Infographics in Practice program

Posted on Thursday, January 9th, 2025

Written by Valerie Hruska

Pastel pink, orange, green, and beige graph and chart elements.

Infographics are an increasingly popular communication tool, valued for their combination of visual intrigue and text-based information. Through the inaugural Infographics in Practice program, 14 University of Guelph undergrad and graduate students showcased their infographic development skills on a range of agri-food and biodiversity topics.

To prepare for this challenge, the students received a training workshop on communication and visual design best practices (facilitated through the Skills for Research Impact workshop series) and were provided ample resources as well as ongoing consultations with the program team. Creative artistic direction was led by Alex Sawatzky (Creative Advisor, Arrell Food Institute) and Hope Jesmer (Knowledge Mobilization Assistant, Food from Thought). Valerie Hruska (Knowledge Mobilization and Communications Coordinator, Research Innovation Office) and Rosemary Brockett (Knowledge Mobilization Coordinator, Food from Thought) provided editorial content support.

The program was well-received and nearly all of the participating students reported that they planned to create another infographic in the near future.

Student Testimonials:

"The email feedback I received was very helpful and helped me learn more than any other resource (or my classes). Thank you so much!"

"I found I had enough resources, information, guidance, and feedback throughout the program that made it a really enjoyable and rewarding experience without any stress."

"I thought the program was well structured and was super enjoyable to be a part of. There was lots of guidance, feedback and tools for us to use but I loved the amount of free range we had when it came to designing our infographics and letting our creativity be shown."

"I appreciated the freedom of topic, I was much more inclined to participate and put in extra work on my infographic's quality knowing I could do it on a subject directly related to my own research and I could use as a tool myself."

"I attended the workshop just for fun, and didnt really think that I would use these skills much but I have needed those skills both in class and in my volunteer work in the last months so I am glad that I participated."

These infograpics will be shared on social media as well as displayed at events like symposia or conferences in addition to however the students plan to use their final creations. If you would like a printable version of any of these projects, please contact vhruska@uoguelph.ca.

Interested in creating your own infographic? Check out these resources:

Skills for Research Impact webinar | Infographics

University of Guelph Library Guide | Create Infographics

University of Guelph Library Guide | Apply Graphic Design Principles in Your Digital Creations

This program was supported by Food from Thought, funded in part by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, and the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a collaboration between the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the University of Guelph. Additional support was provided by the Arrell Food Institute.

Use the arrows below to view the 14 finalists' creations.

Our unsung agricultural heroes. Flower flies, also known as hover flies, are amazing bee and wasp mimics - and the best part? They can't sting! Flower flies provide multiple important ecosystem services including pollination as adults and pest control or nutrient cycling in their larval form. Fun fact! Some species of flower flies even migrate up to 3000 km, transporting billions of grains of pollen, nutrients, and energy across continents!

Created by Samantha Reynolds, PhD student in Environmental Sciences (Advisors: Dr. Nigel Raine and Dr. Andrew Donovan Young).

The dos and don'ts for reducing nutrient runoff from fertilizer on farms. Harmful algal blooms occur in high nutrient areas. Harmful algal blooms can produce toxins and create low oxygen zones where they decompose that kills aquatic life. Fertilizer runoff is a major contributor of nutrients in aquatic systems. Don't apply ferilizer on frozen soil so it is not lost as runoff when frozen fields melt. Don't clear cut shoreline. Avoid removing all plants on shorelines to decrease nutrient runoff. Don't overapply fertilizer. Test your soil before applyng fertilizer to prevent unneeded application. Do conservation tillage. Leave crop residues on your fields after harvest. Do reduce irrigation. Choose drip irrigation and try irrigating only when necessary. Do keep a natural shoreline. Keep a planted shoreline to help absorb nutrients in runoff.

Created by Jessica Collier, BSc student in Integrative Biology.

How climate change factors increase food contamination on the farm. Higher temperatures, increased humidity, increased flooding, and more rainfall lead to higher amounts of toxins from moulds in grains, increased growth and persistence of pathogens on produce, contamination of profuce and irrigation water by pathogens in flood waters, greater amounts of pathogens in manure due to heat stress in animals, and higher spread of pathogens from animals to nearby crops.

Created by Brenda Zai, PhD student in Population Medicine (Advisor: Dr. Lauren Grant).

Treatment and prevention. S. suis is a bacteria mainly found in pigs and has the ability to cause severe health problems. Infection of S. suis not only poses animal welfare concerns but also reduces productivity and increases mortality in affected herds. How does it spread? Pig to pig direct and indirect contact, and pig to human via consumption of raw pork products and direct contact through open wounds. Symptoms in pigs include fever, joint pain and lameness, loss of appetite, death, and neurological disorders. Risk factors include poor environmental conditions that increase the risk of disease transmission, stress and other infections that can weaken the immune system, and piglets not receiving enough antibodies from their mother's milk. Treatment with antimicrobials increase the risk of antimicrobial resistance. Alternative treatments include probiotics that optimize suitable gut microbiome to fight infection and bacteriophages that are highly specific to targeting to S. suis. Preventative measures include controlling co-infections, biosecurity measures, and proper environmental conditions.

Created by Elieah Robertson, MSc student in Pathobiology (Advisors: Dr. Vahab Farzan and Dr. Brandon Lillie).

How does rotational grazing benefit the environment? Rotational grazing is a management practice that requires cattle to be moved frerquently between different paddocks. This helps to prevent overgrazing by allowing plants and the land to rest and recover. Plant health: rest periods allow for vegetation regrowth and more developed root systems, increases plant nutrient uptake, and increases forage availability for cattle. Soil health: improves soil structure and organic matter, reduces soil erosion, and increases carbon sequestration which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Water quality and wildlife: improves water quality by reducing runoff, manure contamination, and sediment in water, helps maintain riparian areas and provide habitat for wildlife, and reduces bank erosion around rivers, streams, and bodies of water.

Created by Megan St Martin, MSc student in Animal Biosciences (Advisor: Dr. Katie Wood).

Scouting European Corn Borer (ECB) in corn in Canada. New corn varieties were designed to resist ECB, but now, ECB is overpowering these defenses. ECB was a major pest throughout the 20th century, before new varieties of modified corn were able to highly suppress it for the past two decades. However, ECB has started developing resistance to this modified corn in Canada. Greater than 80% of Canadian corn is moddified, and now vulnerable to ECB. Properly scouting for eCB is critical for successful pest monitoring and control. However, a whole generation has come of age in the absence of ECB as a threat. Take the offense and learn to recognize ECB and contribute to the national effort to limit its spread. Signs of infestation include broken tassel, reddening of upper leaves, shot-gun feeding on leaves, window-pane feeding on leaves, feeding or tunnelling in mid-rib, egg mass on underside of leaf, bore holes with frass (white to brown colour) at entrance, and look for overwintering larvae in the cut corn stalks. What's the harm? Yield loss, mold, and quality loss. Use pheremone traps to monitor for ECB throughout the season. Two traps per field, E-strain or Z-strain pheremone lures. Replace pheremone lure every 2 weeks. Place on top of weeds adjacent to corn field. Upload your trap counts and see what others are catching. So, you found ECB in your corn... send us a collection! Ship ECB collections for free, contact jocelyn.smith@uoguelph.ca.

Created by Josée Kelly, PhD student in Environmental Sciences (Advisor: Dr. Jocelyn Smith).

Boosting the sow microbiome with probiotics and postbiotics to combat E. coli infection in piglets. During the infection, E. coli attaches to the intestine, proliferates, and disturbs the microbiome and causes health problems. Why is the mother's microbiome so important? Passive immunity! In offspring piglets, sows provide the first influence in shaping a piglet's immune system. Suppklementing sows with probiotics and postbiotics will strengthen the microbiome and pass it on to offspring to help prevent infection and symptoms. Treatments like antibiotics and zinc oxide negatively alter microbiome composition via antimicrobial resistance and environmental toxicity. Vaccines are expensive and not always biologically effective. Probiotics and postbiotics positively alter microbiome composition by restoring balance and stimulating the immune system.

Created by Kimberly Giraldo, MSc student in Pathobiology (Advisor: Dr. Vahab Farzan).

some pigs are naturally resistant to E. coli. By better understanding the genetics of these pigs, breeding programs can be implemented to optimize this trait for improved health protection.

Created by Chantelle Major, MSc student in Pathobiology (Advisors: Dr. Vahab Farzan and Dr Brandon Lillie).

DCAD diet. Why? Prevent obese cows, reduce the time a cow is in negative energy balance, prevent hypocalcemia/milk fever. What? Acid, anionic salts in prefresh diet. How? Lowers blood pH to create metabolic acidification and increase H+ ions in blood. Homeostasis releases Ca2+ to buffer blood. Low blood Ca2+ stimulates the thyroid to secrete PTH. PTH stimulates release of Ca2+ from bones, increased reabsorption of Ca2+ from excretion by kidneys, active absorption of calcium by small intestine enterocytes. Together, this increases the Ca2+ in extracellular fluid and in the blood supply.

Created by Alicia Bohren, MSc student in Animal Biosciences (Advisor: Dr. Eduardo Ribeiro).

How cover crops increase soil health? Cover crops are plants grown to protect and improve the soil between main crops. Build better soil structure: cover crops loosen the soil and make it easier for air and water to move. Deep-rooted cover crops like radish and turnip can be used to break up compacted soil. Boost soil fertility: cover crops add nutrients like carbon and nitrogen to soil. Add organic matter in the long term: when cover crops break down, they leave behind righ, healthy material. Feed soil microbes: cover crops provide food for tiny organisms that help soil thrive. Oats and cereal rye promote the growth of mycorrhizal fungi. Hold water in the soil: they reduce evaporation and improve the soil's ability to store water. Prevent soil erosion: cover crops act as a shield, protecting the soil from wind and rain. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions: trap excess fertilizer nitrogen and prevent nitrous oxide release. Depends on cover crop mamnagement, climactic conditions, and soil type. Cover crops make soil healthier! They add nutrients, protect against erosion, improve soil structure, and support healthy microbes - helping your soil thrive naturally!

Created by Dilrukshi Kombala Liyanage, PhD student in Environmental Sciences (Advisor: Dr. Claudia Wagner-Riddle).

Are fisheries benefits concentrating in British Columbia? Research has demonstrated increasing trends in fisheries license and quota concentration in various countries including Iceland, New Zealand, the US, and Canada. Accumulating licenses can lead to larger measures of market control and access constraints. 7743 licenses registered to 2435 unique holders in 2020. 422 licenses belong to subsidiaries operating unfer the umbrella of one company, Jim Pattison Enterprises. $50,055,400 estimated value of 422 licenses inder Jim Pattison Enterprises. In British Columbia, the number of active fishing licenses has declined since 1990 and has concentrated among fewer firms.

Created by Giselle Schmitz, PhD student in Geography, Environment and Geomatics (Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Silver).

How do I protect my corn fields from Western Bean Cutworm (WBC)> Larval feeding on the ears of field corn causes 3 to 15 bushels per acre in yield loss. They also allow pathogens to enter the corn ear, increasing mycotoxin content which causes harm to humans and livestock. What steps can I take to control WBC in my corn field? Genetic prevention: plant Bt corn expressing Vip3A. Monitoring and scouting: check fields weekly throughout July and August. Direct control: the best option is to combine biological and chemical strategies. Biological control: plant flowers that shelter insects that consume WBC larvae like ladybugs. Purchasing and releasing parasitic wasps that kill WBC eggs. Chemical control: take action if you find egg masses on 5% or more of 20 plants in 5 areas of your field. You can use deltamethrin, spinetoram, or chlorantraniliprole pesticides to control WBC.

Created by Natasha Weppler, PhD student in Plant Agriculture (Advisors: Dr. David Hooker & Dr. Jocelyn Smith).

How diverse cover crop mixes increase soil health. A cover crop is any plant or mix of plants that covers the soil such as grasses, broad-leaf plants, and not invasive. Soil health is overall ability of soil to support life via health properties. Balances carbon and nitrogen content in plant residues, allows for faster decomposition which improves soil properties quicker. Increased living soil diversity increases the speed that soil health properties are improved. Increased building blocks of soil supports living soil life. All cover crop mixes could be beneficial in a field. Increase in the different root types in soil enhance soil's structural stability., Increased soil's resistance to breaking apart when moisure is added back. Create new small and very small groups of soil particles, called aggregates. Soil has a decreased mass per given volume meaning the soil is lighter. Benefits are unique to each field! Find the right mix for your purpose.

Created by Matthew Whittemore, MSc student in Environmental Sciences (Advisors: Dr. Claudia Wagner Riddle and Dr. John Lauzon).

soil type, weather, growing season length, and previous management. Economic limits include business and risk insurance, profit margins and income, and access to credit. Policy environment factors include international markets, market competitiveness, and future legislation or taxation.

Created by Reanna Shaftoe, MSc student in Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (Advisor: Dr. Alfons Weersink).

Infographics in Practice program

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