Posted: May 30, 2025
By: Alison DeLory
Photos by: Danny Abriel, Cody Turner,泭Sonya Jampolskly and Alison DeLory
This year, alumni took part in two fascinating faculty-organized keynote panel discussions, networked at the mentorship mixer, attended the awarding of our flagship alumni awards the泭Aurum Awards泭 and enjoyed a delicious meal and the bestowing of the Golden Eagle Lifetime Achievement Award at a brunch celebrating milestone reunions.
Here are some highlights:
Champagne Social
Alumni from the past 70 years from across all faculties came together at Sheriff Hall for the time-honoured Champagne Social, where they enjoyed a buffet brunch and posed for reunion class photos.泭
A highlight was when Dr. J. Donald Don Hill (MD60, LLD87), a renowned cardiac surgeon, collaborator and innovator of mechanical circulatory support devices, received the泭2025 AV整氈窒 Golden Eagle Lifetime Achievement Award.泭
Dr. David Anderson, AV整氈窒s Dean of Medicine, called Dr. Hill, a true pioneer, at the forefront of medical innovation多is work has advanced science and transformed lives.



The New Space Age泭
NASA astronaut and 2025 Aurum Award recipient Dr. Kathryn Sullivan (PhD78) gave the keynote lecture at Alumni Days. She discussed the boom in national space agencies worldwide, the need for traffic management in space, the challenge of space debris, and the imperative of moon sovereignty (as expeditions are increasingly mounted by private explorers who may try to claim parts of it, e.g., for mining).泭
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Dr. Sullivan also shared that shes been called the most vertical person on Earth for not only has she walked in space, shes also explored the deepest reaches of the ocean.
A panel event followed at which Dr. Sullivan was joined by fellow 2025 Aurum Award recipient Arad Gharagozli (BEng20) and Stephen Matier, founder, CEO & director of Maritime Launch. It was moderated by Dr. David Barclay, Dal oceanography professor and host of theSciographies 捩棗餃釵硃莽喧.



Mentorship Mixer
Mentorship is not just about solutions or answers, its an energy exchange, mentee Khaled Al-Mahbashi (BACS23) said during the Mentorship Mixer.泭
The event was an opportunity for泭Dal Alumni Link泭mentors and mentees, plus those curious about the program, to meet in person and discuss their experiences.


Neville Gilfoy Lecture
The Neville Gilfoy entrepreneurship panelists shared informative, inspiring and entertaining stories about how their companies got their start and how they navigate the health-care technology space. They also answered audience questions around how to turn an idea into the creation of an innovative product.
There was much applause as Hamad Hanafi (MSc'09, PhD'15), founder & CEO of NovaResp Technologies Inc. said, I think Nova Scotia is the perfect place to start your business.泭
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In closing remarks Neville Gilfoy's son Jamie, who attended the lecture, said Neville would have loved this panel discussion.


Aurum Awards
AV整氈窒s flagship alumni awards, the Aurum Awards, were also handed out. Each year, many incredible Dal alumni are nominated by their peers and the winners are selected by the AV整氈窒 Alumni Association.泭
This years honorees include a NASA astronaut and oceanographer, a cancer researcher making ground-breaking discoveries with stem cells, a geologist advocating for community health through well water testing, and an aerospace engineer who's launching satellites into space to solve problems here on Earth. They share a relentless pursuit to understand, heal and expand the boundaries of whats possible.泭Explore their stories and videos.



Until next year
Thank you to all who joined us for Alumni Days 2025! We hope you return next year.