Media Release

For Immediate Release

November 28, 2008

Saint Mary’s retains title as home of the Science Champion

Dr. Adam Sarty, Science Champion

For the second year in a row, Saint Mary’s University is home of the Science Champion.

Last evening, Dr. Adam Sarty, a professor in Saint Mary’s Astronomy and Physics Department, won the Science Champion Award from the Discovery Centre.

The Science Champion Award recognizes the devotion Dr. Sarty gives to the promotion of science and technology to the public. The recipients of the annual award are role models who make science fascinating and accessible.

Dr. Sarty picked up the coveted award at the 2008 Discovery Awards for Science and Technology held at The Westin Nova Scotian, in downtown Halifax. The sixth annual gala event celebrated talented individuals and companies whose exemplary work in science and technology are an inspiration to us all. The awards promote an awareness of, and pride in, the nationally and internationally recognized work being done right here in Nova Scotia.

“Adam’s win speaks very strongly to his commitment to science outreach,” said Dr. Malcolm Butler, Dean of Science at Saint Mary’s.

The Discovery Centre is a not-for-profit charitable organization whose mission is to stimulate interest, enjoyment and understanding of science and technology through innovative, exciting, hands-on experiences for all Nova Scotians. Saint Mary’s University is a longtime supporter of programs at the Discovery Centre.

This marks the second year in a row the Science Champion has come from Saint Mary’s University. The 2007 winner of the award was David Lane, an astronomy technician and high-performance computing system administrator. Lane is an Observatory Technician in the Burke-Gaffney Observatory, and the President of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

There were a number of other Saint Mary’s connections at the event.

Calvin Campbell, a former undergraduate student in Environmental Studies and Geology at Saint Mary’s, was a finalist in the “Emerging Professional” category. And Techsploration, an organization working to increase the participation of women in science and technology, was a finalist in the “Science Champion” category. In recent years, Saint Mary’s has built a strong relationship with Techsploration and a number of faculty, staff, and students have participated in Techsploration events.

Plus, two high school students, Todd Mercer and Mike MacIsaac, received the Youth Science Award. Mercer and Mike MacIsaac are from Riverview High School in Sydney and were part of the Team Nova Scotia Showcase held at Saint Mary’s in May 2007 and 2008.

Earlier this year, Dr. Sarty won the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) Medal for Excellence in Teaching.

The CAP Medal honours university faculty members who possess an exceptional ability to communicate their knowledge and understanding in ways that help students achieve academic success in physics. The medal is awarded annually to one physics professor in Canada. Merit for the medal is based on all forms of undergraduate teaching, from classroom lecturing and consultation with individual students, to the introduction of innovative teaching methods and the production of educational materials.

He is also the 2008 winner of the Atlantic Association of Universities (AAU) Instructional Leadership Award as well as the Saint Mary’s University Geraldine Thomas Educational Leadership Award.

A highlight of Dr. Sarty’s science outreach is a physics show he brings to high school and elementary classes each year. The show gives students the chance to experience and witness the fun of marvelous and amazing demonstrations of spinning, sound, nuclear physics, electricity, magnetism, and more.

The shows are tailored to suit the age of the students. A show for elementary students is fast-paced and entertaining. Dr. Sarty takes familiar objects (magnets and bicycle wheels, for instance) and reveals the unexpected within them. It seems like magic, but it’s not... it’s physics! The focus is on generating excitement about physics and about science in general.

A show for high school students has the entertaining demonstrations, but also offers information useful to any student who is considering applying to university in the near future. “What do you need physics for? What is a university physics course like? What can you do with a degree in physics?”

“In my teaching, I am driven by the desire to remove the stigma physics holds in the eyes of the public,” he said in a recent statement about his teaching philosophy. “I view my role as a university professor as one of de-mystifying physics, both within the walls of the university and outside of them. I feel it is my duty to ensure that students experience the beauty and joy of physics.”

Contacted today about his new title as Science Champion, Dr. Sarty said, "I feel privileged to be part of a university such as Saint Mary's, which encourages faculty efforts to become actively involved in the schools and communities of the HRM and Nova Scotia; this has allowed me to take my own excitement about science outside of the standard university classroom."

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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