Admission is free with your DalCard to the new @beatymarinecentre in the Steele Ocean Sciences Building! Come explore hands-on exhibits, live marine species, and ocean science in action. It’s open Thursday through Sunday. Go to beatymarinecentre.ca to plan your visit.
In this week’s edition of our Beyond the Degree alumni profile series, meet Sophie Hamr (BSc ’14), a Dal Science alum and Associate Medical Director at Scientific Global, a medical communications agency. Her job involves research and working on marketing and educational projects for healthcare clients. 🩺
Sophie’s interest in research and communications started during her time at Dal. “It sparked my lifelong love of science and taught me important research, comprehension, and communication skills that I use to this day!” 🔬
After graduating from Dal, Sophie completed a Master of Science in human physiology from the University of Toronto and a professional writing certification from Centennial College. She worked at several marketing and communications agencies before starting her current role. 👩💻
Her favourite part of her job is that she “gets to be a lifelong science student and explore my curiosities about medical science every day.”
Interested in science communication? Sophie’s advice: “Look out for any volunteer opportunities that allow you to practice writing and creating content so you can develop your science communication skills and portfolio.”
SOI’s Blue Futures Pathways and Dalhousie’s Faculty of Science teams are heading to the H2O Home to Overseas Conference, and we want to see you there! We’ll be hosting two major events during the conference:
1️⃣ Career Connect Day with Dalhousie
🗓️ June 9 | 11:00 AM - 4:30 PM (AST)
📍 Exhibit Hall, Halifax Convention Centre
🤝Network directly with industry experts, perfect your professional pitch in real-time and get your resume polished by professionals who know exactly what recruiters are looking for.
2️⃣ Speaking Session: From Pathways to Purpose
🗓️ June 10 | 1:55 PM - 2:10 PM (AST)
📍 Room 109, Halifax Convention Centre
🤝 Discover how BFP is opening doors for youth across Canada through internships, mentorship, and wage subsidies. You’ll walk away with a clear roadmap on how to access these resources.
Register for FREE if you’re a student, or grab a 90% discount if you’re an ECOP! Click the link in our bio to register today.
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Les équipes de Plein cap vers un avenir bleu et de la Faculté des sciences de l’Université Dalhousie se rendront à la conférence « H2O Home to Overseas », et nous espérons vous y voir ! Nous organiserons deux événements majeurs pendant la conférence :
1️⃣ Journée Career Connect avec l’université Dalhousie
🗓️ 9 juin | 11 h 00 - 16 h 30 (HNA)
📍 Hall d’exposition, Centre des congrès d’Halifax
🤝Réseautez directement avec des experts du secteur, peaufinez votre présentation professionnelle en temps réel et faites réviser votre CV par des professionnels qui savent exactement ce que recherchent les recruteurs.
2️⃣ Conférence : De la voie à la vocation
🗓️ 10 juin | 13 h 55 - 14 h 10 (HNA)
📍 Salle 109, Centre des congrès d’Halifax
🤝 Découvrez comment le programme PCVAB ouvre des portes aux jeunes de tout le Canada grâce à des stages, du mentorat et des subventions salariales. Vous repartirez avec une feuille de route claire sur la manière d’accéder à ces ressources.
Inscrivez-vous GRATUITEMENT si vous êtes étudiant, ou bénéficiez d’une réduction de 90 % si vous faites partie du programme ECOP ! Cliquez sur le lien dans notre bio pour vous inscrire dès aujourd’hui.
Going into Science next year at Dal? Be sure to sign up for a FIGs class! These First-Year Interest Groups are fun, free, non-credit courses for first-year BSc students. You’ll meet other students with similar interests, have the opportunity to explore those interests, and future academic and career options, all in a small group setting.
You can sign up for a FIG when you register for your courses! Here are a few things to keep in mind when registering:
* FIGs are listed in the academic timetable under their own subject area (First Year Interest Groups - Sci), rather than under a department’s listings.
* Make sure the FIG time slot doesn’t conflict with any of your other courses.
See you in September!
Everyday chemistry is on display in May’s featured photo from the 2026 Science as Art calendar. The blue and purple flower of this hydrangea is impacted by the pH of the soil it resides in – just call it pHydrangea. 🌸
Three-time alum Autumn Meek (BSc’06, MSc’08, PhD’12) took this photo in Stillwater Lake, Nova Scotia. To learn more about what Autumn has been up to since graduating, check out the first edition of our ‘Beyond the Degree’ alumni series – it’s the previous post on our grid. 🎓
The Science as Art calendar is produced annually by the Faculty of Science and features photos submitted by alumni, students, faculty, and staff.
Visit dal.ca/science-as-art for a look at the rest of the 2026 calendar and to see how you can share your photos in the 2027 edition. 📷
Introducing our Beyond the Degree series – over the next several weeks, get to know members of the Faculty of Science’s alumni community and their diverse career paths. 🎓
First up is Autumn Meek (BSc’06, MSc’08, PhD’12), a Scientific Associate at the University Health Network (UHN) Therapeutics group at the Krembil Research Institute. In her role, she identifies protein binding sites, supports virtual screening, and helps guide the synthesis of drug therapeutics. 🔬
Autumn’s interest in medicinal chemistry started during her BSc at Dal, where she says she “learned how to put the ‘re’ in research!” She went on to complete her MSc and PhD in chemistry at Dalhousie. 🥼
It was a postdoctoral fellowship from Dal that brought her to UHN in Toronto, and in 2018, she became a permanent member of the team. Her favourite part about working there is the collaborations she is a part of while finding cures for diseases. 🧬
This was her advice to students who want to pursue a similar career path: “Research institutes are fantastic places to work if you really enjoy research. Find a subject that you really enjoy and pursue it!” 🧪
Getting the Madagascar lace plant necessary for her research to successfully flower and produce seeds has long been a challenge for Dal biology professor Arunika Gunawardena. 🌱
After exploring the use of the Aquatron Laboratory, Dr. Gunawardena and her team may have cracked the code to achieve the conditions necessary to create a mini-Madagascar at Dal and induce flowering in the aquatic lace plant – with its seeds helping establish a new supply of lab-grown plants suitable for research. 🇲🇬🔬
Visit the link in our bio to read about the collaboration between faculty, staff, and students that brought May flowers to the Gunawardena Lab. 💐
📷 Pictured from L to R in the group photo are MSc student Valerie Schagen, Aquatron manager John Batt, Dr. Gunawardena, Aquatron operations technician Jim Eddington, Aquatron biologist Nayla Sernowsky, Prof. Rajesh Rajaselvam, and undergraduate student Jake Gysel
Ever wonder what happens behind the aquariums at Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity?👀
Meet the Dalhousie Aquatron Team! The people making sure our marine species are thriving every single day.🩵
From mixing up perfect gourmet meals to checking water quality and watching for every little shell shift and fin flick, they keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes. It takes teamwork, passion, and a whole lot of ocean love to keep our species happy and healthy.
Look a little closer next time you visit. There is a whole hidden world and team behind every aquarium! 🌎🌊
@dalhousie_aquatron@dalscience
Psychology student Melina Collins is the 2026 recipient of the Dr. Anne Marie Ryan Community Growth Award, established to recognize individuals at Dalhousie University who demonstrate a sustained commitment to strengthening community through service, collaboration, thoughtful action, and empathy.
A member of Dal’s women’s basketball team, Melina created Tigers Read, a literacy-based mentorship program that connects student-athletes with children in Grades 1-5. 📚🏀
She has also been involved with volunteer initiatives with the IWK Health Centre and other community programs.
Congratulations, Melina! 👏 Read more at the link in our bio.
Congratulations to Dr. Blaine Fiss, a Killam Postdoctoral Fellow in the Dasog Research Lab, on being selected for two prestigious global leadership programs for young scientists. 👏
Yesterday, Dr. Fiss was named a Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) Fellow, making him just the second person from a Canadian university to be selected in the initiative's three-year history. 🇨🇦
In March, he was chosen for the CAS Future Leaders program, along with 30 early-career scientists. 🥼
Visit the link in our bio to more about Dr. Fiss's journey, from navigating academia with cerebral palsy, to leading improvements to advanced materials production at Dal, and striving to make science more accessible.
📷 Photos by Danny Abriel.
Say hello to the 2025 Top Co-op Student of the Year for Science & Sustainability, Jessica Fullerton!
According to her supervisor, Zeynep Oncu, Jessica impressed her coworkers and supervisors from the start with her quick learning and insightful questions that she was never afraid to ask. Jessica took feedback well and always followed through regardless of what was asked of her. Coworkers praise Jessica for her adaptability, since she had to often shift priorities and did so with maturity, balance, and a calm, solution-focused approach.
Congratulations Jessica! To read more about Jessica and our other Dalhousie Top Co-op Students of the Year, link in bio!
Though it doesn't always feel like it, spring is here, and we'll soon be spending more time outdoors, just like this Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) picking a mouthful of flora for its burrow. 🪹🍃
Captured by undergraduate student Lauren Watt in Elliston, Newfoundland, the shot is April's featured photo in the 2026 Science as Art calendar.
The Science as Art calendar is produced annually by the Faculty of Science and features photos submitted by alumni, students, faculty, and staff.
Visit dal.ca/science-as-art for a look at the rest of the 2026 calendar and to see how you can share your photos in the 2027 edition. 📷
