Current Students
Christopher Duybelshoff, M.Sc Candidate
Kendra Sauerteig, M.Sc Candidate (see below)
Christopher Duyvelshoff, M.Sc Candidate
Christopher Duyvelshoff
MSc. Candidate: May 2009 – Present
Supervisor: Prof. John A. Cline, Department of Plant Agriculture
Email: cduyvels@uoguelph.ca
Biographical Information
I was born and raised in Oakville, Ontario. I first became interested in horticulture in high school while helping my parents in their perennial garden. Soon I started making my own plantings, especially vegetables and I was hooked. I entered the BSc (Agr) Horticulture program here at the University of Guelph in Fall 2005. During the summers of my undergraduate degree I worked at Sheridan Nurseries, the Royal Botanical Gardens and in the Guelph Trial Garden with Rodger Tschanz. I learned a lot about ornamental horticulture from these experiences. In my final year, I completed an undergraduate thesis in the artificial creation of polyploid Impatiens with Dr. Al Sullivan. Through my experiences in fruit crops class, along with my lifelong visits to the family cottage in Meaford in southern Georgian Bay, an area of intensive apple production, I developed a particular interest in tree fruits. With a desire to continue in higher education, I accepted a M.Sc position with Prof. John Cline working on biennial bearing and precocity issues with ‘Northern Spy’ apple trees. My research began in the spring of 2009, and to date, my experience working at the Horticulture Experiment Station (HES) in Simcoe has been very insightful to the field of tree fruit production in Ontario. The goal of my research is to provide ‘Northern Spy’ growers with information on improving production systems using growth regulators. During my spare time I enjoy hanging out with friends and playing various sports. As much as possible I try to go to the cottage to relax and tend my garden. For further information you may reach Chris at cduyvels@uoguelph.ca.
Kendra Sauerteig, M.Sc Candidate
Biographical Information
My name is Kendra Sauerteig and I am originally from Saint John, New Brunswick. I have come to Guelph from the East Coast after having just finished a Biology Honours degree with a Minor in Environmental Studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax. My undergraduate thesis focused on plant cell physiology, and more specifically, programmed cell death (PCD) in plants. Under the guidance of my supervisor Dr. Arunika Gunawardena, I worked on optimizing a protocol for staining and visualizing actin microfilaments in whole tissue mounts of lace plant (Aponogeton madagascariensis) leaves using confocal microscopy. I first became interested in tree fruit after completing an internship with Slow Food Nova Scotia where I researched Heritage, or Heirloom, variety apple trees in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. I am also personally interested in locally-sourced food, and developing agricultural practices that will benefit farming in Canada. I plan to research ways to artificially thin blossoms on fruit trees to produce larger, more marketable fruit. I am interested in developing mechanical ways to thin blossoms, which would not require the application of chemical thinning sprays. When not at school I enjoy traveling, hiking, and music.
