Acadia University - Research & Impact News

How do you build an app that creates a seamless, immersive experience for the user? You immerse yourself in the research, the automation, the testing, and the AI technology.

That’s exactly what Dr. Esteve Hassan (Computer Science) and two fourth-year computer science students, Nitish Sahni and Joyce Adeyi, have done this year, working with a Nova Scotia tech company to develop an app for museums that they hope to see in use across the country.

Finding Formula: Confronting Insecurities, is a major research project headed by Acadia University’s Dr. Lesley Frank, a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Food, Health and Social Justice, sociology professor, and director of the Fed Family Lab. Finding Formula uses both hard survey data and digital storytelling to convey the lived realities behind infant food insecurities, helping the public, institutions, and policymakers see what statistics sometimes fail to capture.

D’Amato and Tracy Bennett, who recently produced a 36-episode series called Wild Nova Scotia together, wanted to explore Nova Scotia’s birds in more depth.

The result was Bird Country, a new documentary screening in Wolfville at 7 pm on April 1 at the Al Whittle Theatre as part of the ACC Film Series.

“We know that belonging, representation, and early encouragement matter enormously in shaping whether young women see science as a place where they belong,” says Dr. Randy Newman, chair of Acadia’s Department of Psychology,

Dr. Newman is also the co-chair of WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Acadia alongside Dr. Melanie Coombs (Biology). The initiative supports women and girls in science and engineering while also fostering institutional and cultural change within STEM environments.

In the innovative Student Research Lab (SRL), high school students are co-researchers rather than subjects. They help design research questions, interview other youth, analyze real data, and contribute to findings that inform educators, employers, and policymakers. The high school students get mentorship from Acadia students and professors to learn real-world research skills.

A clean, sustainable protein powder may soon be on our grocery shelves, thanks to an exciting research project that combines the talents of a local entrepreneur and biologists at Acadia University.

Dr. Carlyle Smith Beals (1899-1979) has been posthumously inducted into the Nova Scotia Science Hall of Fame and received the Discovery Award for science and innovation. This award celebrates outstanding innovators whose achievements in science and technology put Nova Scotia at the forefront of global innovation.

In summer of 2025, 15 members of an interdisciplinary crew, including Acadia students Bella MacQuarrie and Cameron Barnard, embarked on a trip  to southern Greece to work on the Southern Mani Archaeological Project (SMAP) led by Dr. Chelsea Gardner (History & Classics) Dr. Bill Parkinson (Field Museum, Chicago).

It should come as no surprise that students in Acadia University’s computer science department are doing work that seems right out of science fiction. With Dr. Esteve Hassan’s new project, if Fantastic Voyage pops into your head, it’s understandable.

When Acadia University researcher Dr. Nicoletta Faraone and her team made headlines and social media buzz this spring with their tick research breakthroughs, they garnered something greater than likes and clicks — they inspired a remarkable act of generosity.

Impressed by her work, Peter and Susan Gordon of Ontario have donated $755,000 to support the creation of the Canadian Tick Research and Innovation Centre (CTRIC) at Acadia, the first facility of its kind in Canada.

In apple breeding only around 0.014% of seedlings planted will make it to the final round of evaluations. And even fewer become commercially available cultivars. Researchers at Acadia are bringing together biology and computer science to bump that percentage up and make apple breeding and cultivation more sustainable.

A federal funding announcement today marks a significant new chapter for tidal energy research at Acadia University. 

Acadia University is one of the first three recipients of funding from the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Project, receiving $320,643 to create a self-sustaining farm-to-school initiative with Northeast Kings Education Centre (NKEC) in Canning.

SSHRC-funded research from Dr. Emily Lockhart and Professor Allison Smith of Acadia's Law and Society program is working to create survivor-led solutions for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth who have experienced technology facilitated violence.

Accessible health care for some of the most remote patients in the Maritimes is on the horizon with a new program through Acadia’s School of Kinesiology. And the benefits are going both ways—the students are gaining insights and skills as well as the participants.

As much as we all enjoyed that blast of early spring weather this March, it also heralded in one of Nova Scotia’s less welcomed experiences: ticks. It turns out that the eight-legged crawler is just as much of a fan of temperatures above 4°C as we are.

At first glance, the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) – a tiny, aphid-like insect barely bigger than a millimetre – hardly seems threatening. But Nova Scotia’s old-growth hemlock forests, the meal of choice for this insect, are now under significant threat if nothing is done – and the effects of these forests being wiped out would be catastrophic.  

Dr. Allison Walker (Biology) says "the world needs more mycologists." Read all about the fascinating work that Acadia's fungal dream team is doing, and find out why you should immerse yourself in the world of fantastic fungi!

Acadia's researchers are working across the disciplines to fight climate change. At the third annual President's Panel, researchers shared their work for an evening of inspiration and hope for our collective future.

There’s good news out of Acadia University for the producers (and many fans) of Atlantic wine, beer, cider, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverage products. Acadia Laboratory for Agri-food and Beverage, more commonly known as “ALAB”, will be expanding its services in Atlantic Canada as part of a three-year pilot project.

Can the Maritimes be part of the fight against the environmentally destructive fast fashion industry?

We’re about to find out! Dr. Edith Callaghan and Prof. Ashley Doyle (School of Business), together with 14 researchers from five universities across Atlantic Canada, will be tackling the issues through a newly awarded four-year grant from NSERC-SARI.

From the field, to the lab, to the archives, Acadia students were hard at work all summer long! Our students worked on projects from the geologically old (350 million years, in fact!) to the startlingly new (stroke rehabilitation through VR, anyone?).

Students note the value of engaging in this event from the Network of Jarislowsky Chairs in Trust and Political Leadership.

Acadia's Dr. Mark Mallory, Canada Research Chair in Coastal Ecosystem Connectivity and Resilience and director of the Mallory Lab, was inducted as a Fellow into the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), along with his wife, Carolyn Mallory, a gifted writer and artist.

The new Acadia University Inclusive Movement and Health Lab within the Acadia Athletics Complex will support continued work with the S.M.I.L.E. program and other programs and research for children.

Dr. Lesley Frank from Acadia University's Department of Sociology has recently been awarded a prestigious $237,238 research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to study the North American infant formula shortage.

Acadia is pleased to announce the signing of a collaboration agreement with The Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation (CCRF) to develop future research and funding opportunities related to musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions and related health areas.

Red Spruce Mental Health Centre, an integral component of Acadia University's Master of Education (MEd) Counselling Program, is proud to announce the opening of its doors. The Centre will provide graduate counselling students invaluable experiential learning opportunities and help address mental health care disparities for rural Nova Scotians without counselling access.

Acadia University is pleased to announce that three faculty members have been awarded a total of $696,379 to support cutting-edge research on the Wolfville campus.

Acadia University and the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre continue their commitment to nurturing the next generation of environmental leaders by hosting the annual Nova Scotia Envirothon.

A recent report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) features the research of Acadia University graduate Robin Lauzon, whose thesis delves into the unique challenges and needs of rural communities when using virtual mental health programs. 

Research Nova Scotia has announced that seven outstanding graduate students at Acadia University have won the 2023-2024 Scotia Scholars Awards for their innovative health research projects.  

One of Acadia University’s highest honours, the Arthur L. Irving Medal of Commitment, has been awarded to three outstanding members of the Acadia community: Libby Burnham (’60, ’00); Dr. Kelvin Ogilvie (’63, ’64, ’83); and Sandra Irving (’74, ’17).

This spring, Acadia University became the only university that will review and identify uploaded tick photos on the eTick app from across Atlantic Canada.

Canada Research Chair, Dr. Lesley Frank, a professor in Acadia’s Department of Sociology, is working to address the global problem of family and childhood food insecurity while advancing food justice and health equity in Canada.

Women in Nova Scotia with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will soon be able to breathe a little easier thanks to new research by Dr. Carley O'Neill of Acadia’s School of Kinesiology. Research Nova Scotia has awarded Dr. O’Neill a New Health Investigator Grant of $100,000 over two years.

Acadia University leads all primarily undergraduate universities in Atlantic Canada for corporate research income in the fiscal year 2021.

A new study, funded by Research Nova Scotia and led by Dr. Emily Bremer of Acadia’s School of Kinesiology, will identify barriers and provide insight into the health inequalities experienced by children and youth with disabilities.