Make real change

Meet some of our Dal students and alumni who are making a difference in their communities, whether locally, nationally, or internationally.

Lars Boggild (BAH’13 in ESS & POLI)

Impact investment professional

From working with Canadian financial co-op Vancity to supporting one of the largest impact funds in Canadian history, Lars has developed a range of experience using financial support to effect positive change. “My role is really to enable people driving deeply innovative technologies towards social and environmental change,” he says, reflecting on the balance of contributions in impact investment partnerships.

Learn more about Lars' projects

Kathryn Smith (PhD Candidate)

Engineering thermal refuges for Atlantic salmon

Atlantic salmon spend most of their lives in the cool waters of the ocean, migrating up rivers only to spawn — but populations have been on the decline for decades, linked partially to increasingly warm water temperatures. That decline prompted PhD candidate Kathryn Smith and her supervisor, Dr. Barret Kurylyk in Dal's Department of Civil and Resource Engineering, to see if humans could create thermal refuges for the endangered species. "We wanted to see if we can help cold-water biodiversity in a warming world, by targeting key areas and time periods in the summer to help them cool down,” says Kathryn.

Learn more about Kathryn’s engineering research

Kristal Ambrose (MMM’19)

Fighting plastic pollution in The Bahamas

In 2013, Kristal founded her non-profit environmental organization, the Bahamas Plastic Movement, to find solutions to alleviate plastic pollution and inspire Bahamian youth to create real change. Thanks to her efforts, the government of The Bahamas banned single-use plastic bags, plastic cutlery, straws, and Styrofoam containers and cups in January 2020. Kristal received the prestigious 2020 Goldman Environmental Prize, and has been recognized as an environmental leader by Sierra Club Magazine and Coastal Living Magazine. “It sends the message to young people that you can do this too,” she explains. “This is my planet, this is my ocean. I deserve to fight. My voice matters.”

Learn more about Kristal's projects

Olivia Rempel (BJH’15 with ESS)

Digital video expert and documentary maker

Working from her office on the coast of Norway, journalist and documentary filmmaker Olivia Rempel uses her storytelling skills to help scientists share their work more effectively with the public. Since September 2020, Olivia has worked as a digital video expert for GRID-Arendal, a Norwegian non-profit communications centre with a mission to communicate environmental science to policy makers. “There’s a different story every day that needs to be told. They’re constantly changing. But I think, in terms of type of stories, we need more nuance,” says Olivia.

Learn more about Olivia's work