Dr. Karly Kehoe receives King Charles III Coronation Medal

Saint Mary’s University is proud to announce that Dr. Karly Kehoe has received the King Charles III Coronation Medal. An internationally recognized advocate of science diplomacy, Dr. Kehoe is a professor of history and the university’s Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Communities.

Dr. Kehoe with Alain Gagnon, President of the Royal Society of Canada

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) nominated her for the award, presenting it to her at a March 27 ceremony at its headquarters in Ottawa.

“I am grateful to have received the King Charles III Coronation Medal from The Royal Society of Canada,” says Kehoe. “As academics, our role must be to work as hard as we can to make our societies better, smarter and more inclusive. It's been my privilege to work with these inspiring people to activate change.”

The medal honours individuals who have made a significant contribution to Canada or to a particular province, territory, region of, or community in, Canada, or attained an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada.

The Royal Society of Canada nominated 30 individuals who have made significant contributions to its mission over the past 25 years. Other medal recipients included Chad Gaffield, Constance Backhouse and Julia Wright.    

Kehoe is a past president of the Royal Society of Canada’s (RSC) College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists (2020-2022) and is the founder and lead of RSC’s At-Risk and Displaced Academics and Artists (ARDAA) program. This program emerged out of her extensive work to support academic researchers whose work has been disrupted by war, conflict and threats of violence. In addition to ARDAA, she co-founded the At-Risk and Academic Refugee Membership programme (Young Academy of Scotland) and the At-Risk Scholar Initiative (Global Young Academy).

Also a Fellow of the International Science Council (ISC), Kehoe is a member of its Freedom and Responsibility in Science Standing Committee. She currently chairs the RSC’s Sustainable Migration statement committee for the S7 (science academies of the G7).

Research publication award

Kehoe also recently received the Peter M. Toner Research Publication Award, for her monograph Empire and Emancipation: Scottish and Irish Catholics at the Atlantic Fringe, 1780-1850 (University of Toronto Press, 2022). Administered by the University of New Brunswick, this award supports the publication of scholarly works in Irish Canadian history by scholars worldwide.

“It was wonderful to receive this news – and completely unexpected. It’s nice when really hard research work gets recognized like this,” says Kehoe.

Kehoe is the academic lead and board chairperson for the Gorsebrook Research Institute for Atlantic Canada Studies, based at Saint Mary’s. Through her own research, Kehoe explores settler colonialism and how religious minority migrants acquired and exercised colonial privilege in the north Atlantic world between c. 1750 and c. 1850. Underpinning this research is the pioneering work she has been doing since 2010 on the complex links between Catholic colonialism in the Caribbean and what would become Atlantic Canada.

Kehoe is the convenor of the Scottish Historical Review Trust and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She co-edits the Histories of the Scottish Atlantic book series with Edinburgh University Press. Recent publications include The Scottish Highlands and the Atlantic World: Social Networks and Identities (Edinburgh University Press, 2023), co-edited with Annie Tindley and Chris Dalglish. She is a collaborator on the current SSHRC-UKRI funded research project “One People, Two Places,” looking at historic linkages between Cape Breton Island and Western Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Coronation medal background 

The King Charles III Coronation Medal was established to mark the 2023 Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. It will be awarded to 30,000 individuals across Canada, including 4,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The medal program is administered by the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, with nominations provided by a list of partner organizations.

Related:

• History professor joins International Science Council Fellowship

• Saint Mary’s University historian unveils discoveries on Catholic migration in Atlantic Canada

Student-led startup named Canadian Champion at Hult Prize National Competition

Founded by Sheheryar Khan, a soon-to-be graduate in Diploma in Engineering at Saint Mary’s University, Alaagi is on a mission to replace traditional plastics with sustainable, biodegradable alternatives. Using seaweed and other marine resources, the company creates fully compostable plastics. Using seaweed and other marine resources, the company creates fully compostable plastics.

The Alaagi team—comprised of SMU students Sheheryar Khan, Gabe Martin and Vaishali Sachdeva—was named National Champion after competing against 19 other teams from across Canada at the competition held in March at McGill University.

Kate Ramirez of the Hult Prize with Vaishali Sachdeva, Sheheryar Khan and Gabe Martin of Alaagi, and Hult Prize Advisor Aarondeep (Aaron) S. Bains

Another Saint Mary’s team that competed was Sociable, an online platform founded by Olivian Sanderson and Jason Phonchareon. The platform aims to help students build meaningful relationships through shared interests and community events.

With the national win, the Alaagi team immediately moves on to the next phase of the competition, working toward the grand prize of $1 million to be awarded at the Global Finals in London in September 2025. Alaagi has been mentored through the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre and is currently incubated through Enactus Saint Mary’s.

““Working with the team at the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre was truly transformative. They supported my vision and taught me fundamental skills like how to pitch and manage my business. But I also have to credit my mom—she sent me to Saint Mary’s and to Canada to chase my dreams.””

— Sheheryar Khan

Alaagi Founder Sheheryar Khan presents at the Hult Prize Canadian National Competition

The Hult Prize is a globally recognized social entrepreneurship competition that challenges students to tackle the world’s most pressing issues through innovative business ideas. Each year, more than 187,000 students from 113 countries and 1,324 universities participate, pitching solutions for a chance to win $1 million.

“The Canadian National Competition was competitive and exciting! It was amazing to see teams from across the country come together—not just as competitors, but as colleagues supporting one another through the process,” said Kate Ramirez, North American Regional Manager of the Hult Prize. “This was the first Canadian National Hult Prize competition, and it set the tone for what’s to come.”

The Hult Prize competition consists of five stages. With their national win, Alaagi enters Stage 3: the Digital Incubator. Alongside 60 top teams from around the world, they will refine their ideas, validate product-market fit, build proof-of-concept models, and develop go-to-market strategies. Successful teams will progress to Stage 4: the Global Accelerator, held in person in London this August, where 28 teams will receive intensive mentorship, strategic guidance, and networking opportunities. Of those, eight will be selected to compete in the Global Finals in September, pitching their ventures to a distinguished panel of judges for the $1 million prize.

Follow the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre online for more updates on Alaagi’s journey and other student entrepreneur success stories.

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The Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre at Saint Mary’s University is Atlantic Canada’s premier hub for fostering entrepreneurial mindsets and driving open innovation. Over the past five years, the Centre has supported over 4,000 students and 3,000 businesses through programs, mentorship, and entrepreneurial engagement activities.

Students build their own drones in hands-on workshop

STEAM Lab participants pose with their Wi-Fi controlled drones at Saint Mary’s University

During the winter term, a group of students took on the challenge of building fully functioning, Wi-Fi-controlled drones. The workshop was hosted by STEAM Lab, an exciting hands-on program where university students bring STEAM concepts to life by building their own projects over six interactive sessions.

Throughout the program, students enhanced their skills in electronics, programming, 3D printing, and design in a supportive environment that was open to learners from all backgrounds. At the end of the program, they kept the drones they built.

“STEAM Lab has been an incredible experience, providing hands-on learning in an engaging way,” said Abdiaziz Aden Muse. “Through this program, I’ve gained valuable problem-solving skills, collaborated on exciting projects, and explored innovative ideas that sparked my curiosity. The supportive environment and knowledgeable mentors made learning both fun and rewarding. STEAM Lab has truly inspired me to think creatively and approach challenges with confidence.”

“The drone building, programming and collaborative environment allowed me to explore new technologies while building real-world applications,” said Michael Ofori Maccarthy.

Thanks to our partners at EurekaTec and the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre for supporting this adventure in STEAM. Explore the gallery below to see the process unfold!

Highlights from the 2025 Venture Capital Investment Competition at the Sobey School of Business

Dalhousie MBA team

Queen's Smith MBA team

UNB MBA team

U of T Rotman MBA team

Waterloo Undergraduate team

Waterloo MBA team

York Schulich MBA team

Wilfred Laurier Undergraduate team

Queen's Smith MBA

Waterloo MBA team

Harvinder Kaur (SpaceBeacon)

Ugochi West

Judge

Bryn Davis Williams (DOUBL)

Kory Henn

Judge

Gena Arthur (Pure Paints Lab)

Judge

George Palikaras

Judge

Dr. Ellen Farrell

Host, Saint Mary’s University

The Sobey School of Business was thrilled to host this year’s highly anticipated Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC), which brought together 72 talented graduate and undergraduate students from some of Canada’s top institutions, including the University of Waterloo, Queen’s University, Schulich School of Business and the University of Alberta.

Canada’s Venture Capital Investment Competition has become a landmark event in the venture capital industry, providing universities across the country with the opportunity to test and nurture the next generation of professionals.

All judges for the competition are venture capitalists, business angels or members of the VC program at Sobey School of Business. “The competition showcases a remarkable wealth of talent,” said Dr. Ellen Farrell, leader of the VC program, who is renowned for her innovations in venture capital. Her accomplishments include founding the Venture Grade: Student Venture Capital Fund, co-founding the Masters in Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MTEI) Program, creating InvestorQ&A, and winning the prestigious Father William A. Stewart, S.J. Medal for Excellence in Teaching.

This year, all of the featured startups were women-owned, highlighting the growing impact of women entrepreneurs in the venture capital space. Co-organizers Ellen Farrell and Andrew Ray praised the featured startups and celebrated the diverse representation from across Canada, from British Columbia to Nova Scotia.

To learn more about the undergraduate competition, visit: Undergraduate Canada VCIC

To learn more about the MBA competition, visit: MBA Canada VCIC