life. What didn’t change was her passion for science.
“I always loved science growing up,” says Ruby, who is from Scarborough, Ont. “Whenever there was a topic I was interested in at school, I would always do experiments with my dad. My parents definitely fostered my curious and inquisitive nature.”
This spring, as Ruby graduates with an honours in biology, she thinks back to another love growing up and how it also influenced her path.
My parents definitely fostered my curious and inquisitive nature.
Ruby’s summers were filled with trips to the East Coast with her family. When deciding on where to go for university, Dal was a clear choice.
“I really like the idea of going a little bit further away, but the West Coast felt a little bit too far,” she says. “What drew me out here was the environment and just being on the East Coast. I always loved it out here.”
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Ruby began her first year at Dal planning to major in psychology, but part of her always knew the topic might not be the right fit.
“By my second year, I realized I didn’t love psychology,” she says.
What she did enjoy, though, was a developmental biology class she had the chance to take. She began to think about the possibility of going into biomedical engineering.
Taking aim at spinal cancer
Knowing she wanted to pursue an honours, Ruby contacted Dr. Jeremy Brown about working in his research lab. He got back to her quickly, and from there, she started her research with him as her supervisor.
Her honours project focused on histotripsy — a fancy term for ultrasound technology that can destroy cells.
“It can be used on any sort of cells, but a good application would be cancer cells, because that’s something we want to get rid of in the body and can be done without creating an incision,” she explains.
Her research with Dr. Brown’s lab has centred on eradicating spinal tumours.
“Right now, surgery and radiation are the only things used for it, but we think that histotripsy could be a really good option,” she says.
Sticking around
Outside of her research, Ruby has gotten to know Halifax and Nova Scotia.
“My favourite walk is definitely Point Pleasant Park,” she says.
This week, as she crosses the stage to graduate, Ruby will be cheered on by her parents and her grandfather, who has never been to Nova Scotia. She says she can’t wait to show her grandfather around the place she’s been living for the last four years.
But Ruby’s journey at Dal won’t end when she crosses the stage in the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium. This fall, she will jump into her master’s degree in biomedical engineering at Dalhousie.
“I’m probably going to be continuing my spine research, which I’m super excited about.”
This is the Class of 2026
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