Prof. Nathan Perkins is featured in this month’s Research Matters, an online newsletter produced by the Council of Ontario Universities.The article is part of a special “Home and Gardens” edition. It focuses on Perkin’s research on the benefits of interacting with natural environments, and highlights his projects including Guelph’s Homewood Health Centre. Perkins has worked with schools and other institutions, and designed projects on three continents.
Prof. Suresh Neethirajan, Engineering, was interviewed by CTV News – Toronto along with Grant Maxie, director of the Animal Health Laboratory at U of G, on April 13 as part of a story on a recent avian flu outbreak. Neethirajan was also interviewed by CBC News on April 13 and CTV News – Kitchener on April 12. He was discussing research by his bio-nano laboratory team designed to quickly detect avian flu, which can be tested with a small blood sample on a farm. Neethirajan studies micro-scale science and engineering for biological and agricultural systems.
Prof. Shayan Sharif, Pathobiology, was interviewed by the Toronto Sun on April 12, by TVO on April 10, and by CBC News and CTV News on April 7. Sharif was discussing the recent avian flu outbreak, including control measures enacted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Sharif studies the avian flu virus and poultry immune systems.
U of G’s 9th annual Dasha Shenkman Lecture in Contemporary Art was featured in the Globe and Mail April 10. The event attracted hundreds of people to War Memorial Hall on March 29. The lecture was given by Michael Snow, a renowned painter, sculptor, filmmaker and author. The lecture series was created by the School of Fine Art and Music with support from Dasha Shenkman, a Canadian-born, British– based art collector.
Research by Integrative Biology professor Merritt Turetsky was featured in the Globe and Mail April 9. The article highlights her new study on the growing threat of permafrost thaw. Turetsky is part of an international research team that published the findings this week in Nature.
Prof. Gard Otis, Environmental Sciences, was featured on the NEWSTALK 1010 radio program Let’s Eat! April 11. He took part in a show on bees, beekeeping and honey.Let’s Eat! focuses on the intersection of food and people and airs at 11 a.m. on Saturdays. Otis studies honey bee behaviour, ecology and evolution.
Prof. Andreas Boecker, Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics, was featured on CBC radio Tuesday. He appeared on the popular program Ontario Today at noon. The interview is about the Arctic apple, the first genetically modified apple that has received approval by Health Canada and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Boecker, who researches consumer trends in food purchasing and farm economics, discussed the authorization process and safety concerns.
Prof. Ryan Norris, Integrative Biology, continues to make headlines for his research on the migration route of the blackpoll warbler. By outfitting the tiny birds with even tinier “backpacks,” Norris was part of a research team that confirmed warblers make a three-day, nonstop flight over the Atlantic Ocean. Media outlets that covered the story include Canadian Geographic, the CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks, Globe and Mail, Washington Post, New Scientist, National Geographic, CBC, Newsweek, New York Times, PBS Radio’s Science Friday, Global TV, Christian Science Monitor, Reuters, Boston Globe, Science, Yahoo News!, MSN, The Japan Times, Discovery, Denver Post, The Guardian, Daily Mail, Sydney Morning Herald, and the International Business Times,
Paul Uys, director of U of G’s Food Institute, was featured on CBC B.C. News on April 2 talking about the latest surge in global food prices. Specifically, he talked about the price spike for pastrami, which has increased by 12 per cent in the past six months alone. Before joining the food institute, Uys worked as a senior executive at Loblaws, heading the company’s sustainable seafood initiative.
Evgeny Zakharov, director of Laboratory Operations for the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), was quoted in a March 31 CTV News story seafood fraud. A CTV investigation revealed that fish purchased at Winnipeg fish market was mislabelled. The testing was conducted at the BIO-based Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding. BIO researchers have been involved in several international studies on seafood mislabelling; DNA barcoding is considered a standard method for food ingredient authentication.