NSAC E-Bulletin

Please forward your submissions to the NSAC E-Bulletin to the newsdesk at (news@nsac.ca). for inclusion in the next edition, which run on Monday and Thursday of each week. Remember you can post notices anytime on the NSAC Forums at http://nsac.ca/forums

Final Campus Strategic Planning Meeting

This is just a reminder that our final campus strategic planning meeting will be held this coming Tuesday, May 1st from 10-11:30am in Cox 257. We have had excellent discussions at our previous three meetings but wanted to give you all one further chance to attend a meeting and share your thoughts on the future of the NSAC.

Philip Hicks, President
Leslie MacLaren, Vice-President Academic
Wayne Paquet, Registrar and Strategic Planning Facilitator

Professor Lynn Levy's Retirement

At the end of May, Professor Lynn Levy will be retiring from the Department of Environmental Sciences after 36 years of service. Lynn first joined the former Biology Department on August 16, 1971 and although she has taught a number of courses over the years, Lynn is best known as NSAC's Zoology professor. Her dedication to and enthusiasm for our students, both in the classroom and as part of our advisory system, is well known. This dedication was recognized in 2003 when Lynn received the Award for Excellence in Teaching. Lynn's departure will certainly leave the Department of Environmental Sciences with a vacuum that will be difficult to fill.

The Department of Environmental Sciences invites all staff to a reception for Lynn on Tuesday May 8th from 3:00 to 4:30 PM in Cox 220. Please drop by and wish Lynn well on her retirement and relocation to Charlottetown.

Recent NSAC Graduates - Are you Interested in an International Internship Opportunity?

2007-2008 CIDA Internships in all kinds of fields have been posted – APPLY NOW!

The 2007-2008 International Youth Internships are now posted on CIDA's website. The International Youth Internship Program is an employment program for young Canadian professionals (ages 19 to 30 inclusive) that offers post-secondary graduates the opportunity to gain valuable international work experience. If you're a post-secondary graduate, you could be eligible for this chance of a lifetime to work in a developing country and contribute to Canada's international development goals. Not only will this experience contribute to your personal and professional growth, your sponsor organization will lend a helping hand in your search for employment once your internship ends. There are internships available in all kinds of different fields. Take a peek!
To view the list of internships, please visit:
http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/CIDAWEB/acdicida.nsf/En/JUD-62183519-GS5.

NSAC’s project in Ghana – the Developing Rural Entrepreneurs Project - is looking for an intern with entrepreneurship / business or public relations / marketing skills. To find out more or to apply for this internship, see the following website (in cooperation with our friends at the Nova Scotia Community College):
http://www.international.nscc.ca/Initiatives/International_Internship/2007/2007_08InternshipPositionsDescription.asp

Returning NSAC Students

Students for Development internship is available for the fall semester, 2007. This is a three months internship working in a developing country – for which you will receive academic credit. This could be in China or in another country of your interest. This opportunity is available to Canadian undergraduate or graduate students returning to NSAC for the next academic year.
For more information visit www.aucc.ca/programs/intprograms/sfd/sfd_2006_e.html or contact Dian Patterson at dpatterson@nsac.ca or Mark Mason at mmason@nsac.ca by May 11, 2007.

NSAC Instructional Development Workshop: Two-Eyed Seeing

New Date, New Room
1 - 3 pm Mon, May 7, 2007
Haley Bldg Rm 114, NSAC

Two-Eyed Seeing refers to seeing from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledge and from the other eye with the strengths of Western and scientific knowledge. Two-Eyed Seeing is currently being taught as a research and educational approach within Cape Breton University's Integrative Science Program. Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students are successfully learning about science from different world views.

Albert Marshall is a Mi'kmaq Elder from, Eskasoni First Nation in Cape Breton. As a survivor of the Canadian residential school experience and its efforts to eradicate the languages, identities and cultures of Canada's Aboriginal peoples, Albert has become a powerfully articulate promoter for his Mi'kmaq culture's scientific and philosophic perspectives and he is an exceptionally strong leader in many cross-cultural initiatives.

Nadine Lefort is a research assistant with the Institute for Integrative Science & Health at CBU. She develops curriculum for the program and participates in several community-based research projects. She is passionate about creative approaches to science education and making science relevant to community. She also works with local school boards, developing place-appropriate environmental education programs.

For more information contact Ralph Martin rmartin@nsac.ca or 893-6679

All are welcome!

New Faces on Campus

Dr. Wajahat Khan recently joined the Marine Bioproducts Research Laboratory, Nova Scotia Agricultural College as a Postdoctoral Researcher. Dr. Khan is a Plant Biologist with a wide range of research experience in physiology, genetics and molecular biology.

He graduated with a M.Sc. degree in Genetics from Karachi University, Pakistan. Upon completion of his master’s degree he was offered a contract teacher position at the Department of Genetics, University of Karachi and worked in this capacity for two years. He was awarded Commonwealth Universities Fellowship (UK) to pursue M.Phil at Universities of Birmingham and Reading, UK in the area of plant genetics and crop improvement.

After completion of his studies he returned to Pakistan and joined Agricultural Research Institute in Faisalabad as a Scientific Officer. He then went to the USA as a visiting scholar in plant molecular biology at the University of Arkansas, USA.

Dr. Khan moved to Canada as a landed immigrant in 2007. He obtained his Ph.D. degree from McGill University in 2003, won several government and university scholarships for excelling in studies and research. Upon completion of his Ph.D. degree he was awarded NSERC Industrial Postdoctoral Fellowship with Pioneer Hi-Bred Inc. in collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon in the area of plant germplasm development and genetic enhancement. Recently, he has also been awarded NSERC’s Visiting Fellowship (VF) and his name has been included in the inventory of successful candidates to carry out research at Canadian government laboratories.

2007 Version of Corporate OHS Policy

Click here to view the 2007 version of the corporate occupational health and safety policy. This is section 6.1 of Management Manual #500.

Every September our JOHSC's review the policy and forward any recommended changes on to the Public Service Commission. This is done across government and the policy is revised annually. The attached is the result of that consultation.

JOHSC Co-Chairs: Please ensure the OHS bulletin boards are updated with the current version of the policy.

Thanks,
Tim Delaney
OH&S Administrator
NS Department of Agriculture

Spring Into Action Challenge

Each spring, Horizons Community Development Associates Inc. issues a physical activity challenge to our health promotion colleagues. As in 2006, we would like to extend the invitation to all Atlantic health promotion staff, volunteers, and their families to participate in the challenge!

The challenge is to be physically active for at least 30 minutes, five times per week, for a six-week period (beginning May 7th and ending June 15th).

To participate in the challenge:

1. Check out the details at http://www.horizonscda.ca/news.html or contact Horizons at (902) 542-0156 or wilma@horizonscda.ca
2. Create a team. Your team can be made up of the members of your household, friends, or colleagues – anyone who wants to “Spring into Action”!
3. Register your team. Contact Horizons by Friday May 4th to register your team at wilma@horizonscda.ca .
4. Get active! Participate in physical activity for at least 30 minutes, five times per week, for a six-week period.
5. Document your activities. Keep track of your activities using the tracking sheet on the website. Every Friday, hand in your tracking sheets to your team captain. The team captain will tally up the tracking sheets and send the results to Horizons.

Every week we will have a prize draw for eligible participants who were active for at least five days that week. The more people we have participating, the more prizes we will draw for each week. If you would like to contribute a prize for the draw, please contact Horizons. The grand prize will be for $100.00 to be used toward anything that supports physical activity (e.g.: new shoes, family swim passes, new bike tires, etc…). To be eligible for the grand prize, you must be active a least five times per week for EACH of the six weeks of the challenge.

Last year was our biggest yet - with 43 registered teams and over 450 participants! We look forward to an even bigger response this year! So, on that note, we encourage you to check out the details of the challenge on our website, get in touch and GET ACTIVE! We would love to have you join us in becoming more physically active, more healthy and share some fun times as we get ready for summer!

Wilma Cromwell
Wilma@horizonscda.ca
Web: www.horizonscda.ca

Recruitment Update

Hello from Recruitment!

These are exciting times for us as we are now seeing the results of our efforts this past year. Wayne's preliminary report indicates another increase of first year students and we are still on the go! Craig has been touring students from New England, Ontario, New Brunswick etc. Our domestic students are still dropping in to see us and we are receiving many telephone calls and emails from all over!

Brian reported that he has three interested students from India so far, all wanting to start in September and he still has two weeks to go!

Craig is gearing up for another week in New England and we're both looking forward to the EduNova/Nova Scotia International Student Program's conference "Global Blast" next week, where I will be a group development leader and Craig will work the recruitment booth. This is a great opportunity for these selected 80 International grade 11and 12 students to meet us again.

This weekend, Craig and I are in different directions - Craig is heading to Great Village with Engineering and I'm here on campus talking to a group coming in with Continuing Education. Saltscapes will be well represented through Continuing Education and Plant Science. Again - any department who needs recruitment materials can come to the Registry and Craig and I are happy to accommodate.

On another note: The Canada Wide Science Fair is fast approaching and I've been super busy helping where I can! Thanks to everyone who is participating in the "Agriculture, Science and You" campus tour and especially to Ruth Grant for her support and guidance in this effort to showcase NSAC! At this time, I am asking each department to be aware that we could have impromptu student tours that week. I am hoping to have some standard "in house" signage created and am asking that each department email me five of your points of pride so I can make display boards for the corridors. So far, I've seen copies of Engineering and Plant Science and they look great!

Runners Wanted:

Recruitment is looking for a few volunteers to provide routes and hopefully run with some of our guests who may want to get out for a run during the week of the Science Fair. This is a unique opportunity to promote NSAC - especially if we can map out a route that features the campus. Please email Monica if you are interested in either mapping out a route and/or guiding a group. msani@nsac.ca