Prof. Lawrence Spriet is featured in a story in today’s Toronto Star about keeping cool this summer.  Spriet, chair of the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, has spent 15 years studying the science of hydration and thermal regulation.

In the story, Spriet talks about how the human body is a highly efficient cooling system. But he explains why it’s important to prevent dehydration, especially when playing sports or spending time outdoors.

Spriet, a U of G professor for 28 years, studies the effects of dehydration in athletes engaging in stop-and-go sports such as hockey and basketball. He has worked with Canadian World Juniors and Olympic hockey teams, the NHL New York Rangers, the NBA Toronto Raptors, and the Guelph Storm.

Marine biologist Prof. Jim Ballantyne was featured today in the National Post and on CBC News. Ballantyne was asked to offer his opinion on whether a creature spotted in Lake Ontario was a shark. There have been several reported sightings, one of which was caught on video and later posted on YouTube. The video turned out to be a hoax.

After watching the video, Ballantyne, a longtime Guelph faculty member in Integrative Biology, said the creature could not be a shark. He studies the biochemistry of aquatic organisms in both an adaptive and an evolutionary context.