The StFX campus will be a place of celebration this weekend as the university graduates nearly 1,000 students from the Class of 2023 on Sunday, May 7, and hosts a special convocation ceremony on Saturday, May 6, welcoming back members of the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021.
StFX will honour two individuals for their exemplary and distinguished service during the 2023 morning and afternoon ceremonies when it awards honorary degrees to former Coady Institute director and international development leader, Dr. John Gaventa, and to Dr. Irving Rootman, internationally recognized for his four decades of outstanding leadership in health promotion.
Additionally, major honours to be presented during the ceremony include the President’s Research Award to Dr. Geniece Hallett-Tapley (Chemistry) and Dr. Erin Mazerolle (Psychology); and the Outstanding Teaching Award to Dr. Christina Holmes (BASc Health), Dr. Mary Oxner (Schwartz School of Business) and Dr. Tammy Rodela (Biology.) Faculty bios follow below.
On Saturday, May 6th, over 300 members of the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 will return to campus for the special convocation taking place at 3 p.m. The event celebrates graduates unable to attend in-person ceremonies in 2020 and 2021, when both convocations were held virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Over the weekend, various departments will host grad events for members of all three classes.
Each ceremony will be livestreamed at the following links:
• Saturday, May 6 (Class of 2020 and Class of 2021) CLICK HERE
• Sunday, May 7, morning ceremony (Class of 2023) CLICK HERE
• Sunday, May 7 afternoon ceremony (Class of 2023) CLICK HERE
More information on Spring Convocation, can be found HERE
Bios: Faculty Award Winners
Dr. Geniece Hallett-Tapley has been a member of the StFX Chemistry Department since 2014 and has established herself as a strong, independent researcher. She has attracted over $900,000 in research funding, including from NSERC, CFI, Research Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Business, and has published 14 peer-reviewed publications and one patent on work performed at StFX and has a long list of 30 publications overall.
Over and above these accomplishments, of particular note is her relevant and important research, that often involves graduate and undergraduate students. Dr. Hallett-Tapley’s work has resulted in publications and conference presentations with 21 different undergraduate students. Her lab is a beehive of activity, with students excited and eager to be involved. Dr. Hallett-Tapley is noted for her ability to help direct, inexperienced students into effective researchers producing meaningful, important, and often publishable, work that can help prepare them for a career in the sciences. She has hosted five research associates/visiting professors from Argentina, Brazil and Spain. Her work in supporting early career researchers has also been exemplary.
She is a strong advocate for improved equity and diversity in the sciences and for first generation university students. Dr. Hallett-Tapley’s research is on a crucial area of modern chemistry: how we can create processes that allow us to do important chemistry with minimal environmental impact. She uses relatively low energy light to efficiently encourage reactions that would otherwise require harsh conditions and prolonged heating to accomplish. In doing so, she takes advantage of (and creates) advances in material science that will have a broad impact.
Dr. Erin Mazerolle is an assistant professor in the StFX Psychology Department and is cross-appointed to the Computer Science Department. She joined StFX in 2020 and has already established an excellent research track record in reproducibility in brain imaging research, neurovascular impacts on the human brain, neurological diseases, neuroscience knowledge translation, and white matter imaging. Dr. Mazerolle has secured over $1 million in research funding, spanning NSERC, CIHR, and several other granting agencies.
Her innovative, impactful published studies have furthered understanding of neuroimaging methods and the human brain. Remarkably, at this stage in her career, she has already published 47 peer-reviewed journal articles. Her research has pushed the boundaries of what we know about functional magnetic resonance imaging activation in white matter, she has developed unique data analysis pipelines, and she has improved the conceptualization of rare brain conditions. Dr. Mazerolle is also known for her ability to encourage and collaborate with colleagues and students in her own and other disciplines. This year, her work as a mentor and researcher earned an Early Career Research Discovery Award for Science & Innovation nomination.
Dr. Mazerolle is also committed to inclusion and social justice in her work, promoting the visibility of women in science, and making neuroscience accessible. She has been involved with science outreach organizations and has been involved in projects focused on sharing neuroscience findings with individuals living with housing instability. This year, she initiated the Antigonish Brain Bee, pairing undergraduate students in her Brain and Behavior course with local high school students to help prepare them to compete in a local neuroscience competition that culminates in a Canadian competition.
Dr. Christina Holmes has played a pivotal role in the creation of the BASc Health program at StFX and has provided extraordinary ongoing contribution to the program. Dr. Holmes has given immense time and effort toward ensuring the best possible education for students. Her teaching philosophy is well thought-out and inclusive, and her presentation is impressive and well organized.
The impact Dr. Holmes has had on student experience goes beyond her own class and program. She has helped many faculty members provide the best educational experience possible for students and has mentored new faculty in the health program.
In a testament to her impact, the BASc-Health graduating Class of 2022 nominated “our beloved professor Dr. Christina Holmes for her contribution to our lives both in the class and beyond class.” “Dr. Holmes has undoubtedly been the most influential professor I have had in my time at StFX,” wrote one nominator. “Dr. Holmes will always stand out as one of the best professors I have ever had during my four years here at StFX,” wrote another. “She goes above and beyond making sure we understand the content she is teaching us.” Students wrote how Dr. Holmes makes everyone feel welcomed and heard. “She has always put our education first and ensures that everyone has a solid understanding of the concepts she is teaching us,” says one. “Dr. Holmes has been a pillar in the health program over the past four years at StFX.” Says another: “We have all become better students and community members thanks to Dr. Holmes’ long-term influence and guidance.”
Dr. Mary Oxner joined StFX’s Gerald Schwartz School of Business in 2000 to develop and teach courses in the accounting and finance disciplines. Dr. Oxner primarily teaches advanced accounting courses. As an effective and engaged faculty member who enjoys teaching students, Dr. Oxner continuously tries to improve instructional strategies, to provide an engaging and inclusive environment for learning, to layer experiential learning activities into courses, and to encourage transparency in expectations and to challenge students in their learning.
“It is clear that she understands and cares about the effect she has on students’ wellbeing and learning,” wrote one student nominator. Students spoke of her ongoing guidance and encouragement, her demonstrated enthusiasm for their learning, and how she inspires trust and simultaneously challenges students to do their best. Dr. Oxner also involves students in her research, including in the field of financial literacy, working with Indigenous people and refugee newcomers with the aim of improving financial literacy resources.
Dr. Oxner consistently incorporates new content into her courses to reflect new accounting approaches to reporting and brings in guest experts to speak. Through it all, she follows advice given by her father, a retired math teacher: “Don’t forget that you are teaching PEOPLE!” Prior to joining the business faculty, Dr. Oxner was the Senior Vice President of Quorum Funding Corporation, and Chief Financial Officer of Quorum Growth Inc., a TSX publicly traded closed-end investment fund. Dr. Oxner was also a staff accountant in Ernst & Young’s International audit group. An active volunteer, her efforts have been recognized through StFX’s Outreach Award, as the CA of the Year for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nova Scotia and as the inaugural Terry Milne Volunteer of the Year for the Chartered Financial Analysts’ Atlantic Canada Society.
Dr. Tammy Rodela is a highly engaged professor in the StFX Department of Biology, who has been recognized for her outstanding teaching abilities. She is passionate about creating a learning environment that fosters student success, and she is always willing to share her expertise with others. Dr. Rodela's teaching philosophy centers around guiding students to think like scientists and improve their abilities to evaluate, synthesize, and communicate their scientific knowledge.
Each learning opportunity she creates includes peer discussions, group work, relevant real-world examples, and activities that encourage student-driven interactions. Her courses are designed to challenge students while making difficult subjects interesting and engaging. Dr. Rodela's dedication to teaching extends beyond the classroom. She has served on the Faculty Development Committee, Biology Department Curriculum Committee, and she is engaged with the Teaching and Learning Centre at StFX. Her students have praised her exceptional organization and how she fosters student-driven interactions in the classroom.
One student nominator wrote, “Dr. Rodela’s effectiveness as an educator was obvious to me from day one.” Another student wrote, “Her passion for the topics she teaches is infectious, and she has certainly contributed to my love of physiology. Her method of teaching is also notable as she creates opportunities for her students to apply learned knowledge throughout the semester." A student nominator wrote that, “Dr. Rodela is easily one of the best professors I have had and has made a lasting impression on me as I navigate my career and post-graduate education.” “Dr. Rodela was the most influential mentor I had the pleasure of learning from throughout my academics,” wrote another student. Dr. Rodela's commitment to teaching and supporting her students is evident in everything she does, and she is a true asset to the StFX Department of Biology.
