By Jaclyn Chambers Page, Copyright Librarian + Faculty of Agriculture Liaison Librarian, (refined with the aid of Claude.ai) 

The MacRae Library at Dalhousie University’s Agricultural Campus hosted its Second Annual Student Research Poster Competition on March 12, 2025 The competition showcased innovative agricultural research from Dalhousie students and postdocs. The event featured 27 submissions—a significant increase from last year’s inaugural competition—highlighting the growing interest in agricultural research. 

Left to right: Venkatraman Manikandan, Yashan Dhaliwal, Nandhini Krishnamoorthy (Photo by Elaine MacInnis) 

Following careful evaluation by students, faculty, and community members, three researchers were awarded prizes for their outstanding work: 

1. First Place ($100): Nandhini Krishnamoorthy for “From Waste to Growth: Harnessing Compost CO₂ in Greenhouse Agriculture” 
2. Second Place ($50): Yashan Dhaliwal for “Bimodal Data Analysis for Early Detection of Lameness in Dairy Cows using Artificial Intelligence” 
3. Third Place ($25): Venkatraman Manikandan for “Unlocking Poultry Vocalizations – Artificial Intelligence for Welfare Monitoring and Sustainable Farming” 

The competition invited agricultural researchers at all academic levels—from undergraduate to postdoctoral—to submit research posters. During the evening event, participants engaged with attendees in one-on-one discussions about their research. Attendees evaluated each presentation using a standardized rubric, with the three highest-scoring posters receiving prizes. 

The variety of research presented is a testament to the exciting possibilities of agricultural research as students rise to the challenge of climate change, harness the power of artificial intelligence, seek to protect and improve the health and well-being of plants and animals, and more. Key themes included: 

• Climate Change Adaptation: Several projects explored carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas mitigation, and sustainable farming practices 
• Artificial Intelligence Applications: Multiple researchers leveraged AI for animal welfare monitoring, communication analysis, and farming optimization 
• Plant and Animal Health: Innovative approaches to disease prevention, nutrition, and well-being for various species 
• Sustainable Resource Use: Converting agricultural waste into valuable products and developing eco-friendly materials 

Dalhousie librarians Erin MacPherson and Jaclyn Chambers Page organized and hosted the competition with the support of Elaine MacInnis, Head of MacRae Library and Associate Dean, Library Services.  

The organizers would like to extend their gratitude to the students, faculty members, and community members who came to support our student researchers, including Dean of Agriculture and Campus Principal, Dr. Heather Bruce, and Faculty of Agriculture Associate Dean Academic, Dr. Dian Patterson.  

Special thanks to Alison Brierley, former Dalhousie Libraries multidisciplinary intern for designing the event marketing material, Michael Vandenburg, Dean of Libraries, and Elaine MacInnis, Associate Dean Library Services and Head of MacRae Library, for their continuing support of this event. 

Full list of poster submissions: 

• Bao Ho Dinh: From the assessment of forest biomass to carbon sequestration under climate change crisis: a comparative study of Daklak (Vietnam) and Atlantic Canada 

• Bolappa Gamage Kaushalya Madhavi: Effect of Hydro-Thermodynamic Processing (HTD) on the Physicochemical, Techno-Functional, Nutritional, and Structural Properties of Protein Isolates from Defatted Camelina Meal 

• Bubacarr Jobarteh: Carbon-Smart Poultry – Leveraging Satellite Data & Artificial Intelligence for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in Canadian Farming 

• Hanqing Bi: Evaluating the impact of Environmental Enrichment on Turkey Behavior and Activity Levels Using Accelerometer Data 

• Cullen MacDonald: Developing novel anti-browning agents from defatted wheat germ 

• Damith Costa: Enhancing haskap (Lonicera caerulea) anthocyanin utilization: Development of a scalable extraction and stabilization Process. 

• Devasena Mahesh: Effect of wood preservatives on soil and plants 

• Kappeeran Venkatesan: How Climate change shapes the future of Late Blight Disease? 

• Koushika Kumaresan: Effect of pentachlorophenol and C8-isothiazolinone on seed germination and growth parameters of kale, lettuce, and sunflower 

• Mackenzie Tapp: Adapting the Cool Farm Tool for Net Zero Poultry Farming in Atlantic Canada – A Survey on Poultry Farms in Canada 

• Marianna Rampaul: Insights into the frontline antiviral defence of Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis 

• Mayuri Kate: AI–Powered Bovine Communication ~ Enhancing Sustainable Livestock Farming 

• Nandhini Krishnamoorthy: From Waste to Growth: Harnessing Compost CO₂ in Greenhouse Agriculture 

• Prajesh Padmanabhan Jagannathan: Accelerating Climate Action – High Resolution Methane Mapping in Canadian Poultry Farms 

• Prakhar Talwar: Waste-to-Biofuel: Innovations in Thermochemical Valorization of Agricultural, Forestry and Plastic Residues 

• Rosemarijn van Schaik: Pen Optimization for Farmed Mink 

• Savio Augustine: Survey of the traditional plants used by Mi’kmaq people in and around Dalhousie University’s Agricultural Campus 

• Senari Wijesooriya Arachchige: Development of antifungal-biodegradable mulch film for controlling verticillium wilt in strawberries 

• Shreya Rao: Advancing Dairy Cow Management Digital Twin Technology for Precision Nutrition 

• Shubhangi Mahato: Dairy DigiD ~ A Deep Learning-Based, Non-Invasive Biometric Identification System for Dairy Cattle Using Detectron2 

• Shuqiang Zhang (Reimagining Dairy Cow Well-Being through Video-Based Pain Detection) 

• Sibi Parivendan: Social Dynamics in the Digital Pasture: Advanced Vision-Based Tracking of Dairy Cow Interactions 

• Sukhjinder Singh: Triboelectric Nanogenerators For Smart Agriculture Technologies 

• Venkatraman Manikandan: Unlocking Poultry Vocalizations – Artificial Intelligence for Welfare Monitoring and Sustainable Farming 

• Yashan Dhaliwal: Bimodal Data Analysis for Early Detection of Lameness in Dairy Cows using Artificial Intelligence 

• Yiru Wei: Bridging Health and Sustainability: The Role of Traditional Health Beliefs in Food Consumption 

• Zohreh Fazelan (Insights into the American lobster defence mechanisms against Anophryoides haemophila infection)         

For more information about the competition, please contact the MacRae Library at macrae.library@dal.ca