On Thursday March 13 from 7-9pm, a public lecture will be offered by the Saint Mary’s University Faculty of Arts. It will take place on the SMU campus in the Scotiabank Confefrence Theatre, room SB201. No registration is required and all are welcome.

The guest speaker will be Kimberly R. Murray, Associate Professor and Queen’s National Scholar in Indigenous Legal Studies at the Queen’s University Faculty of Law. She will be speaking about the search for the missing and disappeared children in indigenous communities.

The Anthropology department will also host a special session for students and faculty, “Antidote to Denialism: A Conversation with Kimberly Murray”, starting at 10 a.m. in Loyola 297.

Congratulations to Abbey Smith, Honors undergraduate student at Acadia University for her awward-winning, CLARI-funded work on the project “Avon Street Erosion Society: Exploring sustainable erosion mitigation options”. Abbey worked with Acadia faculty member Dr. Ian Spooner to conduct research with the Avon Street Erosion Society in Hanstport exploring coastal erosion issues in that area.

Abbey’s work was funded in the spring of 2024 and completed over the summer. She was honored with the award by Science Atlantic.

CBC recently reported on a CLARI funded project, led by Dr. Phillip Joy at Mount Saint Vincent University that explored issues related to food security in the 2SLGBTQ+ community. This research is having an impact at Feed Nova Scotia where changes are being considered to allow them to better support this community’s food security requirements.

We at Acadia are so pleased to invite you all to our university on November 3rd and 4th for a specialized conference, sponsored by CLARI, to discuss ways to build meaningful community-postsecondary relationships in research. Our agenda (attached) includes lunch, panel discussions, graphic facilitation, group relationship building, resource sharing and more!

Our aim for this event is to include as many community voices as possible, so we hope you can help us in making sure your community partners are aware of this event. We also hope that faculty will share this invitation with student researchers who work with them in community-based research. There is a small amount of funding for community members and students for whom participation in the event might be a hardship. When you register, you will be asked if you are interested in hearing more about possible financial support to attend.

The link to register can be found here. If you have any further questions about the event, we encourage you to contact us at clari.growinginnovation@gmail.com.

We look forward to learning with you soon!

All our best,

Acadia CLARI Growing Innovation Committee

On March 4 at 11AM, CLARI will host a presentation by Tim Perron, Atlantic Coordinator for the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC). ICTC is a not-for-profit national centre of expertise for the digital economy and as part of its agenda supports a wage subsidy program for students.

On March 4, Tim will share more information on the program and answer questions that will help you to determine if you might be able to take advantage of this initiative. ICTC defines ‘digital’ broadly. so if you are unsure if there’s a fit, you are encouraged to attend and hear more.

To register, contact CLARI and a link to the event will be sent to you. This will be a virtual-only event and is intended for faculty of Nova Scotia post-secondary institutions and their community partners.

In this International Development Week (IDW) virtual chat we’ll explore the concepts of peace & balance, and their role in communities, changemaking, and reconiciliation.
“Being a Mohawk woman on a team that was half English, half French, it was like being in a little part of Canada and reconciling the different ways of knowing to be the strongest we can be. I knew we had this common goal of becoming Olympians… when we kept our eye on the prize, we could figure out our way through these things… What are we trying to create in this country? What are we trying to do as human beings, regardless if you are Mohawk or non-native, what are we trying to do for our children and grandchildren?” – Waneek Horn-Miller

This International Development Week, as we learn more about our actions and efforts in building just, equitable and sustainable communities locally and globally, we invite you for an evening of learning and introspection on the role our stories play in changemaking. Join us for an evening with Waneek Horn-Miller as we explore the concepts of peace and balance, and their role in communities, change-making, and reconciliation. In this moderated conversation, Waneek will discuss the evolution of her activism from “being raised at the knees of one of the first Native activists,” to her involvement in the Oka crisis, to her role as the Director of Community Engagement for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Waneek, through her personal story of becoming an Olympian, will shed light on the role sports played in her life, the importance of building internal peace that then touches all our communities, and the importance of working towards incremental change that brings lasting, global impact.

Join us for an evening to think more about the role we play as ancestors to future generations, to identify the assets we have in ourselves and our communities, and to harness them effectively for healing and change in Canada and around the world.