OpenThink

Meet our 2026 #DalOpenThink cohort — 15 ambitious Dal PhD students ready to share their research beyond academia through public engagement! www.dal.ca/news/2026/06...

Just like a rainbow is made up of different colours, our well-being is made up of different parts of our lives. Take a closer look at these different shades of well-being and how we measure them with OpenThinker Firoozeh Bairami Hekmati: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/th...

Does having your wisdom teeth removed make you a different person? It depends on who you ask. Join @karpovvskasparov.bsky.social to learn more in their latest OpenThink blog post: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/wh...

How do you identify a resistance gene that no longer looks like any resistance gene on record? The same way you'd spot your cousin in a crowd. @thepreciouso.bsky.social’s OpenThink blog post tells us more: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/fa...

Some batteries come with 10-year promises. But who waited 10 years to test them? Nobody. OpenThinker Martins Obialor explores how scientists fast-forward a battery’s life to predict its future: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/ho...

In this month’s blog post, OpenThinker Noah Doucette explores why HPV prevention is necessary for the health and well-being of men who have sex with men. Read more here: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/un...

Think about the last celebration you shared with family. Now imagine being thousands of kilometres away. For millions of migrants, sending money home is one way to still take part. Learn more with OpenThinker Ron Biswas: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/mo...

Moving is terrible...but it can teach us a lot about modern-day rites of passage, as well as the grief and joy inherent to change. Learn more with @karpovvskasparov.bsky.social: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/bo...

Some concepts are not as straightforward as they first seem and are difficult to define. Well-being is one of those concepts. OpenThinker Firoozeh Bairami Hekmati covers this seemingly simple, yet surprisingly complex, concept: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/ho...

“Care, not cops” has become an increasingly common call for rethinking mental health crisis response. But what does that look like in practice? In her latest blog, OpenThinker Megan Rowe explores the growing field of alternative crisis response: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/ca...

What if the biggest risk to e-mobility isn’t the battery, but the rules around it? OpenThinker Martins Obialor explores the gaps in Canada’s approach to lithium-ion battery safety: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/re...

Our DNA is written in four letters. Bacterial DNA is too. When a resistance gene hides in millions of those letters, how do scientists find it? @thepreciouso.bsky.social’s newest blog post reads between the lines – and the letters: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/re...

A clear scan doesn’t always mean every cancer cell is gone. Join OpenThinker Maya MacLean as she explores the fascinating world of cancer stem cells and why researchers are trying to target them: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/ca...

When a crisis crosses borders, money often follows. Remittances can help families pay for healthcare and plan beyond an emergency, but they also carry sacrifice for those sending them. Read how money, care and responsibility travel together with OpenThinker Ron Biswas: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/mo...

OpenThinker Zuby Ain Sohail explores what genuine accountability looks like in Canada's public sector — and why the difference matters: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/be...

Ever wondered why cancer treatment doesn’t work the same for everyone? Learn more about the science of heterogeneity with OpenThinker Maya MacLean: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/wh...

Inspired by Muhammad Yunus and countless local changemakers, OpenThinker Mohamed Kadry Ibrahim explores what drives social entrepreneurs to turn ideas into impact. Discover how purpose, innovation and action can create lasting change: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/me...

Canada’s retirement income system is more than mandatory earning-based pensions. Firoozeh Bairami Hekmati shows it has three interconnected layers, with Canada’s Old Age Security & Guaranteed Income Supplement helping to improve financial security for older adults: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/ca...

Not always gender-neutral! In this month’s blog post, OpenThinker Noah Doucette explores the historical evolution of Canadian HPV vaccination programs and shares resources that can help you make an informed decision about the vaccine: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/va...

Life contains many rites of passage. Is death the final rite? How does applying this anthropological theory to death and dying help us think about social relationships? Explore these questions with @karpovvskasparov.bsky.social: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/de...

In this month’s blog post, OpenThinker Megan Rowe explores how police became default responders to mental health crises, and how this role reflects gaps in care, underfunded community supports and assumptions about crises: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/91...

Cold weather doesn’t just drain batteries faster — it can change how they charge, age and fail. OpenThinker Martins Obialor explores the science behind winter battery safety: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/wh...

How do researchers measure childhood trauma, and what might they be missing? OpenThinker Sarah Haggett explores why better questions can lead to better research, healthcare and policy by capturing the full story behind childhood experiences: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/a-...

In 2016, a woman's lab results came back resistant to 26 antibiotics. Every single one tested. There was no next option. @thepreciouso.bsky.social unpacks why this isn't just her problem – it’s all of ours: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/ha...

Adoption is only the beginning. Across Canadian farms, some climate-smart practices don’t last — and that changes how we measure success. Learn more with OpenThinker Ifunanya Orisekeh: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/ad...

Zuby Ain Sohail asks: does representation equal inclusion? In her first #DalOpenThink post, she uncovers the compliance trap keeping Canadian public institutions from achieving genuine DEI: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/wh...

OpenThinker Firoozeh Bairami investigates low-income older adults’ lived experiences, along with survey data, to better understand how Canada’s non-contributory pensions affect their well-being: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/fi... Photo: Tony Luciani

You, me and HPV. OpenThinker Noah Doucette covers HPV-related health conditions and what we can do to prevent them: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/yo...

What is a rite of passage, really? OpenThinker Emma Nelson explores this topic, focusing on the medical professionals who guide us through two tangible instances of a rite of passage — birth and becoming a parent, and death and dying: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/wh...

When migrants send money home, a dollar is not just a dollar. It can become medicine, school fees, rent, food, emergency support or a way of saying: I am still with you. @aranyabiswas1.bsky.social explores remittances as more than income: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/mo...

Megan Rowe opens her OpenThink blog series by asking who responds when someone experiences a mental health crisis, why police remain so central and what alternative models of crisis care are possible: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/me...

How can light and gold outsmart super bacteria? @rboudries.bsky.social is developing an ultra-fast diagnostic method to catch bacterial metabolic responses hours before traditional tests, closing a critical gap in the fight against antibiotic resistance: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/li...

Two patients. Same hospital. Same week. Identical resistance gene. Looks like an outbreak — until you look closer. @thepreciouso.bsky.social breaks down the interpretive steps that unravel this, and why automation matters at scale: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/sa...

Batteries lasting a lifetime is not a myth. Advances in battery science suggest that such a future could be nearer than we think. OpenThinker Martins Obialor explores how this is happening: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/ca...

OpenThinker Sarah Haggett takes readers inside the EEG lab, busting mind-reading myths, breaking down brainwaves and showing how tiny electrical signals can be used to understand the human mind — all while participants are turned into bionic mermaids! blogs.dal.ca/openthink/a-...

In her first OpenThink post, @tiaramuld.bsky.social introduces Drosophila melanogaster, the tiny fruit fly with a huge role in science, and asks why scientists still use it: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/th...

OpenThinker Mohamed Kadry Ibrahim shares how social enterprises blend profit & purpose, reshaping enterprises as a force for impact. From pioneers to today’s changemakers, he shows how social enterprises can tackle social challenges while staying financially sustainable: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/wh...

Many changes to aquatic ecosystems are caused by human behaviour. This is what inspired OpenThinker Nicole Cameron to pursue an interdisciplinary PhD that crosses the boundaries between the natural and social sciences. Read more in her intro blog post: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/a-...

OpenThinker Maya MacLean digs into why there’s no single “cure for cancer” and how big omics datasets are reshaping how we approach cancer treatment: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/re...

Ten years after Paris and straight off COP30, the climate clock is still ticking. COP30 moved the needle on finance and process—but the emissions gap remains. Read Loveth’s final blog post, she analyzes what COP30 means for the Paris regime, the NCQG, and what the world must do next: buff.ly/ktIW6JV

In her final #OpenThink post, @somabarawi.bsky.social shares a peek into her research on nitrogen fixation in marine microbes and the gene with an evolutionary history full of surprises: buff.ly/QbkFKmF

Read #OpenThinker Hannah's final blog post outlining a day in the life at an academic cancer conference where she explains how research meets community—and moves science forward: buff.ly/vaT9OR6

AI models are great at talking, but they often struggle to understand the real world around them. Read Monzurul's final #OpenThink blog post to learn about the Model Context Protocol (a new open standard), why it matters, and how it mays shape the next generation of AI applications: buff.ly/HaOEvYG

Achieving health for all is a global priority—and refocusing how to utilize our current health workforce to their fullest capacity is part of the solution. Learn more about upstream approaches in interprofessional collaboration and oral health in Lindsay's final #OpenThink blog post: buff.ly/HtpUqHx

Imagine it’s your first day at work, at university, or in a new city. You don’t know anyone yet—how do you navigate this newness and gain necessary information? Read #OpenThinker Patricia's final blog post on building community and a sense of belonging: buff.ly/zCsYZmN

We can make AI training safer by controlling what paths are taken during training. Learn more with @domenicrosati.bsky.social: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/sa...

We’re made of trillions of microbes that live, grow & evolve with us. Lateral gene transfer isn’t just shaping the environment, oceans, or soils, it happens inside us too! Learn more about WAAFLE (and no, not the kind you eat for breakfast) with @somabarawi.bsky.social: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/wa...

In #OpenThinker Patricia's last post, she introduced the 2016 Türkiye–EU border externalization agreement & discussed what happened before it was put into practice. Now, take a look at which parts of the agreement have actually been carried out & what impact they’ve had: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/th...

Interprofessional models of care are coming to define the future of healthcare practice, and practitioners of today and tomorrow all have a role to play. Learn more in #OpenThinker Lindsay Van Dam's newest article: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/pu...

In Loveth Ovedje’s latest #OpenThink blog, she examines the U.S’ withdrawal, re-entry — and now another exit — from the Paris Agreement. Read the article: blogs.dal.ca/openthink/th... #ParisAgreement #ClimateLaw #US #OpenThink