This summer, fascinating and important employment opportunities are being taken up by students in, or soon graduating from, the MSc Capacity Development and Extension program at the University of Guelph.
SEDRD research on misinformation and disinformation in agri-food systems was recently featured in an article in Farmtario. The article highlights findings from a University of Guelph study showing that many farmers, advisors, and value-chain professionals are stepping back from social media due to rising misinformation, toxic online interactions, lack of meaningful engagement, and declining trust in digital platforms. Dr.
At a recent learning and sharing webinar entitled "Climate Change at the Intersection of Food Systems, Urban Informality and Fisherfolk Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa", organized by Universities Canada for International Doctoral Research Awards (IDRA) recipient, Uduak Edet had the opportunity to share her research. Uduak is a third-year PhD candidate in Rural Studies and a 2024 recipient of the International Doctoral Research Awards.
Thanks to a $430,200 grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Professor Nicolas Brunet will be co-leading a new study with Aqqiumavvik Society (Arviat, NU) and ECCC exploring where plastic pollution is found and how it affects the community’s well-being, food systems, and ecosystems. This will help develop an Inuit-led plan to reduce the impacts of plastic pollution that other Arctic communities can benefit from.
New research published in the Journal of Rural and Community Development explores how rural communities can strengthen connection, innovation, and local development in challenging geographic regions. In “The Peaks and Valleys of Connection: Lessons from the Scottish Highlands and Islands,” authors Blake Glassford and Ryan Gibson examine how the Smart Village approach has been used in the Scottish Highlands and Islands to improve connectivity and support rural communities.
Throughout the Winter 2026 semester, graduate students in Professor Mollie Kuchma’s RPD*6280 Advanced Planning Practice class undertook group projects, partnering with municipalities throughout the Province. There were seventeen proposals submitted and students chose seven projects to complete. Three groups were invited to present their projects to the respective municipal councils.
Grey County:
Master of Landscape Architecture student, Thomas Davis-Moore, recently returned from a trip to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, where he supported the ongoing climate change adaptation research with Dr. Kearney Coupland, Assistant Professor in Landscape Architecture.
From April 20-23, 2026, a group of twenty BLA and MLA University of Guelph students, led by faculty members Brendan Stewart, Heather Schibli, and Steven Clarke, visited Montréal, Québec to experience the city’s vibrant parks and public spaces. The experience gave students the opportunity to explore some of the city’s most iconic sites firsthand while benefiting from faculty guidance and expertise throughout the trip.
Dr. Robert Corry has been named a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA), one of the highest honours in the profession. The recognition places him among the 2026 Class of Fellows, a distinction awarded to individuals whose work has made significant contributions to landscape architecture in Canada.
Graduate students in the Rural Planning and Development's Advanced Planning Practice course (RPD*6280) took a road trip to Bruce County from March 24-25, 2026. Getting out of the classroom is always a fun experience and a chance to see how policy affects projects on the ground, especially as we explored the local community and its interactions with tourism and environmental policies during our visit to Bruce County.