NSAC E-Bulletin

Please forward your submissions to the NSAC E-Bulletin to Stephanie Rogers (news@nsac.ca) by Friday at 2:00 p.m. for inclusion in the next week's edition.

Centennial Finale Event - February 14th, 2006

The Centennial Committee of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College cordially invites you to attend NSAC’s Centennial Finale event, Tuesday, February 14, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. for the official sealing of its Centennial Time Capsule commemorating the 100th anniversary of the NSAC

Event to take place in the Upper Foyer of Cumming Hall. Reception to follow. Please RSVP to Joanne Jordan at jjordan@nsac.ca

President's List Reception - February 1, 2006

Over 100 students have demonstrated strong academic performance this past year and thus have been named to the 2005 President’s List.

You are cordially invited to a reception in the Riverview Room of Jenkins Hall Wednesday, February 1 , 2006 at 7:00 p.m. honouring these students. Guest speaker will be Visiting Executive Yves Gagnon of the Atlantic Regional Office of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

Please RSVP to Theresa Blois at tblois@nsac.ca

Farewell Picnic

Photo caption: Cathy Fergus seated. Front\left : Sharon Oakley, Melani Lane, Lugene Young, Cathy Sharky. Back \left: Pauline Vincent, Cathy Myette, Mary Anne Lorette. Picture taken by Judy Smith.

On January 24, a in door picnic was held to honor and thank Fred and Cathy Fergus for their contribution to Residence Life at the NSAC. Cathy and Fred resigned after 12 years, as Dons of Trueman House. Fred and Cathy were very active in student life on our campus and are missed by both the Residence team and our students. A heart felt thank you to Cathy and Fred for their long term dedication to the Residence Program and best wishes in their future plans.

Come Home to Colchester 2006

Colchester will be the site of a huge celebration in the summer of 2006. It will be a time for friends and family to reconnect and rediscover what makes living and working in Colchester so special. For ‘ex-patriots’ and newcomers alike, Come Home to Colchester 2006 will be about providing both a reason to visit and a reason to stay.

The event will be about facilitating connections to opportunities- for employment, investment, and business development that exist right here in our region. Come Home to Colchester 2006 is planned as a ‘people attraction’ event aimed at bringing people and skills to our region.

Come to visit. Come to Stay!
Friends and family living away will receive a special invitation to return to their roots, share in the many festivals and reunion events being held and to explore opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship right here at home. Visit www.comehometocolchester.ca to register the name and contact information of someone you’d like to see come home this summer, or call toll free 1-866-227-6182 (893-0140 for local calls).

Planning an event or reunion? Tell us about it!
An event like this will require the energy, input and commitment of the entire community. If you’re planning an event for next summer, send us the details so that we can include them in our Come Home to Colchester Events Guide. Community groups and individuals may forward their event information to: crudolph@corda.ca

Discover the opportunities that Colchester has to offer.
In addition to the Events Guide, an Opportunities Guide will also be produced that will allow employers to share opportunities within their organizations and provide the homecoming visitors with information about the many exciting opportunities and supports for business development within our region.
Do you have an opportunity you’d like to share? Contact Creston Rudolph at crudolph@corda.ca

Returning Interns Share Their Experiences from Northern Ghana

DATE: Tuesday, January 31st
TIME: 12:30 p.m.
PLACE: Cox Institute, Room 31

From September through December 2005, two NSAC students were in Ghana on an internship through the Canada Corps Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada's Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Plant Science students Allan Fraser and Jody Nelson were placed with OIC Tamale, a non-governmental organization in Tamale, in the north of Ghana. Jody and Allan have since returned from their adventures in Ghana, and will share their experiences in a public presentation.

TOPICS:

Stimulating Entrepreneurship - the Role of Development Organizations
Allan Fraser.

In the Business of Bees - Women's Beekeeping Collectives for Development
Jody Nelson

New Finance Officer for NSAC International

In order to meet the ever-increasing requirements of managing international projects, NSAC International is pleased to announce that Natalie Cole has been hired as International Finance Officer. Natalie brings 14 years experience in financial management to the position and has an excellent understanding of the requirements of both the Province of Nova Scotia and external funding organizations, such as CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency).

Jill McDonald is currently acting as NSAC International's Administrative Assistant.

Please contact Natalie for finance-related requests and Jill for all other administrative functions.

Instructional Development Committee

The Instructional Development Committee would like to inform you of two upcoming conferences that may be of interest. If you are interested in attending either of these, please contact Anna Fitzgerald at afitzgerald@nsac.ca – she will compile a list of people interested in attending the conferences and we will attempt to make arrangements for transportation.

Mount Allison University is hosting a conference on March 3-4, 2006. "Women on the Atlantic Academic Tundra: Thriving and Surviving" will explore women's experiences in the academy.

The keynote presenter is Dr. Cecilia Moloney, NSERC/Petro Canada Chair for Women in the Sciences and Engineering (MUN).

They are seeking proposals for papers, workshops and posters from faculty, students (graduate and undergraduate), administrators--both men and women.

For complete information, please visit the conference website at http://www.mta.ca/pctc/tundra/index.html

The Centre for Learning and Teaching at Dalhousie University, together with McGraw-Hill Ryerson, invites academic staff to submit presentation proposals to the 10th Annual Dalhousie Conference on University Teaching and Learning/McGraw-Hill Ryerson Teaching, Learning, and Technology Conference Series 2006.

The conference will be held at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia on May 3 and 4, 2006, with pre-conference workshops on May 2nd.

The conference theme is: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Enhancing Learning Through Inquiry.

Deadline for proposals is February 13, 2006. Visit the website at http://learningandteaching.dal.ca/dcutl_mhr for full details.

Youth Education and Communications Program

The YEC (Youth Education and Communications) Program is running again this year. This is an internship program for grade 11 and 12 students with a passion for science. The program is looking for researchers to act as mentors to these students as they work in a full-time research assistantship position for 8-10 weeks during the summer. The program will pay half of the students salary and NSAC will pay the other half.

As a mentor, you and your team provide a critical hands-on learning experience, one which may influence the future education and career choices of these bright young people.

If you are interested in taking on a student for this summer, please contact Carolyn Terry at 4413 on or before January 31, 2006 .

Farmers get a chance to tell their story

During the first two weeks in May every farm in Canada will receive a Census of Agriculture questionnaire. On May 16, farmers across the country will help create an up-to-date picture of agriculture in Canada by completing and returning their census questionnaire.

The farmer of the 21st century works in an industry that is becoming more and more complex. Farmers wear many hats to operate a successful business: accountant, mechanic, carpenter, heavy equipment operator, and environmentalist. In addition to farming, an operator may also work off the farm. In short, farmers are busy people working in a dynamic and challenging industry.

The profile of Canada’s farmers is different than the general working population. Census information tells us that farm operators have a higher median age than the comparable labour force population of self-employed workers — 49 and 44 respectively. Moreover, the group of farmers under 35 years old poised to fill their boots is shrinking rapidly, representing only 12% of all farmers. Nearly 20% of self-employed workers in the general labour force are under 35. In the entire labour force, 40% of all workers are less than 35 years old. Click here for the complete article.

Music around the World

The NSAC Chorale presents "Music around the World" Thursday, Feb.9 7:00 p.m. Alumni Theatre. Please see the poster for complete details.

Admission: Adults $5, Seniors/Students $3
Note: Free admission for NSAC students with I.D.

Varsity Results

The McGill Institute for the Study of Canada is setting the table
February 15-17, 2006, in Montreal, Quebec

What are Canadians eating and why? What are the implications of our food choices? Where are our food dollars going? In what ways are retailers, food service providers and governments responding to health and safety issues? What's cooking for the future?

These topics and more will be served up in the three-day colloquium, "What are we eating? Towards a Canadian Food Policy" hosted by the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada.

What: "What are we eating? Towards a Canadian Food Policy"

When: February 15, 16 and 17, 2006

Where: Omni Mont-Royal Hotel, 1050 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal (Québec) H3A 2R6

Amidst growing concerns about health, security, trade and consumer choices, this event will bring together participants from across disciplines to broach questions surrounding a Canadian food policy. Participants will discuss changes in Canada's food choices, definitions of the "ideal" Canadian meal, as well as food fashions and fads.

REGISTRATION: $200 regular, $55 full-time students & $75 65+.

Includes two luncheons, coffee breaks and receptions. SEATING IS LIMITED -- REGISTER NOW.

For more information visit: www.misc-iecm.mcgill.ca/conf2006 or you can reach us by email misc.iecm@mcgill.ca or by telephone (514) 398-8346.

International Development Week

Ukrainian Scholar Visits NSAC

Photo Caption: Mr. Yuriy Shelkovy and Dr. Moskalenko display the Ukrainian flag

NSAC welcomed Dr. Anatoliy Moskalenko, Dean of the Agriculture Faculty of the Chernihiv State Institute of Economics and Management, Ukraine, to campus for 10 days in mid January. Dr. Moskalenko was hosted by Dr. Steven Clark of the Business and Social Sciences Department.

While at NSAC Dr. Moskalenko investigated academic management and teaching and research methods, met with NSAC partner organisations and explored opportunities for joint research and academic collaboration. He presented a seminar to faculty, staff and students on "Development of the Agricultural Sector in the Ukraine: Prospects and Realities", providing an awareness of challenges and future opportunities for agriculture in that country.

Dr. Moskalenko's travel was funded through the CIDA/AUCC Partnerships for Tomorrow II Program. Mr. Yuriy Shelkovy, currently doing graduate studies at Dalhousie University, translated for Dr. Moskalenko and worked with Ms. Cara Kirkpatrick of NSAC International to bring about this visit. To formalize our continued link, Dr. Moskalenko and President Hicks signed an academic Memorandum of Understanding between NSAC and the Chernihiv State Institute of Economics and Management.

Photo Caption: Dr. Moskalenko and President Hicks sign the Memorandum of Understanding

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