Harold Cook is a graduate of NSAC. He holds both an undergraduate and a master’s degree in Agricultural Science and he was recognized in 2007 as one of NSAC’s outstanding alumni.

A prominent Canadian scientist with a 34-year career in pediatrics and biochemistry research, Dr. Cook was the eleventh Dean of Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine. Holding a PhD degree in Biochemistry and MSc in Agricultural Chemistry, Dr. Cook was the only non-clinical dean of medicine in Canada. He served as chair and executive member of the Board of Directors/Council of Deans of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (2008-09) and also on several steering and provincial review committees. Following his appointment on July 1, 2004, Dr. Cook guided the Faculty through an extensive renewal process involving significant executive recruitment and strategic planning designed to meet the changing medical needs of Canada’s three Maritime provinces well into the twenty-first century. He lead the Faculty’s development of a New Brunswick-based Dalhousie MD program – an important milestone in the Faculty’s long and enduring commitment to its Maritime base.

As Dean, Dr. Cook served on a variety of boards, including those of the Capital District Health Authority, administering the Maritimes’ most extensive array of tertiary health care services, and the IWK Health Centre, operating the region’s chief pediatric and obstetrics care facility. Before accepting the Deanship, Dr. Cook was the Faculty’s Associate Dean of Research and Planning. Under his guidance, research funding grew to more than $45 million annually. Dr. Cook is one of the world’s leading authorities on fatty acids and lipids, with 132 peer-reviewed papers and several book chapters to his credit. Dr. Cook has also served as Director of the Atlantic Research Centre at Dalhousie University, as leader of the Clinical Genetics Program and as an affiliated scientist at the IWK Health Centre. He was a Visiting Professor at Harvard University and at the University of British Columbia.

Since retirement in 2010, Dr. Cook has built a new home in Yarmouth County, NS and has become increasingly involved in local community and church activities. He serves as a Federal Government appointed Member of the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

Fatty liver disease is a rapidly increasing health concern for both humans and animals. A recent discovery made by researchers at NSAC may help identify targets for effective ways of preventing or treating the development of a fatty liver.

“These results were surprising in that they provide the first evidence for the activation of the fat synthesis pathway in mink with fatty liver”, says Kirsti Rouvinen-Watt, “It will be very interesting to see if this interferes with other physiological processes in the body and how it may impact the liver’s ability to cope with the excess fat.”

Fatty liver may develop due to several causes. Of these, lifestyle related factors such as a diet high in fat and rapid mobilization of body fat during weight loss are the most common.

Dr. Rouvinen-Watt and her research team, using the mink as a model animal, has discovered new pathophysiological mechanisms that contribute to the progression of fatty liver disease in mink, a strict carnivore.

The team has shown that while the initial accumulation of liver fat is a result of the release of fatty acids from fat deposits, the liver also makes new fat which further increases the liver lipid load. Following the initial accumulation of excess fat in the liver cells, a transformation of the liver tissue takes place. As a result, the liver begins to turn on genes that are normally expressed in the fatty tissue and begins to produce more fat. This increases the severity of fatty liver disease in two ways; firstly by further increasing the amount of fat within the liver, but it may also inhibit the burning of fat for energy purposes.

Mink are at risk of developing fatty liver several times in their production cycle: during the fall when they deposit body fat in preparation for winter, during winter when slimming down in preparation for breeding and again during lactation when fat is mobilized for milk production for the young.

The results of this research will be very useful to the agricultural sector in Nova Scotia, as mink is currently the number one agricultural export of the province, bringing in over $100 million in annual revenue. This new understanding of fatty liver development is also highly beneficial to the human health sector as the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is rapidly increasing together with the associated metabolic syndrome, obesity and Type II diabetes.

The team also includes research assistant Lora Harris, recent NSAC M.Sc. graduates Morag Dick and Catherine Pal and Sha Lei, a visiting Ph.D. student from China, together with their Finnish collaborators Dr. Petteri Nieminen and Dr. Anne-Mari Mustonen. Results of this research are reported in the British Journal of Nutrition.

View the complete paper online.

But the dazzling didn’t stop there: equally as impressed were the parade’s judges, awarding the School of Architecture first place for the float’s creativity, use of lights and overall effect.

“We took it to another scale this year,” says Clayton Blackman, a masters student who worked on the floats. as he stands beside an ensemble of giant hollow orbs of various designs.

Though the project had a central design team—which also included Mark Erickson, Matthew Kennedy and Adam Pelissero—everyone involved speaks about the project as a community effort; Mr. Blackman likens it to “raising a barn.”

The seven lanterns, each about the size of a car, spent more than two months in concept mode before proper construction on the frames began two weeks prior to the parade. It took a team of 30 to 40 people a few days to complete construction.

“It is a very collaborative, collective project,” explains Mr. Blackman, “but everyone also put their own individual creativity into it.”

Human power, human scale

The students experimented with new cladding ideas when creating the coverings for the lantern frames, using a lot of thin wooden veneer pieces instead of just cloth material. By using natural, reclaimed wood and other found materials, they hoped to offer a visual representation of sustainability.

The students took the sustainability theme a step further by opting out of the traditional truck and flatbed combo for mobilizing their entry. Instead, the lanterns were towed on small trailers by cyclists, in collaboration with I Heart Bikes, a local business started by recent Dal graduate Sarah Craig.

This year’s entry is “about human power,” say Mr. Blackman and Mr. Erickson. The float organizers wanted to get the whole school involved, so they had engineering students do the lighting and had representatives from Dal’s Environment, Sustainability and Society and business programs help pull the float by bike.

The lanterns were designed to celebrate the atmosphere of festivals and architecture’s relation to the public. Lit from the inside, the thin pieces of veneer created transparency and a visual sense of lightness. Some of the lanterns even had shapes and patterns that created silhouettes.

“Each lantern has a theme that grew out of it naturally,” says Mr. Blackman.

The architecture students hope to create “a more human scale” for their work, and to encourage “interaction between spectators and paraders” by having multiple floats at eye level.

Dalhousie employee Maggie Snow has observed the construction and execution of the Dal architecture floats since they began in 2003. “I’m proud of the students,” she says, “They do this for the city and for the children.”

Urban fabric

This was Mr. Blackman’s fourth float and Mr. Erickson’s third. They hope that this year’s parade entry will set a bar for the future.

As many architecture students are working on their theses, the float offered a good hands-on opportunity to learn about different materials. It was also a creative collaboration that allowed everyone to contribute to the design throughout construction.

“What makes a good city is everyone approaching things from different angles, like pieces of an urban fabric,” says Mr. Blackman.”

Keeping with the sustainability theme, the giant lanterns will likely be reused as public art now that the parade is over.

“We’re pleased to be able to welcome the biggest-ever class this year,” said NSAC Co-President and Vice President Academic Leslie MacLaren. “Achieving this enrollment milestone reflects the real effort our faculty and staff dedicate to providing a personalized, high quality academic environment for all of our students whether in diploma, Bachelors or Masters programs.”

Of the 994 students, 906 are full-time students and 88 part-time as well as 366 new students and 628 returning.

The university also welcomed 62 new international students from China, India, the Netherlands, Germany, Vietnam, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ethiopia and Scotland. International student enrollment remains at 19 per cent of the student body.

“Our international students provide a global aspect to our campus, enriching the experience of all of our students, staff and faculty,” said NSAC Dean of Internationalization Nancy Pitts.

A specialized university experience remains the primary attraction for these students who have been increasing in numbers every year but one since 2004.

NSAC has been fortunate to experience growth in overall enrolment over the past several years, which we attribute to innovative marketing and recruitment, strong and supportive industry relations, responsive academic programming and international partnerships, added Dr. MacLaren.

Leanne French-Munn, director of enrollment management at NSAC agrees. “While there is no silver bullet to address enrollment issues, likewise there is no one reason for NSAC’s enrollment increases over the last several years,” she explained.  “However reasons we do believe support and contribute to our success include understanding our target market and responding accordingly as well as the growth in our international articulation agreements which serve to diversify our student segment while enhancing the learning environment.”

However, if you ask the students themselves, the overwhelming response would be campus life.

“We continually inquire with our students about why they chose NSAC and why they continue. The consistent responses we hear are all attributed to excellent faculty and teaching and a learning environment that is hands-on and relevant,” explained Ms. French-Munn. “Additionally the small, close knit campus community offers our students opportunities that appeal to personal, academic and professional development.

And they’re the biggest reason that Dalhousie was just named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers – the first ever Atlantic Canadian university to make the list and only one of four universities in the country.

The recognition comes from the annual report of employers published in the Globe and Mail. Dalhousie received ‘A’ or ‘A+’ ratings in the categories of ‘Physical Workplace,’ ‘Financial Benefits and Compensation,’ ‘Health & Family-Friendly Benefits,’ ‘Training & Skills Development’ and ‘Community Involvement.’

Read: Dalhousie’s profile on the Top 100 Employers website

In a memo to the Dal community, President Tom Traves highlighted the university’s accomplishments in recent years—from the increase in faculty research awards to the success of the Bold Ambitions campaign to date —and saluted the employees who made them possible.

“To earn this distinction, we required a special workplace for terrific employees doing a great job,” he said. “Dalhousie’s award was truly earned by every member of our community.”

Striving for inclusion and support

And every member of that community has his or her own reasons for working at Dal.

Monica Baccardax has been with the Faculty of Medicine for 33 years, and is now a project manager with MedIT. She’s not only worked with various departments at the medical school, but her role supporting recruitment and campaigning for Dalhousie’s United Way effort has introduced her to many other community-minded staffers across the university.

“It’s a great way to learn more about what’s going on at Dalhousie, while also making a difference, even if indirectly,” she says. “It doesn’t matter what faculty you’re in, there’s a community here. We’re all doing different work, but our goals are the same.”

Bill Gilbert, a working foreman with Custodial Services, also believes in the power of an inclusive community. Along with evening custodial supervisors Cindy Murphy and Juanita Haas, he spearheaded the “Respect” campaign within Facilities Management, encouraging employees to wear pink buttons and pink gloves to reinforce that everyone and their ideas, skills and thoughts should be treated fairly.

“I find that if you put a hand out here, you get two in return,” says Mr. Gilbert, who has been with Dalhousie for four years. He says his work has been encouraged both by his own leaders as well as other leaders on campus, and he hopes to continue to see it expand in the future.

“I feel like Dalhousie supports and gives latitude to those who want to make a difference….I’ve worked for a lot of huge organizations in my life, but I’ve never encountered a more supportive employer.”

Passion for teaching

For those on the front lines of Dal’s teaching and research, supporting both students and colleagues is a key part of being a university employee.

“I think Dalhousie blends the best of big and small university environments,” says Srini Sampalli, professor with the Faculty of Computer Science, noting what he perceives as a true sense of collegiality on campus. “What is remarkable is that the university has a rich research culture as well as student-centered learning.”

And for Dr. Sampalli it’s the student experience, first and foremost, that keeps him excited about coming to work each morning.

“I’m very passionate about teaching. I believe students are the reason we’re here, and I feel privileged to get to teach and work with students…. It’s like that Chinese saying, ‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.’ And I feel like I chose a job I love.”

Setting a standard

Katherine Sheehan, assistant vice-president of Human Resources, is quick to credit the entire Dal community for helping make the Top 100 recognition possible. In particular, she’s thankful for the staff across various departments and offices who were involved in preparing materials during the application process.

She adds that while being named one of the best employers in Canada is a source of pride for Dalhousie, it’s also something of a challenge.

“This symbolizes that we’re a workplace that attracts and supports excellent people – and it means we have to continue to live up to that standard,” she says, noting that the forthcoming release of the latest workplace survey (scheduled for October 17) will provide more insight into how Dalhousie can continue to improve as an employer.

“No workplace is without its issues, and I’m sure our employees will—and should—point to this award as something to hold us accountable to.”

After all, she says, the sort of accomplishments cited by Dr. Traves can only happen if there is a community of employees to help achieve them.

“On their behalf, we’re committed to earning this distinction every day.”

Read: The full list of Canada’s Top 100 Employers.

Accordingly, Dalhousie’s grade in the College Sustainability Report Card has been improving, earning a ‘B’ this year with an ‘A’ rating in the categories of administration, food & recycling, student involvement and investment priorities. Dalhousie also received a silver seal from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS).

College of Sustainability

Launched in 2008, Dalhousie’s College of Sustainability offers a common place for the study of sustainability-based problems at Dalhousie University. It offers a range of exciting lectures, seminars and activities through the school year, building a shared sense of community around environment and sustainability-related issues.

Most notably, it is the host of Dalhousie’s degree program in Environment, Sustainability and Society (ESS). The first of its kind in Canada, the program allows students to take a double major or combined honours program in ESS and a host of other disciplines, from Arts and Science to Management and Community Design.

Office of Sustainability

The Office of Sustainability works to incorporate sustainability concepts and criteria into all major university functions. It also works to engage and enhance students, staff, and faculty in sustainable living and operation. The office offers hands-on programs such as ReThink! Sustainability on Campus and promotes student-led events such as Green Week and the annual Dump and Run.

A sample of sustainability initiatives

• The university publishes a Green Guide [PDF] for students and staff to learn more about ways to be sustainable on campus.
• Dalhousie is a signatory on the University and Colleges’ Climate Change Statement for Canada. The university has a comprehensive climate change plan [PDF], with goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50 per cent by 2020 below the 2008-09 baseline.
• Dalhousie’s newest building, the Mona Campbell Building, is the greenest on campus, with rainwater used to flush toilets and a solar wall to preheat ventilation air. In 2011, Dalhousie passed a new green building policy which states that all new buildings should be LEED gold.
• Dalhousie diverts 65 per cent of its waste from the landfill, with a target of increasing this number to 75 per cent.
• Dal is upgrading all lighting on campus beginning earlier this year, which should reduce the overall lighting energy consumed by 20 to 30 per cent.
• The university has made the switch from Bunker C heating oil to natural gas. Since the change began in October 2010, Dal’s sulphur emissions have been reduced by 35 per cent over 2001 levels, with carbon emissions also reduced.

Learn more at the Dalhousie Office of Sustainability’s website.

TREEhouse (Technology for the Responsible use of Energy and the Environment) is an on-campus project to convert an older style split-level dwelling into an energy efficient and eco-friendly office space.

“It’s a unique project that combines applied research, teaching and innovative design in the creation of a sustainable working environment,” said Kenny Corscadden, NSAC’s Industry Research Chair in Farm Energy Conservation and the project’s leader.  “The ultimate goal of this project is to produce a research building that will allow modern, “green” building materials to be applied, compared and evaluated, while providing students with the opportunity to gain hands-on understanding in modern building practices, recycled products and innovative designs.”

Phase 1 of the three-phased project has focused on the initial renovation to produce a useable space with the building now benefitting from passive solar, recycled insulation, energy efficient lighting, recycled flooring and paint, recycled roofing materials and exterior siding produced from locally sourced wood products.

The house has been broken down into three zones separated by lighting type, insulation type and wall thickness. Researchers will have the ability to monitor each zone in real time to measure light use, airflow, as well as heating and cooling requirements.  The individually controlled electrical circuits will allow comparison of the performance of a range of different materials and products.

EnviroShake roofing shingles made from recycled rubber products were selected for the roof while the  siding is a 100 per cent wood product sourced locally.

The house was wrapped and insulated with two different types of insulation. The east side of the house has walls that are six inches think and are insulated with insulation batts made from recycled pop bottles. The west side of the house has eight-inch thick walls and is insulated with traditional fiberglass batts.

Sensors have been installed in the walls of each zone to provide the ability to evaluate the insulation properties and performance of the different insulation types.  The paper portion of the board is made from recycled paper.

“For future experiments and construction this opens the door to the different models and materials that can be used to increase efficiency,” added Dr. Corscadden.

Plans are also in the works for innovative landscaping and a green roof installation. Phase 3 will consider opportunities to generate electricity onsite through renewable energy technologies like wind and solar.

“This project started because we needed more student space and wanted to use this house as a tool for teaching and experiment in the possibilities of sustainable designs,” explained Dr. Corscadden.  “It is well on its way to becoming a great accomplishment and success for both NSAC and its research teams.”

For more information on the TREEhouse please visit http://nsac.ca/treehouse/

The university has a number of outreach programs that invite grade school students to campus to take part in hands-on, engaging activities – not to mention some programs that bring Dalhousie students into school classrooms around the region. Here are just a few of them:

SuperNOVA

One of the most prominent outreach programs at Dal, SuperNOVA is student-run, non-profit organization that offers children and teenagers ages five to 18 high-quality, hands-on experiences in science, computer science, and engineering. Campers get to work on catapults, roller coasters, bouncy balls and countless other memorable contraptions and experiments.

Though best known for its popular summer campus at Dalhousie, the organization, which celebrated its 15th anniversary this year, also visits more than 200 classrooms across Atlantic Canada each year, extending its educational and entertaining activities to close to 10,000 children each year.

Dalplex Camps

During the warmer months, Dalhousie’s Dalplex facilities are filled with activity thanks to a variety of summer camps. The Active Kids Summer Camps, for kids five to 10 years old, involve a wide mix of sports: soccer, lacrosse, basketball, water polo, field hockey, soccer-baseball, track and field, and swimming. For those youths looking to specialize, there are also Superskills Summer Camps: skill-development oriented camps that encourage campers to focus on one game or sport, such as hockey, swimming or volleyball.

But camps and youth activities aren’t just a summer thing: Dalplex offers programs and lessons all year round, including the Active Kids After School Program, designed to keep children active while introducing them to a range of sports activities and providing a learning environmentwith a focus on fun, friendship and co-operation.

Science Fun and Discovery Days

Many departments in Dal’s Faculty of Science host activities for schools, bringing youths to campus to explore our facilities and learn more about the possibilities of science. This year’s set of Fun and Discovery Days, held in May and June, featured activities hosted by Psychology & Neuroscience, Physics, Math, Chemistry and Marine Biology, in total bringing more than 1,200 students to campus. From touch tanks and chemistry magic shows, to a hologram tent and math games, the activities are all up-beat, experimental and hands-on.

Learn more:

• SuperNOVA
• Children and Youth at Dalplex
• Faculty of Science: School Outreach

According to Jeff Morton, grounds co-manager at NSAC, the garden is a healthy space with great educational value for both students and the community. “The Rock Garden has created a social space in the centre of campus that brings to the forefront some of the key values of the NSAC including biodiversity, environmental responsibility and value for the community.”

Construction of NSAC’s Rock Garden began in the summer of 2002. It was designed by Bernard Jackson and constructed by members of The Friends of the Gardens, a volunteer group of avid gardeners along with the university’s grounds maintenance staff.

The garden is dedicated to Bernard Jackson, a naturalist and conservationist who worked diligently to create this sustainable ecosystem of specialized plants that require a mountainous climate and rocky terrain. The central purpose behind this addition to campus was to increase the hands-on experience for horticultural students with the use of particular plants as well as to increase the aesthetic appeal of the campus grounds.

The garden contains 450 tons of local red granite and features a cactus bed, dry stream bed, a cliff face, natural rock steps, a collection of dwarf conifers and alpine and saxatile plants as well as two cedar bridges constructed by students in the wood construction techniques course. These bridges span a dry stream bed, which is a natural feature in many arid climates. A flagstone courtyard was developed by a generous grant from the North America Rock Garden Society.

One of the unique features of a rock garden is the variety of plant environments it offers. The NSAC Rock Garden represents a variety of naturally occurring plant habitat.  Many different ecological and environmental conditions have been recreated in the garden. This allows for diverse groups of plants to be featured. Many of the plants bear their true scientific name and allow the student, or passer-by, to take a bit of knowledge with them as they stroll through the garden.

The garden continues to develop through the help of The Friends of the Gardens and donations from alumni and other interested groups. Two new areas under development include the Primula Rhododendron dell and the saxifrage collection.

In Cheverie, on Nova Scotia’s Noel Shore, they’ve been sawing, hammering, mixing cement and bricklaying since the start of this summer, with time out for a road trip to New Orleans and Savannah.

What’s taking shape is getting a lot of attention: an unusual arch-shaped brick building referred to as “the egg.” It’s designed to house a camera obscura, which will make a projection of the tide moving the water in and out of the Bay of Fundy.

“The idea is that there will be a periscope which will capture a reflection of what’s outside and project an image against markers will show the highs and lows of the tide,” explains Ryan Pendleton, a masters of architecture student from Kelowna, B.C. “It’s something nice for the community to have and be proud of.”

The shelter for the camera obscura is just a part of what’s planned for the site. An undersized culvert running under Highway 215 and linking Cheverie Creek to the Bay of Fundy had severely degraded the marsh. Since its replacement in 2003, members of the Cheverie Crossway Salt Marsh Society has been working diligently to restore the health of the salt marsh and encourage people to enjoy the area.

Alongside Professor Ted Cavanagh, seven students in the Coastal Studio class have been working on site. The unique structure is located at the start of a trail, which meanders through the woods and alongside Cheverie Creek and the salt water marsh. It’s situated with an expansive view of the Upper Bay of Fundy; Cape Blomidon and Cape Split are two of the soft blue hills seen in the distance across the water.

“Getting hands on experience, learning about project management and building something is really helpful to my future as an architect,” says Cat Wong, from Vancouver, while working inside the dome. “It makes me understand what the mason is thinking and that understanding will make me a better designer.”

She adds: “What you’re making is a very pleasing thing. It’s tangible and you can admire it at the end.”

Villagers have embraced the students, who’ve been staying at a bed-and-breakfast in nearby Summerville. They’ve been checking in on their progress and making sure they’re well fed and hydrated.

“They’re a good bunch,” says Cheverie resident Bill Garber, who arrives on the site to help pack up the tools at the end of the day. “We dreamt of having something that would be world class and this fits the bill.”

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