Dalhousie University

As kids, Kristian Lethbridge-Hall (BEng’23) and Maria MacDonnell (BEng’25) were fascinated with space — and inspired by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. Now, they both work at Galaxia, a Halifax-based company that designs and builds intelligent satellites for space missions. Kristian grew up with “the whole Chris Hadfield craze” and wanted to be an astronaut.

What started as an idea around a grant proposal is now taking shape in the form of 20 wooden nesting boxes that could support research, conservation, and hands-on learning at Dalhousie’s Agricultural Campus. The idea came from Dr. Paul Manning, an entomologist interested in how insects connect to the wider health of ecosystems.

A new lab opened at Dalhousie this summer represents a major leap forward for simulation-based health education in Atlantic Canada, offering students access to more advanced training that will prepare them for complex-care situations. The Centre for Collaborative Clinical Learning and Research (C3LR)’s existing simulation environments are designed to replicate settings such as hospital wards and primary care clinics.

Relive some highlights from this year's Community Day (July 23) at the Faculty of Agriculture below. The annual summer event featured hands-on activities and demonstrations, food, family fun, agriculture, and, of course, animals.

As artificial intelligence reshapes classrooms, hospitals, farms, courtrooms, newsrooms and workplaces, Dr. Frank Rudzicz posed an urgent regional question. “Will Atlantic Canada merely adopt systems and decisions developed elsewhere,” he asked.

Last week, Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor Mike Savage announced 10 new appointments to the Order of Nova Scotia. The province's highest honour, it recognizes individuals who’ve made significant contributions to Nova Scotia across a diverse range of fields. Six of the 10 recipients from this year’s roster of honourees are Dalhousie alumni, and several have deep connections to the university. They include Dr. Barb Hamilton-Hinch, faculty member in the School of Health and Human Performance.

As a pediatric infectious diseases physician, Dr. Bahaa Abu-Raya has cared for infants hospitalized with vaccine-preventable illnesses. As a researcher, he has dedicated his career to understanding how to better protect them. That commitment to translating clinical questions into real-world vaccine solutions has earned Dr. Abu-Raya the 2026 Gairdner Early Career Investigator Award, a prestigious international honour recognizing exceptional emerging leaders in biomedical research.

Thinking about the consequences of climate change — whether experienced through sweltering heat waves, unseasonable storms, or a rapidly warming Arctic — can be overwhelming, particularly for young people projecting the future state of the world they are growing up in. There’s a term for this feeling: eco-anxiety.

A professor in Dalhousie’s School of Social Work will help lead a new national research network exploring how the relationships between people and animals can strengthen health, resilience and community well-being. Dr. Haorui Wu, Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Resilience, is a co-director on a new $2.5-million Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant, Establishing a Network for Human-Animal Connections Research and Collaboration.

When the World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May, scientists around the world mobilized to help. Among them were researchers at Dalhousie University.