Media Release

For Immediate Release

November 28, 2008

Citizen Science students win trip to The Gambia

Film makers Dustin Martin, Mira Lyon and Camaro West were the winners of this year's Citizen Science video competion. Their winning video Responsibility for Sustainability can be viewed on SMUtube.

Winners of this year’s Citizen Science video competition at Saint Mary’s University will get the chance to extend their environmental message to the world this February when they visit The Gambia.

The International Activities office at Saint Mary’s recently announced the winners of this year’s Citizen Science video competition. The competition called Citizen Science: Say it, Show it, Be Part of it gave Saint Mary’s students an opportunity to air their views on environmental issues affecting the globe today.

As video makers, students were asked to focus on United Nations Millennium Development Goal # 7 – Ensure Environmental Sustainability. Submitted videos can be viewed on SMUtube at: http://www.smutube.ca/you.php

The videos were judged Nov. 19 by a panel comprised of faculty, staff, a graduate student, a visiting scholar and a representative of the Saint Mary’s University Student Association. Winning videos were selected based on how well they relate to Millennium Development Goal #7, how well they link the local to the global, the coherence of their message, as well as their potential impact, potential to inspire, and creativity.

The winner of the competition was a video called Responsibility for Sustainability, by students Mira Lyon, Dustin Martin and Camaro West. Second place went to Michael Grime, Jessica Penner and Brennan Vogel for their film Internalize, and Roger and Felix Dushime took third with Who Will Heal Our World?

As winners of the competition, Lyon, Martin and West will receive an all-expense-paid trip to The Gambia during Saint Mary’s University reading break in February 2009. The team will travel to The Gambia with Dr. Cathy Conrad, a professor in the University’s Geography department. Once there, they will assist in facilitating a range of environmental public engagement activities with local students from the University of The Gambia.

Citizen Science is a project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Saint Mary’s University.

Hard copies of the short films may be obtained by requesting a DVD copy from the International Activities office. To request a copy, please send an e-mail to public.engagement@smu.ca or call 902-420-8793.

-30-

For more information:

Blake Patterson
Public Affairs Officer
Saint Mary's University, Public Affairs
(902) 420.5514
E-mail: blake.patterson@smu.ca
www.smu.ca