The month of September marks a change in our cycle in the academic realm. The bustle of summer research winds down as our focus turns to the Fall semester and the line-up of courses we’re offering. This is always an exciting time for me. I look forward to meeting our new students and touch base with our returning Majors and Honours research students. At Science Atlantic, the excitement is palpable too. A new season of undergraduate conferences is in the planning phase and many of us are already actively involved in the preparations or gearing up to coach students for their first experience at presenting their work.
Our roster lists one new addition this year, the Nutrition and Foods conference! The planning committee is actively involved in organizing the inaugural meeting which will take place at Mount Saint Vincent University. For an updated list of all of our upcoming conferences and excellent resources for conference planning including our ‘conference in a box’, please visit our conference page. Science Atlantic conferences are a great way to facilitate networking among students, students and faculty, and among faculty! There are also many opportunities to get involved with SA beyond the conferences through discipline-specific committees. Touch base with the committee representative at your institution to find out more about activities that are taking place.
Our work with the Atlantic Facilities and Research Equipment Database (AFRED) continues to draw attention and most importantly new equipment listings are continuing to feed into our database. I am truly impressed with the potential of this new tool to showcase our expertise and specialized equipment, as well as fostering new relationships within and beyond the region. If you haven’t done so already, I strongly encourage you to visit the website and consider listing your equipment. Over the coming year, we hope to develop a process for all our partner institutions to maximize their number of listings with AFRED.
Please consult Science Atlantic awards webpage and social media feeds (Twitter, Facebook) for news of our awards, including our Hall of Fame members. Last year more than 72 students were recognized for their outstanding contributions at SA conferences.
This Fall, our November General Meeting at Saint Mary’s University will feature the presentation of our proposed Strategic Plan, marking the culmination of a successful planning session last year followed by the hard work of our Strategic Planning Committee. I look forward to being part of the development of our organization and I encourage you to get involved with SA in any capacity. Visit the SA website to learn more and don’t hesitate to email us if you have any questions.
I am looking forward to an activity-packed year with Science Atlantic.
Christian Lacroix
Chair, Science Atlantic
Biology Professor, University of Prince Edward Island
