Events

See archives of events from past years

Nov 28, 2024

2:30-3:30 p.m.

Burke 207

Dr. Jason Grek-Martin
Reflections of the Difficulty 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.

Nov 20, 2024

Burke Lobby

GIS Day

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. 

Oct. 24, 2024
1-2 p.m.
Burke 205

 

Dr. Hugh Millward
Planning for Active Transportation in the Halifax Regional Municipality


Blue 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.

Oct. 10, 2024

3:30 p.m.

via Zoom

Dr. Cathy Conrad
Reflections 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.

Mar. 27, 2024
2:30 p.m.
via Zoom

Dr. Patricia Matsumoto
Showcasing Our Student Projects from GEOG 4496/5696: Applications in GIS 

Presentation 1: 
A case of the Wicked Wildfires in Nova Scotia, Spring 2023
Presenters: Frank Kwaku Azore and Kailey Nichols
This 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 University
Presenters: Christina Connors and Maya Kosick
This 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 Halifax
Presenters: Bright Ofori Kwakye, Johonan Andrew Ethulkotte and Patrick Brown
This 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.

Feb. 26, 2024
2:30 p.m.
via Zoom

Dr. Jordan Eamer
Geological 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. 

Jan. 29, 2024
2:30 p.m.
via Zoom

Frank Aazore
MA 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.

 

 

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Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
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B3H 3C3

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