2025 Tours
This year, several tours have been arranged in order to provide insights into unique facets of the Guelph campus, and to enable participation where shadowing a parent is deemed inappropriate.
- These tours are available for limited group sizes and must be registered for in advance.
- Please indicate your interest in having your student join a tour on the Release and Indemnification Form. [1]
- Parents/guardians will receive confirmation of tour enrollment.
- Parents/guardians need to make arrangements to get their student to and from the tours.
Tour 1: Nature's Marks (9:30 am – 10:30 am)
Do you really know who is living in and visiting your backyard? Sometimes it is hard to see critters but they leave traces of their presence behind - scat, holes, and nests. Become an investigator and discover who lives and lurks in The Arboretum! We will start and conclude at the Arboretum Kiosk located on Arboretum Road past Alumni house. Maximum 15 participants. Dress for the weather.
Tour 2: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Science! (10 am – 11:30 am)
Come visit the Human Health Sciences team and discover how they explore the human puzzle as a link to overall health sciences. Meet at the Entrance to the Human Nutraceutical Research Unit on McGilvray Street, (where Food Science Building meets the Guelph Food Innovation Centre). This tour is limited to 15 participants.
Tour 3: Biodiversity, Insect Collection and DNA Barcoding (11 am – 12 pm)
Ever wonder how DNA is determined and used to identify species? Meeting at the entrance to the Centre for the Biodiversity Genomics, building 135, starting at 11 am, this 60-minute tour will include a review of DNA barcoding processes and a visit to the Centre’s insect collection. Limited to 10 participants.
Tour 4: Robots at work (12:00 pm – 1:00 pm)
Have you ever wondered how robots are directed to complete tasks? Come learn about the programming language used to guide their actions and the uses of robots in industry. Observation of students working on their projects in the labs may be possible. Meet at RICH 2504 at 12:00 pm. Maximum 20 participants.
Tour 5: Ontario Veterinary College Complex tour (12:30 pm – 1:20 pm)
Beginning (and completing) outside room 1713, this tour is of veterinary teaching spaces for about 50 minutes, led by student veterinarians in the DVM program. Perfect for all future veterinarians! Maximum 30 participants. Due to biosecurity and confidentiality concerns, visitors to OVC are not permitted to “wander around” or explore within the clinics without a guide. Please note that there is a strict no photography or video recording policy in areas where animal patients or client names are present. Children under the age of 12 are not permitted on tours.
Tour 6: Department of Athletics (1 pm to 1:45 pm)
Tour the state of the art, award-winning Athletics facilities and learn about the benefits of physical activity on mental health and well-being. Meet in the Lobby, through the Larry Pearson entrance. Limited to 20 participants.
Tour 7: Bovey Greenhouse (1:30 pm – 2:30pm)
This 1-hour tour will commence from the front foyer of the Bovey Building. See current research projects and answer questions such as: "Can plants help treat cancer in humans?" Visit the Bovey tropical plant collection and learn about plants that are part of the world's food economy as well as those that are just plain weird! As time allows, participants will propagate a plant to take home. Limited to 20 participants.
Tour 8: Campus tours (2 pm – 3:30 pm)
Starting at the University Centre, this tour runs for 1.5 hours and covers all the highlights of campus! Stops include: Rozanski Hall, the Science Complex Atrium, the Library, MacNaughton Bookstore, Athletics, Creelman dining hall and residence. Tours start from the Campus Tour Centre, third floor UC (take the North elevator) and finish in the UC main level courtyard. Max 30 participants.