Academic X’cellence: Sharing stories from our inspiring StFX community
It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with StFX that our campus is filled with highly engaged students, educators, researchers, and leaders. Academic X’cellence shines a spotlight on members of our educational community to find out more about their unique experiences—both inside and outside of the classroom. (To see the full series, please click HERE.)
Here we meet Dr. Brittany MacDonald-MacAulay, who has been a faculty member in StFX’s Engineering Department since 2018. Dr. MacDonald-MacAulay brings both industry experience and experiential learning into her teaching, including offering Service Learning experiences designed to engage students in the program and get them excited to be an engineer. Her research work focuses on industry efficiency and waste valorization. She has also branched into engineering education-based research, aiming to improve engineering programs at universities, improve her own teaching practices, and bridge the gap between industry and academia. She has also recently published on engineering education. As part of her teaching priorities, Dr. MacDonald-MacAulay is working to help students connect the theory seen in textbooks with real-world applications and to create space for all students to flourish in her classroom. She is also the faculty lead and co-founder of the StFX Women in Engineering Society.
Dr. Brittany MacDonald-MacAulay: Driven by a desire to do what is best for others
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a Cape Bretoner who has lived all across the province. I have an older sister (who pursued a business direction in accounting, like my mother, whereas I pursued technology like my father) and a fantastic niece, nephew, and brother-in-law. I obtained a combined three-year BSc in Chemistry and Engineering Diploma for Transfer (Chemical Engineering) from Cape Breton University in 2013 and my Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from Dalhousie in 2015. I met my husband, Allan, a municipal civil engineer, in the first year of my undergrad; we actually took our exam to obtain our professional engineering designations together. In my final year at Dal, I was fortunate to be approached by Port Hawkesbury Paper LP to conduct work with them towards my master’s degree. Little did I know that this experience would shape the way I teach. I was able to apply myself at the paper mill as an engineer and a graduate student, making real changes for an industry in an everchanging landscape. I completed my Master of Environmental Studies from Dalhousie in 2017 and continued on with my PhD in Chemical Engineering, graduating in 2023. Throughout the PhD, I worked with Port Hawkesbury Paper LP, looking at valorization of their sludge material and also the potential for the industry to act as an anchor tenant of an eco-industrial park. I have been fortunate to continue my connection, having my research student Gabriel Cozzi take part this past summer in a project linked to the paper mill. I began teaching chemistry labs at Cape Breton University immediately following my graduation from there, and I started my research journey there just days after graduating high school. I began teaching at StFX in 2018 part-time and successfully obtained a tenure-track position in 2019. I have taught a variety of engineering courses, Design and Graphics, Technical Communications, Strength of Materials, Thermo-Fluids I and II, and the Fundamentals of Process Engineering. I am also the first full-time female instructor in StFX’s Engineering Department.
Could you talk about what drives you in your teaching?
I am driven by my own obligation as a Professional Engineer to do what is best for others and by that I continue to seek knowledge and ensure I am up to date with current standards to bring that forth to my students. I believe all students have the right to learn, ask questions, and participate, that they should feel safe and comfortable in the classroom and feel that their professor is there for them. I also believe that teaching and learning does not stop outside the classroom, that engaging with students inside and outside of class is a great pathway to success. I have also had a tough journey in my academic pursuits and in my career. I have taken new or atypical routes, such as the combined degrees and I have of course been a female in a typically male dominated field. Unfortunately, my differences are not always welcomed. I want to ensure that I am an advocate for others and for myself. I try to bring this to the classroom and ensure all students feel welcome and that their backgrounds and experiences are valued.
What impact do you hope your teaching will have?
There are several outcomes I hope to achieve. I want students to make safety- and ethics-informed decisions throughout their careers and lives. I hope to instill the values and confidence to support them in such decisions. I want students to be prepared for industry. Often, I’ve found in my education a lack of connection between industry and academia. Having been fortunate to work in industry, I learned quickly the value of the topics discussed in the classroom and continue to seek ways to incorporate this into my teaching. It is important that students can make connections between what they see in the classroom and what they could be undertaking in their careers. Even if my students do not pursue industry careers, I think an understanding of industrial needs and practices is paramount. I also want students to feel empowered to ask questions and to challenge themselves and others as lifelong learners, and to know they mean more than their grades. Their grades alone do not define them in their lives and careers. A good engineer combines a multitude of skills, technical, professional, and personal. Finally, I hope that students understand the value in giving and receiving critiques and feedback.
Could you talk about any innovations in your teaching or research?
I include two important aspects in my classroom, industry experience and experiential learning. I love discussing my experiences in industry, being transparent about learning curves, what worked and what did not. Being able to explicitly talk about where I used a theory discussed in class is not only exciting, but I think it helps students connect with the course content. I have also been fortunate to include Service Learning in my classes. This ties in with my desire to expose students to engineering experiences beyond theory. Service Learning in the first year Design and Graphics course has become a staple in engaging students in the program and getting them excited to be an engineer. I put out a call each year, seeking potential partners who then work with our students as clients on an engineering problem. This can seem daunting to a student, especially in their first term, but by the end, the growth is astonishing! The students’ professionalism and dedication are incredible, and I look forward to seeing their designs. I have begun seeking ways to include these opportunities in other classes. Thank you to the StFX Service Learning team who make this all possible!
My current research focuses on waste valorization and engineering education. In the classroom, as part of a recently published book chapter, I have included social media case considerations in my Design and Graphics course, both instructor and student-chosen. For example, students are asked to reflect on a piece of social media they might see in an average day and how it connects to Engineers Nova Scotia's Code of Ethics. The goal is for students to see that their decisions, even if not of a technical nature, can be related to the codes. I hope to expand my connections in industry to further evaluate diverse waste streams, working toward a circular economy while still considering further end uses for pulp and paper mill sludge, as I have to date through hydroseeding and consumable plant growth opportunities. I am also thrilled to be in the early stages of collaboration with other departments as well as at other universities and hope to further these connections moving forward.
Are there awards, accomplishments or involvements you’d like to mention?
My main project throughout my first years at the paper mill (culminating what was my masters project) considered dewatering strategies for the sludge waste produced from the paper making process. To implement a project on an industrial scale was the best feeling and then, to see it working, and to know it would save around $360,000 per year was surreal. Being able to make a difference in an industry, to me, is an award in itself. I feel fortunate to have been able to start StFX's Women in Engineering Society with a past student, Alaina Bryce. This society is growing and providing space for many students to come together, not only those who are female-identifying. I recently had a chapter published focusing on engineering education, which was a milestone for me as I do not have a formal background in the field of education. This occurred through the Canadian Association for Teacher Education Working Conference. This work focused on considering the use of engineering ethics to break down barriers in understanding and relating to engineering ethics as a student. I learned so much from my peers in education which allowed me to transition my work. I plan to continue working on ways to improve teaching practices in engineering through similar studies with our students. Finally, I feel like I often have the chance to share successes with my students, because with our small class sizes, their goals in some ways become mine. I am thrilled and invested to see them winning competitions, participating in conferences, or succeeding on a test they did not feel confident about.
What drew you to teaching?
From a young age I knew I wanted to be a teacher (after I moved on from wanting to be a ballerina). Originally, I was interested in teaching English, but as I advanced in school, my love of science developed further and I knew I wanted to teach science, and at the post-secondary level. My father was also a huge inspiration, working in power generation, facilities management, safety, etc. My passion in science is chemistry. I also really enjoyed math and physics. The mixture pointed to engineering as the way to go. Throughout my post-secondary education, it was always in my mind that I would be the one someday at the front of the classroom, teaching. I noted what worked and what could be improved, and not just from my perspective, but listening to my classmates. I never saw myself having anything to do with industry, I was so driven to teach, but when given the opportunity to partner and work with industry, I could not pass it up. That experience is what made me even more inspired to teach and to change the way I teach. Being in industry allowed me to put the puzzle together. Those topics that did not quite make sense or did not seem to have a real life use in class, suddenly had a clear importance. I want to bring this experience to other students. I want them to see a tangible goal and I want to excite them about their future. It is so rewarding to know I play a small part in the journey of my students and even in the short years I have been at StFX.
What excites you about teaching at StFX?
I feel so lucky to be able to work with students in such a close capacity, specifically through our small class sizes compared to other universities. Getting to know my students makes the atmosphere more comfortable for me (and I hope my students) because it is like we are all learning together. I love when students ask questions that take me beyond what I know, allowing me to do some research and come back to them.
What’s something surprising about yourself?
Many people on campus may know I am passionate about volleyball and track and field and that I was on both teams in university, however, it is lesser known that I enjoy trick-skipping. Yes, with a skipping rope. My mom used to teach the neighbourhood children how to skip and double dutch. I took this further and wanted to do tricks. When we moved to the Annapolis Valley, I found out they had a performance skipping team, the Annapolis Skippers. Suddenly I was learning tricks I did not know existed. Even after moving away, I kept this up. I loved it so much that during timed skipping in high school track practice, my coach would get after me to focus on skipping normal because all I wanted to do was tricks. While I am definitely rusty now, there is no way I can pick up a skipping rope and not try to see how much I can still do.
