Sciographies Podcast

In this episode, we talk to Kevin Hewitt, a physicist.

Dr. Hewitt is a professor and the Associate Dean, Equity and Inclusion in Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Science. His research involves designing optical diagnostic tools for disease detection.

Outside of his scientific endeavors, he’s passionate about increasing the representation of Black professionals in STEM fields. He was a graduate student when his commitment to this work began with the earliest vision of Imhotep’s Legacy Academy, which is now a province-wide community partnership that helps to improve student success for youth of African heritage in Nova Scotia.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada has also named him an inaugural Atlantic-region co-chair for Inclusion in Science & Engineering.

Dr. Hewitt talks to us about immigrating to Canada, his mother’s influence on his success, and pursuing research related to health outcomes for African Canadians.  

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Learn about Imhotep’s Legacy Academy: www.imhotep.ca

The post Episode 35 – Kevin Hewitt, Physicist appeared first on CKDU Podcasts.

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Michael Freund, a materials scientist.

Dr. Freund is a professor and the Harry Sherriff Chair of Chemical Research at Dalhousie University. 

He uses his training in analytical chemistry to do research that informs the design of sensors, electrical devices, and energy storage technologies. He’s also the Director of Dalhousie’s Clean Technologies Research Institute, where he facilitates the resources and funding needed to conduct studies that can help build a more sustainable future.

Dr. Freund talks to us about designing sensor arrays that work with machine learning to mimic the brain’s olfactory system, the collaboration between fields to develop new materials, and more.

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Learn about the Clean Technologies Research Institute: dal.ca/ctri

Visit the Freund Group’s website: www.solar.chem.dal.ca

The post Episode 34 – Michael Freund, Materials Scientist appeared first on CKDU Podcasts.

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Erin Bertrand, a marine biogeochemist.

Dr. Bertrand is an associate professor at Dalhousie University and her research examines the relationship between marine microbes and ocean metabolism. To do this, she travels to challenging environments like the Antarctic to collect samples of ocean water. 

She’s also a Canadian ambassador for the BioGeoSCAPES project, an international scientific effort to map marine microbes all over the world. If successful, this tool will plot microbial activity into ecosystem modeling technologies for the first time, leading to a more dynamic understanding of the ocean’s role in global climate patterns and marine-based food supply.

Dr. Bertrand talks to us about pivoting from liberal arts to natural sciences, the challenging fieldwork she conducts in Antarctica, and her commitment to creating an inclusive lab environment for her students.

The post Episode 33 – Erin Bertrand, Marine Biogeochemist appeared first on CKDU Podcasts.