4 p.m.
Scotiabank Conference Theatre
An Arts With Impact Lecture
All are welcome to attend this public lecture celebrating the 50th anniversary of the geography program at Saint Mary's.
Our guest speaker Dr. Amber Silver BSc'10 is a former Honours Geography student who went on to earn MES and PhD degrees after graduating from Saint Mary's University. She is now an Associate Professor with the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security at the University at Albany, New York.
As a hazards geographer, Dr. Silver examines the dynamic, nuanced and oftentimes reciprocal relationship between people and their environment. More specifically, she’s interested in the ways that individuals, communities, institutions and organizations prepare for, respond to, mitigate against and recover from environmental disasters. Much of Dr. Silver’s research examines the ways that individuals (end-users) obtain, interpret, perceive and respond to official and unofficial warning messages about severe weather such as hurricanes, tornadoes and floods. Recently, Dr. Silver has been examining the effects of Hurricane Dorian and Fiona, which caused widespread destruction across the Atlantic region.
In this Arts with Impact Lecture supported by the Faculty of Arts, Dr. Silver will discuss the ways in which Atlantic Canadians perceive and respond to hazardous weather such as tropical storms and tropical cyclones. She will examine the role of social media in information searching, sharing and interpretation—and the effects of online information on offline behaviors. As part of this talk, Dr. Silver will discuss the influence of misinformation and disinformation on public discourse, opinion and perception—and what that means for the future of emergency management in an increasingly online world.
The lecture will be followed by a reception.
6-7:30 p.m.
Patrick Power Library
As part of Homecoming 2025, the Patrick Power Library and SMU Alumni are proud to present a special public talk in the Library’s Faculty Author Series, celebrating the 50th anniversary of both the Library and the Geography Department.
We invite you to join us for a narrative presentation by Dr. Cathy Conrad, a researcher of migration whose work is deeply informed by lived experience. Dr. Conrad is not only a scholar of migration—she is also the mother, wife, and daughter of migrants. Her autoethnography talk explores these lived experiences and offers a deeply human perspective on migration.
Contemporary migration research is awash in understanding what motivates a person to embark on a migration journey. The media oversimplifies the narratives as being either related to fleeing conflict or wanting the spoils of the west. Dr. Conrad's stories and understandings dig into the human desires of mobility, of aspirations of living a life fulfilled, of adventure and curiosity. She does this through the lens of her personal family stories from The Gambia, West Africa and from the port of Bremerhaven, Germany.
Dr. Conrad is currently a Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at Saint Mary's University. She is also a SMU alum (BA ’93) herself, a professor for 26 years, and the mother of both a current SMU student and a SMU graduate.
This event is free and open to all, and will be followed by a reception. Registration in advance is appreciated: Please register here.
4-5:30 p.m.
Sobey 260
Transcoastal Adaptations Centre for Nature Based Solutions is having a special screening of Wild Nova Scotia. Episode S03 E9 (Wetlands) showcases our research and implementation of nature-based solutions! Highlighted in the episode are Tony Bowron and Kayla Williams (CB Wetlands & Environmental Specialists), Jonathan Fowler (Saint Mary's University), and Joanna Skomorowski (Nova Scotia Nature Trust). This screening is an opportunity to celebrate our work, share stories, and connect across our community.
The Wild Nova Scotia screening and reception will be held on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at 4:00 – 5:30 PM in SB260 at Saint Mary’s University.
This event will bring together partners, students, faculty, and community members to learn, network, and celebrate. We hope you’ll join us for this gathering as we showcase the incredible work happening across Nova Scotia to restore and protect our wetlands.
Please RSVP by completing this short form: https://forms.office.com/r/1Mz6qXUc4b
2:30-3:30 p.m.
Burke 207
Dr. Jason Grek-MartinReflections of the Difficult Heritage Field Course
Over the November Break Week Drs. Jason Grek-Martin and Kirrily Freeman will co-lead a joint Geography and History field excursion to Paris and Berlin, where they will visit a number of difficult heritage sites associated with the Second World War and the Holocaust. This trip is the culmination of nine weeks of classroom preparation, where they have examined the rise of Nazism, the events of the war, and the escalating atrocities of the Holocaust, as well as critically explored aspects of dark tourism, affective heritage, locational authenticity, and spatial narrative in commemorating these events. The trip will provide students with the opportunity to experience these difficult heritage sites directly and conduct research in preparation for their final projects. This talk will reflect on the trip as a (hopefully!) challenging yet rewarding educational experience and will showcase some of the highlights from their time abroad.
Burke Lobby
Miranda Frison, Geography MA student, is both Vice President for the board of Geomatics Association of Nova Scotia and a Student Representative for the Atlantic Division of Canadian Association of Geographers. Learn from Miranda about Geographic Information Systems and what the two associations have to offer. In addition, partake in the popular map giveaway.
Dr. Hugh MillwardPlanning for Active Transportation in the Halifax Regional MunicipalityBlue Box Talk hosts Dr. Hugh Millward, Professor of Emeritus, with the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies.Dr. Millward will define Active Transportation (AT) and summarize its benefits. He will then review the planning process relating to AT in the HRM, and the role of the AT Advisory Committee. He will summarize the 2017 Integrated Mobility Plan and the development of the AAA (All Ages & Abilities ) bikeway network. And will also summarize improvements to the safe pedestrian pathway system.
Dr. Cathy ConradReflections on intersections and complexities of transnational and intergenerational mobilities: an autoethnography of migrants
Dr. Conrad's research background is in community-based environmental monitoring and water security. As more recent research shifted to water and food security in West Africa, particularly The Gambia, new questions around environmental migrants and migration in general have emerged. She is now working on irregular migration in West Africa, migration as a rite of passage, and climate change on the African continent.
Dr. Patricia MatsumotoShowcasing Our Student Projects from GEOG 4496/5696: Applications in GIS
Presentation 1: A case of the Wicked Wildfires in Nova Scotia, Spring 2023Presenters: Frank Kwaku Azore and Kailey NicholsThis project maps the extent of the wildfires in Nova Scotia. The students used GIS to combine environmental and socioeconomic data, offering insights into the impact and management of natural disasters.
Presentation 2: Visualizing a healthier campus: An overview of Health and Sustainability at Saint Mary’s UniversityPresenters: Christina Connors and Maya KosickThis project uses GIS tools to map Saint Mary's University campus, including buildings, vegetation, built-up areas, food services, and vending machines, among other features. The project offers a unique view of the campus using 360-degree photos and ArcScene to visualize a healthier and sustainable environment.
Presentation 3: A comprehensive analysis of the housing Market in HalifaxPresenters: Bright Ofori Kwakye, Johonan Andrew Ethulkotte and Patrick BrownThis project compares rental prices in Halifax and Vancouver. Students used web scraping to collect data and GIS for spatial analysis. The project delves into Halifax's land prices and the Census 2021, providing a comprehensive analysis of the rental market.
Dr. Jordan EamerGeological Survey of Canada - Atlantic Division
"Decades of coastline change on Sable Island and hypotheses about the future"
At the edge of the Scotian Shelf, Sable Island is morphologically similar to mid-latitude barrier islands of the northwest Atlantic coast – coastal landscapes that are acutely affected by climate change and sea level rise. Analysis of decades of airphotos suggest that the majority of the coastline on Sable Island is in retreat, with net retreat on the south side of the island only partially offset by modest net advance on the north side. Island-wide data set trends show support for two different but complementary hypotheses about whole-island evolution: (1) the island is mobile via bank migration driving southern coastline changes and experiencing sediment transport toward the east, or (2) the island is generally immobile and losing subaerial sediments (and thus shrinking) likely due to ongoing (and accelerating) sea-level rise. Future investigations utilizing the comprehensive terrain, metocean, and bathymetric data, as well as a detailed examination of the late Quaternary paleoenvironmental history, should considerably narrow the projected outcomes for the island.
Frank AazoreMA Student, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
Unearthing hidden treasures: a socio-ecological assessment of the social values of ecosystem services in Ghana.
Understanding local knowledge and perception of ecosystem benefits in forest-dependent communities is crucial for developing countries in Africa, where often other compelling priorities for development take over ecosystem conservation. This study investigated what the local community perceives as the social values of ecosystems, using the Atebubu-Amantin Municipality of Ghana, West Africa, as a case study. This study emphasizes the importance of extensive community engagement in nature conservation and natural resource management.