Dear U of G community members, Throughout the course of this pandemic, the University of Guelph has proven itself an important contributor in the fight against COVID-19. We have a number of experts at U of G who are involved in research to help forecast the near-term course of the pandemic, investigate the global management […]
Prof. Jeffrey Farber, Department of Food Science, spoke to The Globe and Mail about how to minimize the risk of infection with COVID-19 while grocery shopping Farber noted that the risk of contracting the virus that causes COVID-19 from food or food packaging is low, since the virus does not survive well on surfaces. He offered tips for taking precautions, including […]
Read More… from Globe and Mail Consults Food Safety Expert on Safe Grocery Shopping
A portable, inexpensive diagnostic test kit for COVID-19 based on University of Guelph research is being used to confirm coronavirus infection in patients in Europe and to detect the virus on surfaces and products from hospitals to grocery stores in the United States. The technology can analyze DNA from a patient’s cheek swab to provide […]
Read More… from U of G Research Behind COVID-19 Rapid Test Kits for Patients and Surfaces
Updates for April 6, 2020 Final Exam Schedule on Registrar Office Website – Check for Updates The winter 2020 final exam schedule was posted on April 3 but as a result of date limitations within the system, the schedule can no longer be hosted on WebAdvisor. To view the current version, please visit the Office of […]
Two U of G experts appeared on several CBC Radio morning shows Tuesday morning to discuss grocery store shortages and the larger food system problems these shortages reveal. Prof. Mike von Massow, a food economist in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics, discussed challenges facing farmers during the pandemic, such as a shortage […]
Read More… from Food Experts Appear on CBC Radio Morning Shows
Prof. Simon Somogyi, the Arrell Chair in the Business of Food at U of G, spoke with The Canadian Press about the shortages of flour on stores shelves. The article appeared in several news outlets across Canada, including the Winnipeg Free Press. With many Canadians taking up baking to pass the hours at home, it’s […]
Read More… from Canadian Press Consults U of G Agri-Food Expert
Nine students in the University of Guelph’s creative writing MFA program have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic — through writing. Their efforts have been compiled in a booklet called tbd: A Mixed-Mode Response to COVID-19. The works of short fiction, poems, personal reflections explore life under COVID-19 – the isolation, the encounters in grocery stores, […]
Read More… from U of G Writing Students Reflect on Pandemic in New Online Booklet
The University of Guelph continues to operate and to provide necessary services to support its academic and research mission and operational and administrative functions. Many employees are working remotely and many employees, due to the nature of their work, are still working on campus. As we all understand, these are very unusual and challenging times, […]
Read More… from University Open, Faculty, Staff Have Access to Buildings as Needed
Dear U of G community members, Each day, I prioritize reading and listening to the provincial and federal COVID-19 updates. Keeping up to date on the evolving situation at the provincial and national levels is essential as we plan for today and into the future. In today’s provincial update, Ontario’s CEO of Public Health, Dr. […]
A former professor and graduate of University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) is taking on a key role at Health Canada as the country faces the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Harpreet Kochhar has been appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Canada’s new associate deputy minister of health. Kochhar will move into […]
Read More… from U of G Alum Appointed to Key Role at Health Canada
With most of us being told to remain indoors, many Canadians are using small acts of “neighbouring” to create other ways of connecting. What do these small interactions offer us? Will initiatives like “care-mongering” groups and pen pal campaigns continue after the pandemic is over? The University of Guelph has an expert who can offer […]
Read More… from Expert Discusses Social Connections During Physical Distancing
The University of Guelph is putting its many 3-D printers on campus to work to create much-needed protective medical supplies for local health and essential services providers. With Canada facing a dwindling supply of personal protective equipment, the printers are being used to create face shields for health workers to protect them and keep them […]
Read More… from U of G Using Its 3-D Printers to Create Critical Medical Equipment
COVID-19 could cause a shortage of temporary workers on farms this spring that may hinder the planting of crops across Canada. U of G Prof. Evan Fraser, director of the Arrell Food Institute, said the pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in the country’s food system, including agriculture’s dependence on temporary foreign workers and the free flow […]
Read More… from U of G Expert Discusses COVID-19 Impact on Spring Planting
The pandemic has caused some products to disappear from grocery store shelves. Prof. Mike von Massow, a food economist and expert in the grocery food supply system, said what we are seeing is demand-based shortages not supply-based shortages. The bare shelves are the result of an increase in people stocking up and supply chains playing […]
Read More… from U of G Food Economist Talks Food Supply Amid COVID
With food security being a concern during the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Guelph is focusing efforts to help ensure its students and local community have access to affordable food. U of G’s Hospitality Services donated $32,000 worth of food to local food banks last week and put together 75 food hampers to be delivered […]
Read More… from U of G Focusing on Food Security for Students, Community During Pandemic
Dear U of G community members, Health-care professionals use stress tests to understand how a body responds when it is exposed to a challenge. As a community, we’re being stress tested by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re all responding to daily challenges by finding new ways of working, studying and living. With the loss of […]
For Jael Richardson, the FOLD couldn’t just fold. The director of the Festival of Literary Diversity held in Brampton, Ont., faced three choices as the coronavirus pandemic mounted this month: postpone the event, cancel it entirely or run the festival online. “For me, to postpone was not an option,” said Richardson, a 2010 graduate of U of […]
Read More… from U of G Grad Moving Canadian Literary Festival Online
What kind of changes do businesses need to make in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential economic slowdown that might follow? What will be some of the business opportunities that emerge? And what is involved in organizations moving to new business models, such as embracing online commerce? The University of Guelph has […]
Read More… from Expert Alert: Corporate Agility During the Pandemic
Dear members of the U of G community, I want to focus today’s update on a few U of G stories emerging out of this challenging time. At the heart of each of these stories are our people, each of them using their expertise to share knowledge and resources in support of the local and […]
What is the safest way to shop for groceries during a pandemic? Is it really necessary to wash and disinfect all food items brought in from the store? U of G food microbiologist Jeffrey Farber, the director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety and a professor in the Department of Food Science, believes there are many misunderstandings about the role of food in […]