College News

The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) Dean’s Office is pleased to announce Nick Le as the new Academic Assistant to the Associate Dean, Academic (ADA). He begins in the role on Monday, November 22, 2021.

In this position, Le will work closely with the ADA to provide administrative support and assist with matters related to undergraduate and diploma programming delivered by the college. He will provide support for curriculum changes, academic misconduct, program data collection, and quality assurance reporting. 

A University of Guelph entry in the Deep Space Food Challenge has advanced to Phase 2 of the international contest, which aims to find new ways to grow food in space.

The U of G entry, called GOOSE, or Growth Options for Outer Space Environments (GOOSE), consists of a plant-growth chamber with environment control technology that can produce high yields of fruits, vegetables and mushrooms.

Dr. Hugh Earl has been reappointed as chair of the Department of Plant Agriculture for a five-year term beginning September 1, 2022. 

It is with sympathy that we share the passing of Stuart Saunders, OAC '56, on September 30, 2021.

Stuart's obituary can be found here.

Prof. Sean Kelly has been reappointed as director of the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) for a five-year term beginning January 1, 2022.  

“Don’t be snappy, be happy.” That’s the title of a snappy award-winning talk on preventing harmful feather-pecking behaviour in chickens by recent University of Guelph graduate Dr. Claire Mindus to be featured this week in a national 3MT (3-Minute Thesis) showcase.

Mindus won this year’s 3MT competition at U of G with a concise overview of her recently completed PhD research in the Ontario Agricultural College on how gut bacteria can impact severe feather-pecking behaviour in laying hens.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

By Dr. Jesse Popp, assistant professor and chair in Indigenous Environmental Science, School of Environmental Studies

Although a wide diversity of world views exist, each having unique perspectives that can be complementary to one another, colonial forces have prioritized some world views and knowledge systems over others.

The Department of Animal Biosciences is pleased to welcome Dr. Marcio Duarte as a new assistant professor in meat science and muscle biology. He begins in the role on October 18, 2021.

“We are very happy to welcome Marcio to the department,” shares Dr. Jim Squares, department chair. “His experience in the molecular and cellular aspects of meat production, combined with his understanding of practical applications for industry, are a perfect fit for our department.”

Dr. Madhur Anand will serve as director of the Guelph Institute for Environmental Research (GIER) at the University of Guelph for a second two-year term.

A professor in the School of Environmental Sciences (SES), she was appointed as inaugural director of the institute in fall 2019.

Under her renewed directorship, Anand will continue to champion cross-disciplinary research at U of G to address critical environmental issues from climate action and sustainable communities to clean water and equitable economies.

Green agriculture and smart farming will be the topics of a joint webinar this week bringing together University of Guelph and Scottish experts under a strengthened transatlantic collaboration.

The virtual meeting on Oct. 12 will involve scientists from U of G and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) in Edinburgh. Called “A Green Rural Recovery: Sustainable Natural Economies of Canada and Scotland.” The event is free and open to the public and will run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.