News

New Publication from Klapstein Group - Published in Journal of Physical Chemistry A

Tue, 15 May 2012 05:54:59

Cyanoformyl chloride and cyanoformyl bromide, XC(O)CN (X = Cl and Br), have been investigated in the gas phase by UV photoelectron and mid-infrared spectroscopies. The ground-state geometries of the neutral molecules have been obtained from quantum-chemical calculations at the B3LYP and CCSD(T) levels using the aug-cc-pVTZ basis set. The individual spectroscopies provide a detailed investigation into the vibrational and electronic character of the molecules and are supported by quantum-chemical calculations. The results are compared to data for structurally and chemically related molecules.

J. Phys. Chem. A, 2012, 116 (13), pp 3396–3403

DOI: 10.1021/jp301528q

StFX's Dr. Keith De'Bell and Dr. Michael Steinitz inducted into Science Atlantic Hall of Fame

Tue, 08 May 2012 08:14:36

Congratulations to StFX Associate Vice-President Research Dr. Keith De'Bell and to StFX physics professor Dr. Michael Steinitz, who were inducted as members of the Science Atlantic Hall of Fame as Outstanding Contributing Members at the gala celebration of the 50th anniversary of Science Atlantic (formerly APICS), held April 27, 2012 at the Discovery Centre in Halifax, NS.

The Outstanding Members Hall of Fame is intended to honour individuals who have shown exemplary and outstanding service to Science Atlantic. The inaugural awards were presented this year, to celebrate the APICS/Science Atlantic 50th anniversary year, and focused on members who have made exceptional contributions to the founding and development of APICS/Science Atlantic.

Both Dr. Steinitz and Dr. De’Bell have made significant contributions to Science Atlantic, an organization dedicated to advancing post-secondary science education and research in Atlantic Canada by providing opportunities that foster and enrich students; supporting and inspiring researchers and educators; and using its collective voice to address important regional science issues.

“It is an honour to have worked with Science Atlantic that brings together science, education, and research and particularly highlights research by undergraduates,” says Dr. De’Bell.

“Science Atlantic has been an important part of our work at StFX since its founding. Many of our physics students have made their first scientific presentation at one of its Atlantic undergraduate physics and astronomy conferences, gaining experience that helped them greatly in their careers,” Dr. Steinitz says. “Many have won prizes and many have gone on to distinguished careers, even becoming professors at StFX!"

Also during the evening celebration, StFX mathematics student Christopher van Bommel was honoured when he was chosen as recipient of one of three 50th Anniversary Student Travel Scholarships. His father, Dr. Martin van Bommel, a StFX computer science professor, accepted the award for him.

The three exceptional undergraduate students were chosen from a large pool of applicants to attend national or international academic conferences. Selection was based on academic record, the student’s acceptance as a presenter at the conference, the letter of support from the supervisor, the conference itself, and the overall quality of the student's application and experience.

A large delegation from StFX attended the gala celebration. Among the group were Dr. van Bommel, the outgoing Computer Science Committee Chair and executive member at large; Dr. Brendan Murphy, the incoming Chair of the Earth Sciences Committee; Dr. John McKenna, the incoming Chair of the Psychology Committee; and retired professor Dr. Zoe Hayes, a past council chair.

StFX's Dr. Keith De'Bell and Dr. Michael Steinitz inducted into Science Atlantic Hall of Fame

Tue, 08 May 2012 08:14:36

“It is an honour to have worked with Science Atlantic that brings together science, education, and research and particularly highlights research by undergraduates,” says Dr. De’Bell.

New book by Dr. Peter Clancy explores politics of the Scotian Basin on Canada’s east coast

Tue, 08 May 2012 08:13:41

The significance of offshore oil and gas development extends far beyond the discoveries and production platforms around Sable Island, according to a new book by StFX political science professor Dr. Peter Clancy.

In Offshore Petroleum Politics: Regulation and Risk in the Scotian Basin, published in the autumn of 2011 by UBC Press, Dr. Clancy sees the oil and gas discoveries posing challenges to public policies of both the federal and provincial governments.

For more than 40 years, oil and gas explorers have probed the continental shelf lands of Nova Scotia. Three waves of intensive investment have been punctuated by sudden slumps, owing to global market conditions, public policy changes and shifts in geological prospectivity. This study traces the fluctuations.

“Two of the most powerful force fields affecting Scotian basin petroleum are those of federalism and the market,” he says. These play out on a complex canvas of conflicting business and political interests.

“The signature feature of offshore petroleum politics is that its sectoral unity breaks down under close analysis” Dr. Clancy writes. In elaborating, the book covers a wide range of policy sub-sectors, from exploration and production licensing to strategies for onshore industrial supply, royalty and tax arrangements, onshore gas distribution within Nova Scotia, the rival liquid natural gas industry and a potential future challenge over offshore Aboriginal rights.

Dr. Clancy also develops a model of oil and gas development to explain the shifting political coalitions and technical pressures faced by government agencies and corporations. “The need to manage fields and basins throughout the full development cycle is increasingly evident. However policy design, approval and implementation are quite separate political challenges.”

New book by Dr. Peter Clancy explores politics of the Scotian Basin on Canada’s east coast

Tue, 08 May 2012 08:13:41

Dimensions of Development: Anthropology professor Dr. Susan Vincent launches book

Tue, 08 May 2012 08:12:58

For over two decades, including numerous on-the-ground research trips, StFX anthropology professor Dr. Susan Vincent has traced the development of Allpachico, a village in the central highlands of Peru.

Now, this fascinating research is the basis of her new book, Dimensions of Development: History, Community, and Change in Allpachico, Peru (University of Toronto Press).

In the book, Dr. Vincent, who specializes in the anthropology of development, examines four aid projects in the area, each following distinct international trends, which took place between 1984 and 2008. These trends in development practice are set within the context of wider state and global political and economic systems.

On March 29, friends and colleagues joined with Dr. Vincent to celebrate her accomplishment during a book launch hosted by the Department of Anthropology in the StFX Art Gallery. Dr. Jonathan Langdon of StFX’s Development Studies Program and Department of Adult Education, provided comment on the text.

Dr. Susan Vincent (centre) joins with colleagues at the book launch on March 29.

“It’s an unusual book in that it traces development in the same place over time,” Dr. Vincent says. “In terms of development, this book really does something that is critically necessary and hasn’t been done before,” she says on the historical trajectory the narrative provides.

Not only does it provide historical context, the book emphasizes that a community’s past experiences inform and influence a community’s approach to new projects.

“Most of the literature on how to do development, talks about strategies and treats the community more or less as a blank state,” she says.

This approach completely ignores how the people, the apparent beneficiaries of the project, understand different aspects of it, based on their own particular history, she says. “You can’t just throw a program or project at a community and expect it will behave as another community has.”

Dr. Vincent acknowledges that it can be difficult to address the needs of communities as access to external support may lead the people to say what potential project sponsors want to hear. Politically and economically marginalized people develop techniques, she says, to deal with powerful outsiders to get needed resources. While sometimes this involves resistance, very often in means they cooperate with the outsiders’ visions.

Dr. Vincent brings a unique perspective to the work. She has been travelling to the same community in Peru for well over 20 years. “It’s only by spending as long as I have in the community and watching the interactions that I get an idea of what is happening.”

Dr. Vincent was undertaking master’s research at McGill University in 1984 when she made her first journey to Peru to look at economic issues. Over time, she became more interested in development projects and how the process of development impacts a community.

Through the years, she has also exposed many students to her research, using her research funding to take four StFX students on three research trips to the country. She has also employed seven university students from Peru.

Three of the StFX students went on to do honours or advanced major degrees in the research area.

Dr. Vincent will use the book as a text next year in her third year course, anthropology of development.

Dimensions of Development: Anthropology professor Dr. Susan Vincent launches book

Tue, 08 May 2012 08:12:58

Not only does it provide historical context, the book emphasizes that a community’s past experiences inform and influence a community’s approach to new projects.

“Most of the literature on how to do development, talks about strategies and treats the community more or less as a blank state,” she says.

Three of the StFX students went on to do honours or advanced major degrees in the research area.

Dr. Vincent will use the book as a text next year in her third year course, anthropology of development.

MSc Position Available

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:35:47

The StFX Centre for Biofouling Research is currently accepting applications for an MSc position.

MSc Position Available

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:33:08

The StFX Centre for Biofouling Research is currently accepting applications for an MSc position.

MSc Position Available

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:24:12

Student's international summer research term translates into paper in leading national publication

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:24:32

An undergraduate summer research term at Helgoland Marine Station in Germany has turned into a significant coup for 2011 biology graduate Bradley Johnston. He’s learned a paper from this research, done for his honours thesis, has been accepted for publication by a leading national journal.

The Canadian Journal of Zoology will publish results from his work investigating how predators regular populations of prey.

Co-authors are his supervisors, Dr. Ricardo Scrosati, Canada Research Chair in Marine Ecology at StFX, and Dr. Markus Molis of Helgoland.

Mr. Johnston says the experience has been fascinating.

“It was my first time travelling to Germany, and my first major research project, so it was all very new to me. I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to study internationally during my undergrad program, and would really encourage any other student to do the same if they have the opportunity,” he says.

Mr. Johnston says he and his supervisors worked very hard after his thesis was complete to get a publication out of his work. “I really think it is worth it to push that extra little bit to try to get a publication, because now that we have our paper accepted in the Canadian Journal of Zoology, it is a pretty special reminder of the hard work we all did, and the fun that we had doing it.”

Mr. Johnston used an NSERC-USRA award he obtained from StFX to travel to Germany, where he did his honours research under the co-supervision of Drs. Molis and Scrosati. Dr. Scrosati covered Mr. Johnston’s travel expenses to Germany with funding from his own NSERC Discovery Grant.

Dr. Scrosati says predators release chemicals to the water environment, which can be detected by prey, which, in turn, modify their activities in an attempt to avoid predation. “It is becoming more evident that escape responses to predation risk may have larger impacts in prey assemblages than the already known consumptive effects by predators.”

Mr. Johnston used a barnacle-snail model system to demonstrate that predators can substantially decrease feeding rates in prey when predators are nearby, with negative consequences for prey fitness.

“I really enjoyed my research project, and feel very lucky that I was able to do it in another country, where I met so many great people and learned so much,” he says.

By having his own research project, he says he also learned quickly how to be organized and creative, and how to communicate with others.

Student's international summer research term translates into paper in leading national publication

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:24:32

The Canadian Journal of Zoology will publish results from his work investigating how predators regular populations of prey.

Co-authors are his supervisors, Dr. Ricardo Scrosati, Canada Research Chair in Marine Ecology at StFX, and Dr. Markus Molis of Helgoland.

Mr. Johnston says the experience has been fascinating.

Mr. Johnston used a barnacle-snail model system to demonstrate that predators can substantially decrease feeding rates in prey when predators are nearby, with negative consequences for prey fitness.

“I really enjoyed my research project, and feel very lucky that I was able to do it in another country, where I met so many great people and learned so much,” he says.

By having his own research project, he says he also learned quickly how to be organized and creative, and how to communicate with others.

Nursing professor honoured with national award

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:23:51

StFX nursing professor Ellen MacFarlane was honoured on the national stage when she received the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) 2011 Wendy McBride Excellence Award for Accreditation Reviewer.

The award was presented Nov. 14, 2011 at the CASN annual meeting and awards ceremony in Gatineau, Quebec.

Recipients of the award are those who have made a significant contribution to the accreditation program by providing direction and leadership during onsite visits, report writing, participating in the evaluation and advancement of the program, and demonstrating appreciation and comprehension of the program. The CASN Council accepted Prof. MacFarlane’s nomination from reviewers and leaders from the University of Saskatchewan, University of British Columbia and McGill University.

Prof. MacFarlane has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in nursing.

Prior to joining academia, she practised nursing in Alberta, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. She joined the StFX nursing team in 1979, and was appointed full professor in 1991. She served as chair of the School of Nursing on multiple occasions.

The College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia have honoured her accomplishments with both a 2002 Excellence in Nursing Practice Award, and a 2009 Centennial Award of Distinction. She is also a co-recipient of the Dr. Graham Branton Research Award, a national honour that recognizes significant contributions by the Canadian Association of Cooperative Education members to scholarly research in co-operative education in Canada.

Prof. MacFarlane has published in professional journals and presented papers throughout Canada as well as New Zealand. She received a nursing grant from the Nova Scotia Department of Health in support of a project to study the Feasibility of Establishing a Cooperative BScN Program in Nursing in Nova Scotia.

She is active in professional affairs having served as vice-president of the Canadian Nurses Association, president of the College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia, and as a member on numerous boards, committees, and task forces. She was also selected by five provinces in Canada to serve as a reviewer and/or accreditation team member of schools of nursing, and was appointed team leader on multiple occasions.

At the university level, she has served as the chair of University Faculty, Senate, the Science Faculty, and of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Violence against Women. She also served on the StFX Board of Governors.

Nursing professor honoured with national award

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:23:51

Students gain learning opportunities through expanding continental-scale research

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:23:05

As earth sciences professor Dr. Dave Risk’s research expands across North America and Antarctica, so too do the experiences and learning opportunities for the student researchers in his Flux Lab.

The lab, part of the Environmental Sciences Research Centre in the Department of Earth Sciences, is focused on the study of soil gas emissions (fluxes). Dr. Risk says that, "most people would be surprised to learn that soil biological processes create by-product gases. These gases can be used as sensitive indicators of soil activity. My group's most important project is to measure hotspots of soil change in North America. Our best models are showing that soil biological processes are indeed changing under pressure from a warming climate, but nobody has been measuring the changes."

This summer, his Flux Lab employed 10 students, from undergraduates to PhD candidates. Since the Flux Lab’s inception in 2007, students have helped develop special equipment to measure gas production and emission from soils. In addition to this development, they have helped deploy eight automated Soil Observatories, located in places like Cape Breton, Newfoundland, Saskatchewan, Alaska, and even in Antarctica. Most of the observatory sites measure all the time, and beam data back to StFX, where students are already analyzing data. Additional sites are planned and they will help students better understand soil activity and the effects of changing climate.

“Many earth sciences students collaborate with Dr. Disk in his lab to develop new instrumentation and interpretative strategies,” says Chelsie Hall, project manager at the Flux Lab. The dynamic of the lab offers students opportunities to collaborate with their peers and other professionals, to experience various aspects of research, and to apply their knowledge in a hands-on fashion. Students can carve out their own niche within larger projects and work collaboratively with others who have different, but related, research interests.

“There is great opportunity for learning, specifically regarding coupled physical biogeochemical processes,” says Christian Hart, a master’s of science candidate who has worked in Dr. Risk's lab since pursuing his undergraduate degree.

"A lot of StFX students are like Christian,” Dr. Risk says, “in that they become indoctrinated into research during their undergraduate degree. Our high research intensity at StFX, especially in earth and environmental sciences, means that a large proportion of these students find employment within StFX research programs. Here they are mentored one-on-one by faculty, and are part of tangible real-world projects."