Wow! The Burke-Gaffney Observatory all-sky camera @smuhalifax.bsky.social captured the brief surge in aurora last night when the sky lit up RED by-eye. The camera is black & white, but we can see the band of aurora start in the north (bottom) and work its way southward, before the clouds took over 🤯

The contest is open to all Saint Mary's students, faculty, staff and alumni. Science is everywhere! We're looking for images from labs & workplaces, nature, scientific visualization and storytelling. Enter now! smu.ca/photocontest

Where will your research take you? For Claire Singer, her PhD research on changes in plant communities in northern Canada led to travel around the region, a published book titled “Guide the the Berries of the Northwest Territories,” starting an ecological consulting firm — and a dog named Rufus.

We’re excited to announce that Dr. Laurie Rousseau-Nepton, University of Toronto, will present the 11th annual Dan MacLennan Memorial Lecture in Astronomy at Saint Mary's! Free tickets available now! www.eventbrite.ca/e/dan-maclen...

Dr. Maryanne Fisher, Professor of Psychology at Saint Mary’s, discusses the dangers of romance scams — and how to avoid them—with Bob Murphy on CBC’s Maritime Noon radio. Click to listen: (Scroll to 15 minutes into the program): www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

Dr. Mitch Kerr, Department of Earth Science at Saint Mary’s, explains the potential for lithium mining in Nova Scotia. Watch now. youtu.be/lemZNhquh8Y?...

Congratulations Katie Pegg on yet another big win!!

It was sooo inspiring to meet with many NS science teachers last month! We shared all of the (free!!) astronomy-focused, hands-on lesson plans we've put together, which can all be found online now, too: observatory.smu.ca/starfinder

Math Seminar: Dr. Dawson will discuss non-regular tetrahedra weighted so that they can only balance on one of their faces & other higher dimensional spaces. Wednesday, Sept. 17 @ 11:30 a.m. in Atrium 214A All are welcome!

Tobacco plant in bloom! (Nicotiana tabacum). This is a part of our Indigenous medicine plant project in our Environmental Science spaces at @smuscience.bsky.social.

We had a great time exploring astronomy eduction with these great teachers last month! @smustarfinder.bsky.social

Amazing work—research with real community impact at SMU Science!

Proud of my grad student Rachel Kendall for this #peatland #plant #traits paper! Contrasting responses to climate & geography among shrub, sedge & #moss species. A fun project that connected across provinces & labs @wetland-ghg.bsky.social @wetlandresilienceresearchgroup.com @smuscience.bsky.social

Mallory is studying plankton for her @smuscience.bsky.social honours thesis this summer. Here's a sneak peek at some of her samples! (Hastily taken by hand through a microscope using a phone camera. We'll have better images coming soon!)

A cleaner future for mining: Two @smuhalifax.bsky.social professors are are developing sustainable methods to make metal extraction cleaner and more environmentally responsible. Read more: news.smu.ca/news/2025/7/...

Computing Science Lecture: Open to all! Hierarchical Transfer Multi-task Learning and Task Grouping for Scene Classification Presented by Dr. Reza Khoshkangini, Malmo Univ.

Kaitlyn Kerr prepared this Facebook post on request for one of our Waverley community partners, Macdonald Sports Park, so I thought I'd also share this here too! It's about Kaity's @smuscience.bsky.social graduate research project. www.facebook.com/mcdonaldspor...

Save the date! We’re bringing @researchedcanada.bsky.social to Halifax this fall . @smuhalifax.bsky.social @smuarts.bsky.social @smuscience.bsky.social @msvuhalifax.bsky.social

Bay View High School students visited a Chemistry lab @smuhalifax.bsky.social to make... worms! (When sodium alginate is placed in a solution of calcium ions, long polysaccharide molecules clump together and form an even bigger polymer that is too big to stay in the solution which = “worms.”)

Faculty of Science Photo Contest Winners: Month by month we'll display winners from our 2025 calendar. The June image is “Rainbow Residue” by Tanner George, PhD’25 in Applied Science, Chemistry, and Alumni and Faculty Pick up your copy of the calendar at the Science Advising Centre (Atrium 301).

“Leaving home doesn’t just change where you live, it changes who you are.” Excellent speech by valedictorian Sheheryar Khan, who earned a BSc with a Diploma in Engineering. Watch now: vimeo.com/1088079229#t...

Free event at Saint Mary's! Open to the public. June 3 @ 7 pm Topic: Cosmic Fossils and the Origins of Planets, presented by Dr. JJ Kavelaars

New Class! Examine topics related to the exploitation of Earth for its mineral wealth, incl. Enviro impacts of mining, and sustainable practices in the industry. Winter 2026 | Hyflex MW 4-5:15 p.m. | GEOL 1212 Dr. Jacob Hanley | [email protected] No prerequisites. No lab. 3 credit hours.

Congratulations to Saint Mary's Psychology prof Dr. Arla Day, recognized as a Take the Lead Champion by @discoverhalifax.bsky.social! Thanks to her efforts, the Occupational Health Psychology Summer Institute will be held again this summer in Halifax. Read more: taketheleadhalifax.ca/arla-day

Congratulations to Lauren MacDonald who is doing her MSc on freshwater mussels in historical gold mine tailing sites at @smuscience.bsky.social. Her talk was recognized with an award at the 2025 Science Atlantic Environment Conference!

Know a teen who is interested in studying Forensic Science? Explore how the sciences are applied in Forensic situations as well as the theories and principles underlying these applications. Ages: 14-17 Dates: July 28-Aug. 1 or Aug. 4-8, 2025 Details: smu.ca/frsc

Faculty of Science Photo Contest Winners: Month by month we'll display each winner from our 2025 Calendar. The April image is “Apollonian Circle Packing” by Dr. James Rickards, Mathematics and Computing Science. Pick up your copy of the calendar at the Science Advising Centre (Atrium 301).

Faculty of Science Photo Contest Winners: Month by month we'll display each winner from our 2025 Calendar. The March image is “Graceful Giant of the Galápagos” by Pedro Jose Suarez Briones, BSc in Biology. Pick up your copy of the calendar at the Science Advising Centre (Atrium 301).

Are you getting up early tomorrow for the partial solar eclipse? Dig out your eclipse glasses from last year!

Tomorrow morning!

Dr. Carla Crossman graduated from Saint Mary's with her PhD in the fall. She conducted this exciting research during her time in the Faculty of Science working with Dr. Tim Frasier in his research lab. Excellent work!

Know a teen who is interested in studying Forensic Science? Explore how the sciences are applied in Forensic situations as well as the theories and principles underlying these applications.   Ages: 14-17 Dates: July 28-Aug. 1 or Aug. 4-8, 2025 Details: smu.ca/frsc

This Friday morning (March 14) there will be a Total Lunar Eclipse visible in Halifax (and across North America)! Follow the Burke-Gaffney Observatory's website for more info: observatory.smu.ca/whats-up

Faculty of Science Photo Contest Winners: Month by month we'll display each winner from our 2025 Calendar. The February image is “Soybean Stem Cross-Section” by Makayla Makhlouf, Bachelor of Science in Biology. Pick up your copy of the calendar at the Science Advising Centre (Atrium 301).

Month by month we'll display each winner from our 2025 Science Photo Contest & Calendar. “2024 Total Solar Eclipse” by Angelo George, PhD in Astronomy. Pick up your copy of the calendar at the Science Advising Centre (Atrium 301) or the Dean of Science Office (S221).

Faculty of Science Photo Contest Winners: Month by month we'll display each winner from our 2025 Calendar. “Aurora Over the BGO” by Devin Williams, PhD in Astronomy. Pick up your copy of the calendar at the Science Advising Centre (Atrium 301) or the Dean of Science Office (S221).

Work in a lab with a professor at Saint Mary's University Halifax this summer! Apply now for your paid summer research position — open to all undergrads, even after first year! Deadline: February 21 Read more & apply: www.smu.ca/research/stu...

TODAY: Get a massage and support United Way Halifax! Wednesday, February 12 Noon–4:30 p.m. | Patrick Power Library Massage Therapy Program, Eastern College

TODAY: Lunch Movie Break! The Last Repair Shop Loyola 275, 40 minutes long, $5 donations at the door

The Books and Games sale is on NOW! Today & Tomorrow (Tues/Wed) from 10-3:30 pm in the Loyola Colonnade! Find your next great read and support the #UnitedWay!

Invited symposium happening now! #cfpvc @chrisjlively.bsky.social @kirkluther.bsky.social @smuscience.bsky.social

STARTING NOW! Canadian Forensic Psychology Virtual Conference! Featuring Keynote Speaker: Dr. Tess Neal: "Eight Best Practices for Forensic Psychological Assessment" Friday @ noon-5 pm Join the conference now! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

There's still time to register for the Canadian Forensic Psychology Virtual Conference! Featuring Keynote Speaker: Dr. Tess Neal: "Eight Best Practices for Forensic Psychological Assessment" Friday @ noon-5 pm docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

ONE WEEK until the Canadian Forensic Psychology Virtual Conference, and there's still time to register for your free Zoom link! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Thanks to new research funding Dr. Tim Frasier & an int'l team of researchers will be able to modernize a DNA database that contains genetic profiles of about 700 right whales. Data has been collected since the 1980s, and is the key to identifying and understanding the endangered mammals.

In the news: How reliable is your brain? Who are the mysterious “they” that they always talk about? Professor of Psychology Dr. Steven Smith spoke with Jeff Douglas on CBC’s Mainstreet radio about conspiracy theories on Monday, Jan. 20. Listen now: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

Excellent news! Tune in this evening.

There's still time to submit your abstract for this amazing conference, now in its fifth year! @smuarts.bsky.social

Another busy open house at @smuhalifax.bsky.social this weekend! Faculty of Science visitors met with professors to hear about the wide range of exciting science fields our students are studying. We're taking applications now for winter & fall 2025, visit smu.ca/futurestudents