News

It is with sympathy that we share the passing of Michael Trant (M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics, 1976) on September 20, 2022. His obituary is available here.

It is with sympathy that we share the passing of Stephen Reynolds, a PhD student in the Department of Plant Agriculture, on September 21.

A celebration of life is planned for Thursday, Sept. 29 in Windsor. Condolences to Stephen’s family may be shared through an online memorial site. Campus flags will be lowered to half-mast on Wednesday, Sept. 28 in Stephen’s honour.

The federal government will invest more than $1.1 million in 11 University of Guelph research projects, ranging from clean energy to food spoilage to Indigenous environmental health. 

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) will fund the projects through its  John R. Evans Leaders Fund, which helps universities recruit and retain outstanding faculty and provides researchers with infrastructure required to become leaders in their fields. 

With Ottawa currently discussing a federal plan to reduce Canadian greenhouse gases, research by University of Guelph environmental scientists suggests that planting cover crops may help farmers mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from soil.

The team’s field experiments showed for the first time that planting cover crops such as red clover to protect and enrich soil over the winter can also reduce agricultural emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas.

Amid record-breaking heat waves and growing migration into cities, a University of Guelph atmospheric scientist has helped assemble a comprehensive overview of the problem of urban overheating, defining some key ways that cities can adapt as the planet warms. 

Dr. Scott Krayenhoff, a professor in the Ontario Agricultural College’s School of Environmental Sciences who studies the effects of urban development on climate, is one of two lead authors on the new paper, which appears in the journal Earth’s Future. 

The annual OAC Faculty Awards were presented at the OAC Welcome Back BBQ held on September 20, 2022. Each year, the OAC Alumni Foundation presents the G.P. McRostie Faculty Award to a faculty member who plays a significant role in education and the OAC Alumni Association chooses three faculty members who have made outstanding contributions in teaching, research or extension. Congratulations to all recipients!

The annual OAC Outstanding Staff Recognition Awards were presented at the OAC Welcome Back BBQ held on September 20, 2022. These staff awards recognize excellent work performance, willingness to help others, contributions toward the betterment of workplace operations, and efforts in making OAC a better place to work overall. The recipients of these awards are nominated by their colleagues. Congratulations to all recipients!

It is with sympathy that we share the passing of Freeman McEwen on September 16, 2022. Freeman was Dean of the Ontario Agricultural College from 1983 to 1990. He also served as head of the Department of Entomology from 1968 to 1971 and then as the first head of the Department of Environmental Biology from 1971 to 1983.

It is with deep sympathy we share the passing of Dr. Gopinadhan Paliyath, a professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture, on September 11, 2022.

Funding is available to support OAC students in the completion of self-directed communication projects focused on agriculture or food extension. Successful applicants will receive $1,350 to complete their project, as well as coaching and mentorship from the OAC Dean’s Office communications staff. Projects must be focused on knowledge extension in the areas of food and/or agriculture and be connected to the research/teaching activities of the Ontario Agricultural College. The projects will be student-driven under the guidance of the OAC Dean’s Office communications staff.