In our first 200 years, Dalhousie has transformed from a local centre of learning to an institution with global impact. Key to that transformation has been our focus on research and innovation.

 “Tonight, we look to that future — to our next 100 years, to our third century,” said President Florizone in his remarks at Ignite. “It’s a future unwritten, but one that is being penned each and every day across our campuses, powered by the achievements you’re seeing from Dalhousie today.” During Ignite, groundbreaking research took to the stage to narrate the global activity being developed through Dalhousie as a catalyst for global change.

Take, for example, Chemistry Professor Mita Dasog, who shared how her lab is developing ways to store solar energy in chemical bonds using water — similar to the same way plants conduct photosynthesis. Right now, the materials required to do this are rare and expensive (like platinum) but by discovering replacement materials that are abundant and cheap the lab is working towards obtaining a limitless and completely green source of energy. (Dr. Dasog brought a bottle of water to show how little water it would take to satisfy an individual’s daily energy demand this way.)

“Think about what that will mean — not just supporting us in our day to day lives but enabling future technologies that we can only dream of today,” said Dr. Dasog. “That’s the future we’re helping build here at Dalhousie University and I’m so excited to be part of it.”

The second research spotlight took the audience on a trip around the world to Ethiopia, where Dal’s Faculty of Agriculture is currently leading one of the largest international development projects ever awarded to a Canadian university. Called ATTSVE (Agricultural Transformation through Stronger Vocational Education), it’s helping revolutionize agricultural education in a country where 80-85 per cent of the population is employed in agriculture but still struggles with food insecurity and poverty.

“ATTSVE is about Dalhousie experts and partners empowering women and men to reshape agricultural education to create entrepreneurs, strengthen support to farming communities and improve production,” said project coordinator Hannah Pugh, who spoke alongside fourth-year Bioveterinary Science student Maddie Empey, who had the opportunity to work in Ethiopia this past summer.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house for the final research story shared at Ignite, as Dr. Jason Berman of the Department of Pediatrics (also an attending physician and interim vice-president of research at the IWK Health Centre) took the stage together with the Disney family, including 13-year-old Grace.

Grace was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a rare leukemia that once carried a very guarded prognosis even with the most aggressive therapy. She became the first child treated in Atlantic Canada with an innovative approach without chemotherapy — a molecularly targeted therapy built on research conducted in Dal’s Zebrafish Core Facility, which uses tiny zebrafish as a model to study and treat various diseases, including cancers.

Today, Grace is cancer-free. Her mother, Nicola, spoke about how she believes in the power of research to help people live better lives, “because our daughter is living proof” — a comment that earned a standing ovation from the capacity crowd.

Each research project shared during Ignite stood alone for its unique and powerful impact. Together, all three represent only a portion of the groundbreaking research that is what connects Dalhousie to our past as we contribute to building a collaborative and global network advancing communities around the world.

In our third century, Dal’s global reach will grow exponentially

In a bold and unique approach, Dal’s research priorities are aligned with the United Nations efforts. This approach comes alive in Impact Together, Dalhousie’s Research and Innovation Strategic Direction, 2018-2023, guided by five research clusters and informed by two cross-cutting themes:

A unique opportunity to learn from a Dalhousie researcher

We invite you to experience a unique opportunity: visit with a researcher and learn more! Whether you have interest in learning about oceans or visiting our simulation lab, we will match you with a researcher. You will have the opportunity to learn first-hand from the people who are right here, conducting the research. Please contact us at research@dal.ca to arrange a meeting.