Prof. Nigel Raine was featured on National Public Radio May 20, commenting on the action plan of the Obama administration to reverse the decline of honeybees in the United States. The plan calls for, among other things, restoring millions of acres of bee-friendly habitat lost to development and farming. Raine, an environmental sciences professor who studies pollination ecology, holds the Rebanks Family Chair in Pollinator Conservation at U of G.
U of G and Canadian chefs heading to New York City were featured by CTV and CBC news May 19 and 20. Simon Day, a lecturer in the School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management and head of Guelph’s student-run restaurant PJ’s, are part of a team of chefs cooking at the James Beard House in Greenwich Village May 21. All of the chefs taking part are past winners of U of G’s Good Food Innovation Awards. The event was organized by Anita Stewart, U of G’s food laureate and founder of Cuisine Canada and Food Day Canada, and Julia Christensen Hughes, dean of the College of Business and Economics.
The Lucky Iron Fish Project, headed by biomedical science PhD student Gavin Armstrong, was featured in several news reports the week of May 17, including the Vancouver Sun, Global TV, City TV and CTV, as well as on BBC News. The story focuses on former U of G graduate student Christopher Charles, who developed the technology that Armstrong is commercializing, and how the iron fish is helping combat life-threatening anemia in developing countries.
Prof. Andrew Peregrine was on the popular CBC radio show Here and Now May 19 talking about tick populations in Ontario. He was also featured in a CBC online news story, on CBC radio stations across the country, and in a May 18 Toronto Sun article on the same subject. Peregrine says there have been significant changes in the prevalence of ticks, which can transmit Lyme disease, across the province. A Pathobiology professor in the Ontario Veterinary College, he studies the diagnosis and management of parasite infections.
Prof. Nita Chhinzer is quoted in the latest issue of Maclean’s magazine. The story looks at how many businesses are doing away with middle managers. Chhinzer says it’s common when organizations are restructuring. Chhinzer, of the Department of Management, studies strategic human resources management, especially downsizing practices, procedures and ethics.
Prof. Art Schaafsma, a was quoted in a May 18 CBC news story on the debate over chemicals’ role in bee deaths. He says Ontario has taken “a political and environmental position” on the impact of neonicotinoid products. He researches crop pest management at U of G’s Ridgetown campus,
Prof. Sylvain Charlebois was quoted in two food-related stories May 18. In the Globe and Mail, he discusses the price tug of war between pork and beef, and in a CBC news story on GMOs, he talks about the non-browning apple and why consumers are more likely to accept it. Charlebois, currently on sabbatical at the University of Innsbruck, studies food economics, distribution and policy.
Prof. Madhur Anand, Environmental Science, had her recent book of poetry reviewed in the Globe and Mail on May 15. The book, A New Index for Predicting Catastrophes, addresses issues such as climate change, the melting of the polar ice-caps and deforestation. Anand is a Canada Research Chair for Global Ecological Change.
Tyler Flockhart, a post-doctoral researcher in the Integrative Biology department, had his research featured in a May 12 Postmedia column by Marc and Craig Kielburger. The story looked at Flockhart’s research in ways to conserve the monarch butterfly, including intentionally growing more milkweed. The column appeared in a number of publications, including The StarPhoenix, The Leader-Post and the Ottawa Citizen.
Prof. Ross McKitrick, Economics and Finance, wrote a column in the Financial Post on May 12. In the column, McKitrick discussed the global warming and noted there is little agreement among scientists on key issues. McKitrick studies environmental policy and climate change. His research was also noted in a National Post column that discussed Ontario’s attempts to implement carbon pricing.
Prof. Miana Plesca, Economics and Finance, had her research featured in the Globe and Mail on May 8. Plesca studied the gender wage gap for the Ontario Pay Equity Commission and discussed her findings of why women were generally paid less than men. Plesca specializes in labour economics and program evaluation.
Prof. René Kirkegaard, Economics and Finance, was interviewed by the Ottawa Citizen on May 7 for a story on construction equipment sales in Alberta. Kirkegaard, who studies auctions, discussed why auctions are finding a large number of equipment for sale, as well as record prices.