News

More than 100 world leaders attending the COP26 climate summit have promised to end deforestation by 2030 — a goal that one University of Guelph ecologist says is promising but one that will be challenging to achieve.

Dr. Madhur Anand is an environmental science in the Ontario Agriculture College and the director of the Guelph Institute for Environmental Research (GIER). She says the goal of halting forest destruction will be difficult given that what drives it is a growing global population, agriculture and increasing per capita food consumption.

“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.

A new University of Guelph-designed material for surgical mask filters could offer a more breathable and sustainable alternative to traditional surgical masks.

Dr. Loong-Tak Lim , a food science professor in the Ontario Agricultural College, and graduate student Singam Suranjoy Singh have made a non-woven surgical mask filter from plant cellulose. The mask’s biodegradable filter was designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Riley is a 4th year student in the Environment and Resource Management Co-op program. He was drawn to the University of Guelph (U of G) during a campus tour, and by its unique environmental and resource management program. In his spare time, he enjoys playing sports, hanging out on campus, and exploring local restaurants in downtown Guelph.

Originally hailing from New York, Louis Colaruotolo accepted a PhD opportunity in food science with Dr. Maria Corradini, associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Arrell Chair in Food Quality.

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.

After working as a biologist on the west coast for 10 years, Janean Sharkey, a graduate student in the School of Environmental Sciences, decided to return to Ontario and pursue research of native bees in prairie grasslands.

“I’m looking at native bee communities in tallgrass prairie and oak savanna, which is a rare habitat type in Southern Ontario and how habitat management influences bee communities there,” says Janean, who is a member of Dr. Nigel Raine’s lab.