You rarely see a newscast without one. Academic experts. They help us make sense of our world by sharing opinions based on evidence and guide us through a fog of partisanship and spin.
顿补濒丑辞耻蝉颈别鈥檚 OpenThink initiative aims to train the next generation of experts by equipping PhD students with the skills and stage to share their ideas, inform on issues and influence public policy.
Thought leaders in training
The yearlong program, run by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, is entering its second year and recruiting its next cohort of 13 OpenThinkers. Beginning in January, these students will attend a series of workshops led by communications experts from Dalhousie, University of King鈥檚 College, NATIONAL Public Relations and The Conversation Canada. They will be coached to manage research-driven social profiles, write about their research for news publications, pitch and talk to journalists, and harness data visualization.
鈥淭he OpenThink Initiative allows us to amplify our graduate students鈥� advancements and get their ideas into the hands of the communities we serve,鈥� says Marty Leonard (shown above), dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e our next generation of leading experts, so now is time to give them the training they need to make an impact.鈥�
Activating ideas
The PhD students are also given a digital platform to share their research-based opinions and observations on a monthly basis 鈥� Dal鈥檚 . The first cohort of OpenThinkers, who complete the program this month, used the forum to delve into issues that make headlines around the world: sustainable power, social justice, food security, sexualized violence, urban planning, resilience in the face of COVID-19, and much more.
In his writing, (shown right), a political scientist explored the mechanisms of systemic discrimination in health care and other sectors of society. In particular, he reveals how the collection of health data allows policymakers to overlook the extent to which racism affects healthcare delivery to Black Canadians.
He says OpenThink provided a venue to activate ideas.
鈥淚t gave me the opportunity to puzzle through problems that arose in my research, but also problems that were arising through my life and community, as well,鈥� he says.
鈥淚 was writing for an audience who are ideally considering what it means to be good citizens, because this is what I explore in my research. I am trying to understand how we can let kindness be a guide.鈥�
A powerful public voice
OpenThinker (below left), a PhD student studying at Dal鈥檚 Schulich School of Law, focused on how courts can be used to push countries to secure the rights of 
their populations. Her article in the news publication , which was read more than 37,000 times, highlights a recent Dutch case and the important precedent it set for holding a country accountable for inadequate action on climate change. It鈥檚 a case she says that could inspire similar legal action in Canada and around the world.
She notes that OpenThink made her comfortable taking on a 鈥渟tronger public voice,鈥� and says she used the opportunity to encourage 鈥減eople to think about the role of law and its ability to effect positive change at home and abroad.
A debt to the world
For their final blogs to be published over the coming two weeks, Dal鈥檚 first OpenThinkers committed to answering the question 鈥淲hat do we owe each other?鈥� from across the spectrum of their disparate academic disciplines. 听
(shown right), a biologist researching the culture of sperm whales, took on the challenge by relaying the harrowing story of researchers who observed an orca attack on a family of sperm whales. She describes the self-sacrificing tactics sperm whales display in defense of each other and their young 鈥� an instinct and instructive example that, if taken up by humanity, could lead us to better outcomes.
She writes that what we owe each other is the same as what we owe to the whales who share our oceans.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to center ourselves in the narrative of 2020 and to focus on what we鈥檝e 
personally lost. We鈥檝e had a hard year 鈥� the hardest year for many. But there鈥檚 something to be said for looking beyond ourselves, for thinking about our human and non-human neighbours too.鈥�
Professor Lynne Robinson (shown left), OpenThink鈥檚 academic director, says society is in good hands if our next generation of public academics share the values of Dal鈥檚 OpenThinkers. 鈥淣o matter how technical or specific their research, their guiding motivations are grounded in principles of compassion and respect for the planet. When we turn the news on at night, these are the ideas we need to hear.鈥�
Apply now for OpenThink
Are you a PhD student interested in joining the next cohort of OpenThinkers? Applications are being accepted until Friday, December 11th at 5:00 p.m. AST. Find complete details and the application form on the OpenThink website. Have a question? Contact openthink@dal.ca. 听
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