Beyond Research

Join us for season 2 of Beyond Research, where we will explore the ripple effect that research is having on our society at large. In each episode, we will bring you the story, beyond the research and introduce you to Canada-based researchers and community leaders whose work are intersecting in unexpected ways.  

Cape Breton Island, now recognized for its natural landscapes and golf resorts, was once the industrial heartland of Atlantic Canada. By 2000, its coal and steel industries shut down resulting in a host of social and economic difficulties for the region. Learn why preserving the history of Cape Breton’s economic decline could help create a better future for postindustrial communities in Nova Scotia, Canada and beyond.

Find our transcript here: https://researchns.ca/beyondresearch-post-industrial-communities-researching-our-past-to-better-our-future/

In Season 1, Episode 11 – Post-Industrial Communities: Researching Our Past to Better Our Future, we cover: 

0:23 – Challenges facing post-industrial communities, like Cape Breton 

2:47 – Deindustrialization

4:34 – Outcomes and goals of the research

8:05 – Digitalizing history for public consumption

8:50 – The importance of oral history and storytelling

12:49 – Post-industrial landscapes

13:47 – Various communities impacted by deindustrialization

Thank you to our guest:

Dr. Lachlan MacKinnon is an Assistant Professor of History and Tier II Canada Research Chair in Post-Industrial Communities at Cape Breton University.

The Beyond Research Podcast is produced by Podstarter. It is available wherever you get your podcasts. 

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Coastal communities are increasingly having to better understand the marine environment, including balancing prosperous fisheries and endangered aquatic species. It’s estimated that more than 90% of large oceanic fish have disappeared since the 1950s due to over exploitation, habitat destruction, and a changing climate. Listen to learn how the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) became the world’s aquatic animal tracking network, deploying state-of-the-art ocean monitoring equipment around the world to inform conservation initiatives, including the protection of the North Atlantic Right Whale. 

Find our transcript here: https://researchns.ca/beyondresearch-aquatic-animal-tracking-the-north-atlantic-right-whale/ 

In Season 1, Episode 10 – Aquatic Animal Tracking: The North Atlantic Right Whale, we cover: 

1:23 – What is the Ocean Tracking Network and what does it do?

4:02 – How are aquatic animals tracked?

9:45 – Importance of Right Whales, one of the most critically endangered species in the world

10:33 – Biggest threats to Right Whale’s existence

11:31 – Tracking to understand and prevent threats

15:35  – Public interest and engagement

19:04 – Tracking terrestrial vs. aquatic species

Thank you to our guest:

Dr. Sara Iverson is the Scientific Director of the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) headquartered at Dalhousie University. OTN is a global monitoring network, providing the scientific foundation for sustainable oceans management.

The Beyond Research Podcast is produced by Podstarter. It is available wherever you get your podcasts. 

If you like this episode, be sure to hit the subscribe button and leave us five stars. You can also follow us on social:

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More than 50,000 Canadians suffer a stroke each year. Of those who survive, more than half will require ongoing assistance with daily activities due to cognitive deficits. Listen as Dr. Anne Sophie Champod, an associate professor of psychology at Acadia University, explains how her research team is working to develop more effective cognitive rehabilitation interventions, including a game called Peg-the-Mole, to improve recovery, independence, and quality of life for stroke patients.

Find our transcript here: https://researchns.ca/beyondresearch-retraining-the-brain-neuroscience-and-rehabilitation/ 

In Season 1, Episode 9 – Retraining the Brain: Neuroscience & Stroke Rehabilitation, we cover: 

1:14 – What is neuroscience?

3:01 – What is stroke and how does it impact the brain and body?

6:26 – Gap in stroke research

8:17 – What is spatial neglect

9:28 – Potential home treatment for spatial neglect: Peg the Mole

15:05 – Potential wider implementation in long term care facilities, healthcare, etc.

Thank you to our guest:

Dr. Anne Sophie Champod is an associate professor of psychology at Acadia University and the co-director of the Acadia University Centre for Neuroscience and Cognitive Health. Her research team is working to develop more effective cognitive rehabilitation interventions, including a game called Peg-the-Mole, to improve recovery, independence, and quality of life for stroke patients. 

The Beyond Research Podcast is produced by Podstarter. It is available wherever you get your podcasts. 

If you like this episode, be sure to hit the subscribe button and leave us five stars. You can also follow us on social:

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Throughout the pandemic, front-line healthcare workers and public health officials have been taxed with making difficult decisions about where to expend their finite resources, like beds, test-kits, and eventually vaccines. Dr. James Hughes is an assistant professor in St. Francis Xavier University’s department of computer science. Listen as he explains how his research team is using artificial intelligence to help public health officials answer the question “Who should we vaccinate first?”

Find our transcript here: https://researchns.ca/beyondresearch-coding-covid19-computer-scientists-create-vaccination-strategies-using-ai/ 

In Season 1, Episode 8 – Coding COVID-19: Computer Scientists Create Vaccination Strategies Using A.I., we cover: 

0:51 – How the COVID-19 pandemic shifted focus of applied AI work

3:59 – Using AI to discover and investigate new strategies for COVID-19 testing and treatment

5:56 – Where did this research fit with the announcement of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines

8:01 – How could this work be used in rolling out vaccines

12:36 – Can social networks be understood using AI?

15:43 – Differences between existing modelling and this modelling

19:30 – Next steps for the tool

Thank you to our guest:

Dr. James Hughes is an assistant professor in St. Francis Xavier University’s department of computer science. His research team is leading a study that will use artificial intelligence (AI) to select best strategies for COVID-19 vaccination, testing, and treatment in Nova Scotian communities.

The Beyond Research Podcast is produced by Podstarter. It is available wherever you get your podcasts. 

If you like this episode, be sure to hit the subscribe button and leave us five stars. You can also follow us on social:

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Since the on-set of the pandemic, researchers around the world in diverse fields of study have pivoted their work to support the fight against COVID-19. Dr. Amina Stoddart, an assistant professor in Dalhousie University’s department of civil and resource engineering and researcher at the Centre for Water Resources Studies, is no different. Listen as she explains how her research team is using their expertise in water treatment to design an ingenious method to detect the COVID-19 virus.

Find our transcript here: https://researchns.ca/beyondresearch-testing-the-wastewaters-detecting-sars-cov-2/ 

In Season 1, Episode 7 – Testing the Wastewaters: Researchers Develop a Fast and Effective Method for Detecting SARS-CoV-2, we cover: 

1:10 – What is the Centre for Water Resources Studies, and what does it do?

1:33 – How the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the centre’s research

2:41 – Detecting SARS-CoV-2 virus: Wastewater surveillance

4:10 – Sewer systems in urban settings and how to determine where to sample from

5:21 – Wastewater gives insight into clinical case increases

8:49 – Partnership with Lumin Ultra

9:45 – Rapid tests for wastewater: Moving the lab to the sample location

12:19 – Potential application in rural areas and septic systems

13:35 – Targeted sewer shed sampling: Identifying areas connected to long term care facilities, universities, etc. 

14:27 – Next steps and future aspirations

Thank you to our guest:

Dr. Amina Stoddart is an assistant professor in Dalhousie University’s department of civil and resource engineering and researcher at the Centre for Water Resources Studies. Her research team is leading a project aimed at detecting the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19 in human wastewater, helping to identify the potential presence of the virus quickly and before it can spread.

The Beyond Research Podcast is produced by Podstarter. It is available wherever you get your podcasts. 

If you like this episode, be sure to hit the subscribe button and leave us five stars. You can also follow us on social:

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As the Director of the Canadian Center for Vaccinology and Primary Investigator of the Canadian Immunization Research Network, Dr. Scott Halperin is at the forefront of efforts to provide Canada with the national capacity to undertake vaccine and infectious disease research. In this episode of the Beyond Research podcast, you’ll hear how Scott and his team of over 130 investigators at 50 institutions are working on important COVID-19 research urgently needed by Canadians. 

Find our transcript here: https://researchns.ca/beyondresearch-fighting-covid19-how-public-health-measures-support-vaccine-research/ 

In Season 1, Episode 6 – Fighting COVID-19: How Public Health Measures Support Vaccine Research, we cover: 

1:02 – Infectious diseases

2:00 – Canadian Centre for Vaccinology and the Canadian Immunization Research Network

5:04 – Vaccine competitiveness

5:51 – Importance of multiple vaccines

7:22 – Efficacy of public health measures and impact on various populations

11:35 – Vulnerable populations

13:07 – Interest in vaccine uptake

16:13 – Vaccine development timeline

Thank you to our guest:

Dr. Scott Halperin is the Director of the Canadian Center for Vaccinology and Primary Investigator of the Canadian Immunization Research Network. His team of over 130 investigators at 50 institutions are working on important COVID-19 research urgently needed by Canadians.

The Beyond Research Podcast is produced by Podstarter. It is available wherever you get your podcasts. 

If you like this episode, be sure to hit the subscribe button and leave us five stars. You can also follow us on social:

Instagram: @beyondresearchpodcast

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Aquaculture is growing rapidly and within the next decade, over half of the world’s seafood will be farmed. A major challenge in the industry is making sure that fish are provided with adequate nutrition to yield a healthy nutritional source for humans while ensuring minimal negative impacts on the environment.

Find our transcript here: https://researchns.ca/beyondresearch-the-future-of-aquaculture-creating-a-resilient-industry-through-nutrition/ 

In Season 1, Episode 5 – The Future of Aquaculture: Creating a Resilient Industry Through Nutrition, we cover: 

1:23 – What is aquaculture?

2:31 – Aquaculture Nutrition Lab

3:38 – Why nutrition is paramount

6:47 – Omega-3 long chain poly unsaturated fatty acids and its role

9:46 – Preliminary findings: Using microbial sources

10:54 – Impact of climate change on salmon

12:39 – Future research goals and aspirations

14:14 – Current state of aquaculture

Thank you to our guest:

Dr. Stefanie Colombo is an assistant professor at Dalhousie University’s Agricultural Campus and the Canada Research Chair in Aquaculture Nutrition. Her research team is working to discover novel solutions in nutrition to improve aquaculture and contribute toward healthier, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable farmed seafood.

The Beyond Research Podcast is produced by Podstarter. It is available wherever you get your podcasts. 

If you like this episode, be sure to hit the subscribe button and leave us five stars. You can also follow us on social:

Instagram: @beyondresearchpodcast

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N95 respirator masks are critical in the fight against COVID-19. Amid the pandemic, as borders began to close and global exports began to drop, Canadian healthcare workers were scrambling to secure an adequate supply of masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) to help keep them safe. In response, a team of Nova Scotian chemists got to work on a homegrown solution.

Find our transcript here: https://researchns.ca/beyondresearch-homegrown-ppe-chemists-team-up-with-nova-scotia-forestry-industry/ 

In Season 1, Episode 4 – Homegrown PPE: Chemists Team Up with Nova Scotia Forestry Industry, we cover: 

1:14 – Using a local material to produce N95 masks

2:46 – Potential to support broader forestry industry

4:57 – Partnership with Port Hawkesbury paper

5:48 – How different environments and pulping processes come into play

7:34 – Environmental benefit

9:08 – Potential additional applications for medical grade pulp

10:51 – Future research goals and aspirations

13:16 – Multidisciplinary work that brings multiple societal interests together

Thank you to our guest:

Dr. Christa Brosseau is a professor of chemistry at Saint Mary’s University and Tier II Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Chemistry & Materials. Her research team is striving to meet the needs of front-line healthcare workers and support the struggling Nova Scotian pulp and paper industry, while developing an ecologically conscious product.

The Beyond Research Podcast is produced by Podstarter. It is available wherever you get your podcasts. 

If you like this episode, be sure to hit the subscribe button and leave us five stars. You can also follow us on social:

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World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August, not just to encourage breastfeeding, but to raise awareness of the different cultural and socio-economic challenges to breastfeeding that caregivers face world-wide. Nova Scotia has its own challenges. Nova Scotia has among the lowest breastfeeding rates in Canada, with less than one quarter of infants receiving Health Canada’s recommended 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding.

Find our transcript here: https://researchns.ca/beyondresearch-beyond-breast-is-best-infant-feeding-in-nova-scotia-and-cambodia/ 

In Season 1, Episode 3 – Beyond Breast is Best: Infant Feeding in Nova Scotia & Cambodia, we cover: 

1:07 – MAMA Lab and what it does

3:05 – Responsive feeding

3:36 – Why Nova Scotia has some of the lowest numbers of breastfeeding moms in Canada

6:06 – Stigmas and socio-economic factors

6:52 – Breastfeeding supports for new parents

9:09 – How moms are doing during the COVID-19 pandemic and the supports available

12:31 – Cultural differences with breastfeeding recognized in a cross-cultural study

14:32 – Caregivers who are unable to breastfeed and infant feeding

17:02 – Supporting families to do what they want to do

Thank you to our guest:

Dr. Kyly Whitfield is an Associate Professor of Applied Human Nutrition at Mount Saint Vincent University. Dr. Whitfield is the lead researcher of the Milk and Micronutrient Assessment Lab, also known as the MAMA Lab where her and her team are working on a cross-cultural analysis of breastfeeding in Nova Scotia and Cambodia that goes beyond “breast is best” to focus on the supports required to achieve optimal health in both mama and baby.

The Beyond Research Podcast is produced by Podstarter. It is available wherever you get your podcasts. 

If you like this episode, be sure to hit the subscribe button and leave us five stars. You can also follow us on social:

Instagram: @beyondresearchpodcast

X: @beyondrpodcast

Facebook: Beyond Research Podcast