2021-2022

nsis1

For live talks, please see the Public Lectures page


Date: October 4, 2021
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Zoom Meeting

Andy Kakacs
Executive Director, Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners & Operators Association (NSWOOA)

Money Often Costs too Much
Reconsidering forest practices in Nova Scotia

For 50 years, Nova Scotia embraced an industrial model of forest management, which emphasized the growth and harvesting of small-diameter softwood trees for commodity products such as wood pulp and small dimensional lumber.

Andy Kekacs discusses the impacts of that strategy on Nova Scotia’s forest; the growing discontent among woodland owners; foundations of our current interest in ecological forestry; and following the path toward holistic forest management.


Date: November 1, 2021
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Zoom Meeting

Dr. Wayne Groszko
Professor, Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC)

Making the Transition to Low-Carbon Energy in Atlantic Canada: How Will We Get There?

The transition to clean, renewable energy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and address climate change is now proceeding rapidly around the globe.

What might that transition look like in Atlantic Canada? In this talk Dr. Wayne Groszko will explore pathways to a low carbon global society and the options and progress ahead for our region, with examples from the applied energy research being conducted at the Nova Scotia Community College.


Date: December 6, 2021
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Zoom Meeting

Kaleigh McLeod
Saint Mary’s University

Sumaiya Amin
St. Francis Xavier University

Hillary Fry
Mount Saint Vincent University

Mark Maclean
Dalhousie University

COVID-19 Student Research in Nova Scotia
Student Showcase Topics:

  • An exploration of NS Thermomechanical Wood Pulp for Mask Production
  • A genetic programming approach to find an effective vaccination strategy
  • Infant Feeding during COVID-19 in Nova Scotia
  • COVID-19 and the Nervous System: The role of inflammation and the blood-brain barrier


Date: January 3, 2022
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Zoom Meeting

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and
Molecular Biology Side by Side

Engaging students, communities, and industry:

Rod Beresford
Cape Breton University

Lindsay Marshall
Potlotek First Nation Cape Breton University

Anita Basque
Potlotek First Nation

Mi’kmaw Knowledge Holders, Basque and Marshall, and CBU’s Beresford, have worked together on the restoration of the Bras d’Or Lake oyster industry for the past 15 years and will share the stories of their shared journey

Last year, Basque, Beresford, and Marshall presented “The Mi’kmaq Calendar of the Seasons” at Cape Breton University, where Mi’kmaq Knowledge Holders and Biology Faculty explored topics of the Mi’kmaq Calendar. An exploration of NS Thermomechanical Wood Pulp for Mask Production


Date: February 7, 2022
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Zoom Meeting

Tidal Wetland Restoration & Ecosystem Services in the Bay of Fundy Dykelands

Dr. Jeremy Lundholm
Saint Mary’s University

Dr. Alana Pinder
Cape Breton University

Dr. Danika Van Proosdij
Saint Mary’s University

Dr. Kate Sherren
Dalhousie University

The Fundy Dykelands are a dynamic, working landscape threatened by sea level rise.

Communities are faced with deciding whether to shore up dykes to protect agricultural land, or move dykes back, allowing for tidal wetland restoration. Understanding these issues requires input from the physical, biological and social sciences.

This interdisciplinary panel will discuss how scientists are working with local communities to help restore resilience to our coastlines.


Date: March 7, 2022
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Zoom Meeting

Tiny Materials for Big Challenges
Designing Next Generation Nanomaterials:

Dr. Mita Dasog
Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University

Nanomaterials can be up to 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair and yet they possess great potential to address some of the big challenges humanity faces today. 

They have already been applied in food, cosmetics, electronic devices, medical diagnosis and treatment, and environmental remediation, just to name a few. Dr. Dasog discusses nanomaterials that can harvest sunlight and use it to generate chemical fuels, electricity, and potable water. 


Date: April 4, 2022
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Zoom Meeting

Tick Talk
Small Pest, Big Problem:

Dr. Nicoletta Faraone
Department of Chemistry, Acadia University

Ticks vector the widest array of disease-causing organisms of all blood-feeding arthropods and are second only to mosquitoes in their capacity to transmit disease agents of importance to human and veterinary health.

Being almost totally blind, ticks rely on chemosensation to identify and locate hosts for a successful blood meal

Understanding the mechanism behind attraction and repellency induced by certain chemicals in ticks is pivotal to develop effective tick repellent products and avoid the transmission of pathogens that vector diseases, like Lyme disease.


Date: May 2, 2022
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Zoom Meeting

Public Health Systems in Canada
Pandemics, Plagues, and the Power of Prevention;

Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed
Assistant Dean of Serving and Engaging Society, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University

Dr. Watson-Creed will review and comment on how public health in Canada really works, from an insider’s point of view, including during pandemics like the COVID pandemic of the past two years.