Theme: Knowledge That Transforms

Open Your Mind To The Future

Richard Murray Design Building
5257 Morris St.
Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 1B6
Canada

Chad Simmons

MSc Candidate, Terrestrial Ecologist and Science Communicator

I grew up in a small rural Nova Scotian town and have been steeping in the biodiversity of the province's natural areas ever since. Today I am lucky to be both an MSc student in Dal's Biology Department as well as an ecologist and science communicator for the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute. My graduate project allows me to uncover new details about rare plants and explore many beautiful places in NS as I research their forest homes. My day job is anything but boring; I get to wear many different hats. During a typical week, I could be out searching for endangered turtles, tracking invasive species or collaborating with other organizations to share our work. As I build my career, I will continue to fight for the natural world as I research the intricacies of ecosystems and drag society along as we move towards a sustainable future.

Cyerra Gibson

Student

Cyerra Gibson is a Bahamian Civil Engineering undergraduate from Dalhousie University. Throughout her undergraduate career she has always found a way to merge her two passions. The first being building a better planet through engineering, and secondly, supporting youth, especially women of color, in pursuing studies in STEM. Her interests in green building and building efficiency led her to her full-time job as a Building Science Consultant in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She spends her free time either volunteering to support youth in STEM or getting involved in initiatives that work towards climate adaptation and creating sustainable cities. Her talk will focus on how the collaboration of women of color, like herself and many others, is the propelling force we need to move toward a more sustainable world.

Erica Seelemann

MSc. Candidate, Cardiovascular Physiology

Erica has an undergraduate degree in neuroscience with a minor in philosophy. She is currently a master's of science candidate studying cardiovascular physiology. Outside the lab, Erica is engaged in student advocacy through her role as Vice-President, Academic and External of the Dalhousie Student Union. The only thing that matches her interest in science itself is her curiosity about its culture.

Felicia Vachon

PhD candidate in Biology

I am a PhD student in the Whitehead lab interested in how culture can impact the evolution, behaviour, distribution, and conservation of animals. My current research project focuses on the culture of Eastern Caribbean sperm whales.

Hariprashanth Deivasigamani

MSc. Candidate in Computer Science

Hari, Second year Masters in Computer Science pursuing Masters thesis on Brain Computer interface, Augmented and Virtual reality. He loves public speaking, He is a members of Toastmasters international for past 4 years. He served in Toastmasters club in various officer roles and he is currently serving as an Area director of District 45 Toastmasters region in Nova Scotia. He is a secretary of Computer Science Graduate Society at Dalhousie University and Faculty representative of graduate studies in DSU council. He is an extrovert who loves to meet more people and make friends. He is always open for a cup of coffee and all you need to do is ask..

Hunter Stevens

MSc. Candidate in Biology

My name is Hunter and I am a MSc. candidate in Biology at Dalhousie using transcriptomic data and acoustic telemetry to investigate the river emigration success in multiple populations of Canadian Atlantic salmon. I came to Dalhousie in the spring of 2019 from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan after seeing an advertisement for this degree opportunity posted on Twitter. This experience really galvanized my interest in using social media within my professional career. Since beginning my Master's degree, social media has greatly benefited my career by putting me in contact with researchers around the globe, answering my questions in real time, and leading to new opportunities, among many others. I also use social media to teach - I am an avid underwater photographer and the use of visual media is a great attention grabber. This year, in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, social media has proven to be an invaluable tool that has helped me to continue to work on my thesis unabated.

Nayani Jensen

MSc. Candidate, History of Science

Nayani Jensen is a writer and engineer from Halifax, Nova Scotia. After completing a Mechanical Engineering degree at Dalhousie University, she was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and completed a BA in English Literature at the University of Oxford. She is now pursuing her MSc in History of Science at Oxford, where she is studying 19th-century responses to changing climate conditions. Her research interests include environmental history, the history of popular science communication, and interdisciplinary projects that merge STEM and artistic approaches.

Sahiba Sangha

Student

Sahiba Sangha is an emerging Writer & Political Activist and a former Tedx Speaker. She considers herself as a full time activist and a part time feminist, she likes to bring awareness about the issues south Asian Punjabi community faces from the in built patriarchy in households to body shaming and bullying in our society. The main motto in Sangha’s activism is Changing the world ; one thought ; one person at a time. She likes to raise her voice and opinions about social issues which people and their mentality. In her speech at tedxLangley she was the only south Asian girl selected from about a 1000 applications, her talk was about “small acts of kindness” in which she bravely shared her journey of all the dark times that she has emerged from being an immigrant, Sangha also is on her way of writing her first book and loves bringing stories to life, causing an uproar and challenging stereotypical taboos on her instagram page called @Sahibasays_

Sara Evely

Project Coordinator, Structural Engineer, Neuroscientist

Sara Evely, originally from rural Newfoundland, is a successful first-generation-university-graduate and advocate for gender equality. She is a firm believer that anything is possible, and our words, ideas and small efforts can change the world. Sara has hosted and participated in numerous women’s right’s events, lead many female empowerment organizations and participated in previous TEDx events. Sara holds a degrees in civil engineering and behavioural neuroscience which provide her a unique perspective on the bias that contribute to the gender discrepancy in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Her talk will investigate the underlying psychological factors that contribute to this discrepancy, and identify ways we-together as a society- can increase the integration and retention of women in STEM.

Taiana Melo

B2B Neurosales Strategist

Taiana is a neurosales specialist with strong business experience that comprises more than 300 CRM implementation projects. Her customers include companies like GE, Louis Vuitton, Whirlpool, Jaguar Land Rover, and Santander Bank. She has worked in both corporate Fortune 100 and small, private company settings, mostly on the sales side, but also as a marketer and business consultant. After consistently top-performing as a commercial executive in names such as LinkedIn and Salesforce, she decided to replicate her strategies and went back to school to complete an MBA concentrated in marketing and consumer behavior. Today, she helps leaders unleash the secrets of top performers' minds.