Information Science Student Association
Librarians Without Borders is having a bake sale this Thursday in the Rowe Atrium! They are also collecting cans for candy. If you bring in a donation for the Dalhousie food bank, you will receive Halloween candy. Donations can be dry goods, canned goods, or hygiene products.
See you there!
Here is a list of practicums completed by returning students in 2016. This list is just to showcase some of the options available to students, as there are many other options available for practicum locations. Due to the wide variety of student interests, this year’s placements could be completely different than those from 2016.
Lecture Details
Thursday, October 20th, 2016
11:45am-12:45pm
Room 3089, Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building, 6100 University Avenue
The Information Management Public Lectures give attention to exciting advances in research and professional practice. The topics are diverse reflecting the importance and global extent of Information Management in today’s society. The lectures are open to all members of the Dalhousie campus and surrounding community. Click here for the full schedule. We encourage you to attend in person, but if that is not possible you can access a recording on our website following the lecture. Live streaming is not currently available.
Presented by the School of Information Management, the Environmental Information: Use and Influence research program, and the MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance. Notice and poster attached.
Elizabeth De Santo & Lea Senft
Franklin & Marshall College (Pennsylvania)
How can stakeholders inform public policy? With increasing attention being given to evidence-based decision making, at least in Canadian political rhetoric over the past year, what can be learned from recent experience at national and global levels? What role does information fulfil in decision-making processes? In this lecture, two speakers from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania will draw on their studies to illustrate how stakeholder engagement and information exchange have played out in British and global conservation planning. They will outline recommendations for strengthening the use of information in public policy decisions.
Speaker 1: Elizabeth De Santo, PhD
California Dreaming: Challenges of Implementing Science-Based Marine Protected Area (MPA) Planning Processes in Different Political Contexts
Abstract: In response to direct and indirect pressures on the marine environment posed by increased development and climate change, the international community has been designating networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) and implementing marine spatial planning (MSP) in their exclusive economic zones, including offshore areas. This lecture critically assesses the role of evidence in marine conservation planning in the United Kingdom (UK), a process that drew heavily on the example set by California’s Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) planning process. Whereas the role of a science advisory panel played a constructive role and facilitated MPA planning in the Californian context, the outcome in the UK was quite different; evidence became a sticking point hampering the process. The actual designation of sites in the UK has been slower than expected, and none of the Reference Areas (e.g., no-take MPAs) recommended by stakeholder-led consultations have been implemented. Drawing on examples from the United States, Australia, and the UK, I will provide recommendations for effective science-led marine conservation planning.
Biography: Elizabeth De Santo is Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Franklin & Marshall College, in the Department of Earth and Environment. Her teaching and research focus on marine conservation and environmental governance, critically examining: (1) the efficacy of spatial approaches to conserving marine species and habitats, and (2) the science-policy interface in environmental decision-making. She is particularly interested in the challenges of effectively implementing Marine Protected Areas and biodiversity conservation worldwide. Prior to joining Franklin & Marshall College, she was a faculty member in the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University. She has also held positions with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Environment Center, consultancies with the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and the Institute for European Environmental Policy, and she is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law.
Speaker #2: Lea Senft
A Critical Examination of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES): Improving Mechanisms for Stakeholder Engagement
Abstract: In this talk, I will critically examine mechanisms for stakeholder engagement within the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), recently established within the Convention on Biological Diversity. Tying ecosystem services to this platform is not only vital for biodiversity conservation, but also depends upon good stakeholder engagement, as well as effective global assessments. Further, this project explores lessons learned from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. In particular, the IPCC’s strengths and weaknesses are examined in order to derive how IPBES can improve its approach, including stakeholder engagement. I have found that stakeholder engagement is at the early stages for IPBES, however, the organization is taking the necessary steps toward improvement. I have also seen that ecosystem services are at the forefront for IPBES, and its regional assessment plan provides more influential data for future conservation initiatives. In this talk, I will provide recommendations about areas in which IPBES can improve, drawing on the experience of the IPCC, and providing an in depth assessment of where IPBES needs to go to provide crucial conservation data.
Biography: Lea Senft is a senior undergraduate student, pursuing a Joint Major in Environmental Studies and Public Policy at Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She is in her second year of independent study with Elizabeth De Santo, and has completed coursework in both American and global environmental policy.
Slides from presentation: click here
Ever thought of a career in Records Management? Where to take your education to make yourself a career? Have you ever thought about Records Management? We will talk about what it is and how it relates to your education. Courtney Bayne will speak about top trends, transferable skills sets, what employers are looking for, and answer any questions you may have about the industry.
About the speaker: Courtney Bayne, Records Analyst, Government of NS and Treasurer ARMA NS
* Records Analyst with the Nova Scotia Government.
* Worked in the RIM field with NS Government since 2006 (roughly 9 departments).
* Current department: Internal Services
* Library and Information Technology (honours) diploma from NSCC (2007)
* DAL MIM 2017 candidate.
* An active ARMA Member since 2007, current ARMA NS Treasure and have held various board positions over the years
Lecture Details
Thursday, October 6th, 2016
5:35-6:35pm *embedded in the class INFO 5500: Information in Society
Room 1011, Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building, 6100 University Avenue
The Information Management Public Lectures give attention to exciting advances in research and professional practice. The topics are diverse reflecting the importance and global extent of Information Management in today’s society. The lectures are open to all members of the Dalhousie campus and surrounding community. Click here for the full schedule. We encourage you to attend in person, but if that is not possible you can access a recording on our website following the lecture. Live streaming is not currently available.
Suzuette Soomai
School of Information Management, Dalhousie University
Abstract: The factors influencing scientific communication are contingent on the characteristics of the many dynamic and iterative science-policy interfaces among decision-makers, scientists, and other stakeholders as revealed in case studies of the Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This talk presents the important drivers to information production and the key enablers and barriers to communication based on direct observations at the organizations’ meetings coupled with interviews of fisheries scientists and managers. Unique features of decision-making and information use enable the production of credible, relevant, and legitimate information in each organization, including trade-offs in these attributes to support fisheries governance objectives. Understanding the interface can equip the organizations to evaluate or modify practices to increase the uptake of their information in decision-making and enable stakeholders to determine their most appropriate entry point in a decision-making process.
Biography: Dr. Suzuette S. Soomai is a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI) research program at Dalhousie University. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on the role of scientific information—produced by fisheries management organizations— in policy- and decision-making for marine fisheries management. She holds an Interdisciplinary PhD and a Master in Marine Management (MMM) from Dalhousie University. She also holds a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Zoology and a BSc (Hons) from the University of the West Indies.
Dr. Soomai has considerable experience in fisheries resource assessment and management as she was a government fisheries scientist in Trinidad and Tobago. She has worked closely with commercial/large-scale and small-scale fishers in the Caribbean as well as regional an international fisheries management organizations in a range of research activities including fish stock assessments, freshwater aquaculture farming, and at-sea testing of marine bycatch reduction gear technologies.
Time: Thursday, September 29, 4-5:20
Location: 4th floor SIM lab
*Please bring your laptop!
A workshop on Office 365 products, organized by ITS & SIMSA.
* OneDrive gives you the ability save your files so you can access them anywhere you have network access. You are also able to share your files so you can all work on the same project.
* SharePoint gives you the ability to have document libraries and lists to share information with other people. It gives you the ability to share certain libraries or files with specific people at different permission levels.
* OneNote is a great way to organize your notes for different classes or projects. You can use different books that each can have labeled tabs to easily find what you are looking for.
* Forms gives you the options to create quizzes or surveys that you can give to friends and classmates. You can view the results in the browser to keep track of trends in the responses.
* Planner can be used to keep track of projects by creating the individual tasks and assigning them to different people in the group. You can see when tasks are due, and what needs to be done first to keep the progress going.
* Sway is a great tool to create webpages that can provide pictures, video and text. You can create multiple webpages and create a link so anyone can view your creations.
* Yammer gives you the ability to create groups and share information on the wall. It keeps the history so everyone can see what the new updates are. You can share videos, pictures and information.
* Delve provides a graphical way to view the popular updates and changes with people around you. It will show you what documents have recently been changed and what has been emailed to you.
You can use these documents in real time to see the changes immediately. This is especially helpful when you are collaborating on project and when doing team work.