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Shad Canada's

FUTURES DAY

Halifax

STEAM & Discovery
with Shad Canada

November 14, 2025
10:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.

Sessions held at Dalhousie University

November 14, 2025

STEAM & Discovery

10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

with Shad Canada

Sessions held at Dalhousie University

In partnership with:

Sponsored by:

Futures Day Schedule

TIME

SESSION

LOCATION

10:00 a.m. - 10:20 a.m.

Arrival

Dalhousie University

10:30 a.m.

Keynote

Dalhousie University

11:30 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.

Session A | Lunch | Session B

Dalhousie University

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m

Optional activity | Closing

Dalhousie University

10:00 a.m. | Arrival

Dalhousie University

10:30 a.m. | Keynote

Dalhousie University

11:30 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Session A | Lunch | Session B

Dalhousie University

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m | Optional Activity | Closing

Dalhousie University

Workshops, Seminars &
Place Explorations

3D Printed Flashlight

Dalhousie, Faculty of Engineering

You will assemble your own flashlight using a 3D printed body, wires, a switch, and light while you learn more about what the Engineering program at Dalhousie has to offer.

Behind the Scenes in the Dal Arts Centre

Dalhousie University

The Dalhousie Arts Centre is a key feature in Nova Scotia’s arts and culture landscape. It is the home of the Fountain School of Performing Arts, Symphony Nova Scotia, and the Dalhousie Art Gallery, the oldest public art gallery in the province. It’s an incredible place to learn, and a popular venue for performances by local talent as well as world-famous national and international entertainers. Join the Executive Director of the Arts Centre for this behind-the-scenes tour of these unique spaces!
 

Being an Entrepreneur

Dalhousie University

You can start a business with vibes, but you can’t build it or maintain it on vibes alone. Learn what goes into assessing ideas and building a business around them. Professor David Roach from the Faculty of Management has an engineering background combined with business expertise that has helped hundreds of hopeful entrepreneurs make frank and realistic assessments of how to bring their innovation to market – including his own biomedical engineering business.
 

Board Games for those who liked to crush or be crushed. 😉

Nova Scotia Math Circles, MathPickle.com

We are going to play some of the best games for the math classroom.

Building Assistive Technology with Makers Making Change

Makers Making Change

Neil Squire’s Makers Making Change program supports STEM education through an assistive technology lens. Our workshops encourage students to tackle real-world challenges and to empathize with people with disabilities. In this workshop, students can expect hands on use of tools like soldering irons to create or make an assistive device while also exploring community impact and how we can use science and technology for good.

Careers in Athletics

Dal Athletics

Dalhousie student-athletes succeed in their sport, in their degree programs, and after graduation, and are often passionate about continuing to work in the sport they played. Join Dal Athletics to explore career options in sport and recreation. 

Cybersecurity Session

Dalhousie University

Step into the world of cutting-edge cybersecurity at our interactive, hands-on workshop designed for curious and tech-savvy minds. Hosted inside the Emerging Wireless Technologies Lab, this session offers you a rare opportunity to work directly with real-world cybersecurity tools and technologies used by top industries around the globe.

Whether you’re passionate about ethical hacking, IoT security, wireless communication, or just curious about how we defend critical systems against cyber threats, this is your chance to explore it all, up close and personal.

Design Thinking

Dalhousie University (Dal Innovates)

This session will teach students about developing their entrepreneurial and innovation mindset. Through a interactive session, you will learn about creativity, teamwork and human centered thinking.

Discovering Physics

Dalhousie University

Enjoy a unique set of demonstrations of the behavior and properties of matter, pulling our favorites from physics classes and labs at Dalhousie. 

DNA Extraction Workshop

Let’s Talk Science – Dalhousie

Students will explore the structure of DNA and extract DNA from bananas.

Exploring the World of Artificial Intelligence

Shad Canada

Step into the fascinating world of AI—where machines learn, think, and even create. In this interactive session, you’ll discover how Artificial Intelligence evolved, how it makes decisions, and why it’s transforming the way we learn and live. Through hands-on activities and thought experiments, you’ll explore what it means for computers to “think,” uncover the basics of neural networks, and imagine how AI could shape your own future.

Finding Your Fit: How to Choose a University and Program That’s Right for You

Dalhousie University

Choosing what to study (and where!) after high school can feel overwhelming. Bring your questions to this session with Dr. Mike Smit, Dean, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, and get honest and practical advice that will help you cut through the noise to find the program and place for you. A computer scientist who left his family’s dairy farm in rural Nova Scotia to do ocean, climate, and health research in the Faculty of Management, and program director for the Shad Dalhousie summer program from 2013 to 2023, Dr. Smit has a long history of helping students find their path at universities all over the world. He’ll explore what really matters to you, from your interests and goals to campus culture and career opportunities, so you can make confident, informed decisions about your future.

Genes vs. Cancer: How Our Immune System Fights Back

Dalhousie University, Faculty of Medicine

Hear Dr. Jeanette Boudreau the Director of the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute discuss her research in this interactive session. Dr. Boudreau’s research investigates how human natural killer cell immunogenetics program immune responsiveness to cancer and infectious diseases. 

The Human Side of Cancer Research: Care, Access, and Impact

Dalhousie University, Faculty of Medicine

Hear Dr. Robin Urquhart, Canadian Cancer Society Endowed Chair in Population Cancer Research, talk about her research. Focused on cancer care, Dr. Urquhart studies access to and quality of care, patient and family outcomes and experiences, and how to more effectively move research evidence into clinical practice and healthcare policy. Her research spans the entire cancer continuum, from primary prevention to survivorship and end-of-life care. 

Managing Your Money

Junior Achievement

During this interactive session, students will have the opportunity to explore real-life money concepts and build skills to use in their everyday financial futures. Join this session for an overview on personal budgeting, understanding credit and debt, and asking all the money questions you have always wondered about.
 

Medical Research at CORES

Dalhousie University

Dalhousie medical researchers are committed to solving serious health challenges in the Maritimes. In this guided tour of the centralized medical research facility, you’ll see what goes into supporting this critical work, from digital imaging to zebrafish!

Motion Capture in Medicine: Where Technology Meets the Human Body

Dalhousie University, Biomedical Engineering

Step into the world of biomechanics and see how technology helps us understand the way people move. In this session, you will visit our motion analysis lab and explore how engineers use cameras, sensors, and force plates to study human movement in 3D. You’ll see a live demonstration of motion capture, learn how this data helps clinicians and engineers improve recovery after injuries and surgeries, and even try out some of the tools yourself. Discover how we use innovative technology to measure motion and design better treatments for patients recovering from injury or surgery.

Planes, Trains, and TI?

Texas Instruments

In this hands-on session you will experience Python coding with TI technology to drive robotic cars, fly drones and control Micro:bits. No coding experience required!

Planetarium & The Night Sky

Dalhousie University

The Dalhousie planetarium introduces the night sky like you’ve never seen it before. Enjoy this tour of the changing night sky, including constellations currently visible and the sky you cannot see from Nova Scotia. 

Unlock Your Superpower: Communication That Clicks

Acadia University

What if you could talk to anyone in a way that really connects? Imagine working on a team where everyone understands each other so well that you can accomplish anything together. In this workshop, you’ll discover what makes you and the people around you tick. You’ll learn how to understand different personalities, communicate better, and build strong, high performing teams.

Varsity Athletics Leadership: Ending Violence, Building Community (Waves of Change: Bystander Intervention)

Saint Mary’s University

Join Saint Mary’s University’s Athletic Ambassadors for an engaging session on building a safer, more respectful, and caring campus community. Through the Waves of Change program—a Nova Scotia initiative focused on increasing safety and respect—participants will learn how to recognize disrespectful behaviour, intervene effectively, and support those affected. This session draws on your existing skills and creativity to explore practical strategies for preventing harm and fostering positive social change on campus and beyond.

The session will also include a Q&A about athletics and life as a varsity student.

World of Marketing

Dalhousie University

Every day, businesses are competing for your attention: with branding, messaging, product placement, paid advertising, influencers, and viral videos, spending literally one trillion dollars globally to help influence your choices. Pull back the curtain to see how they compete for your attention and why it works, with a Dal professor of marketing. 

Keynotes

Shannon Miedema 

Serving as the Member of Parliament for the Halifax riding since the 2025 federal election, Shannon Miedema is alum of Dalhousie (Master of Environmental Studies) and UKings. She was most recently the Director of Environment & Climate Change for the city of Halifax, where she championed the creation and implementation of HalifACT, the city’s award-winning climate action plan founded in climate science and outlining actions based on existing and proven technologies to reduce carbon emissions and build a city more resilient to the effects of a changing climate. As an MP, she represents Halifax residents in Ottawa on a broad variety of issues, from economic development to health care. 
 

Dina Rogers 

What if a protein could break down the plastics in our oceans? Dina is a PhD student in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Dalhousie, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree, first class honours in the same field. The first scientist in her family, she won the 2024 international Falling Walls Lab pitch competition in Berlin, Germany, taking first place in the Science Breakthrough of the Year in the Emerging Talents category with her pitch on using biology to dispose of plastic waste.
 
 

For more information or questions about the day, please contact:

Jennifer Murphy at jen@shad.ca