Research News
Appreciation, growth opportunities and job security motivate hospitality industry workers
By Shannon Mustard
With 10 per cent of the Canadian population employed by the hospitality and tourism industry, it's important to maintain employee motivation - especially during the down season. The biggest challenge in the hospitality industry is attracting and retaining good quality workers. Researchers believe if employers can understand what motivates and drives their employees, they may be able to attract and retain their employees for a longer period of time.
Prof. William Murray, School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management, has focused...
Research charts the course of marijuana 'normalization' prior to legalization and regulation of the drug
By Megan Swim
About half of all university students have said they’ve used cannabis at least once, according to research from three Canadian universities. So, what does this mean for the normalization of cannabis use for youth and young adults?
Prof. Andrew Hathaway, of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, has been researching cannabis use since the 1990s. He says cannabis use is not the deviant, addictive habit is has so often been portrayed as, but rather a mainstream phenomenon.
“Back in the 1950s and 1960s, sociologists pegged...
Sexting for women may be empowering
Photo: Megan Swim
By Megan Swim
Society often frowns on the use of sexting – that is, digital technology for sexual purposes -- particularly for women. In some cases, women are more vulnerable for photos going viral or being shown to others without consent, leading to a culture of fear.
But how does this attitude impact women’s sexuality?
In a study last summer, PhD candidate Erin Watson and Prof. Robin Milhausen found sexting provides some women with increased pleasure, desire, and opportunities for sexual communication.
In fact, they say...
Reducing the digital divide between rural and urban Ontario
By Shannon Mustard
Our e-world requires good connectivity. But that doesn’t always happen in rural areas – even in Halton region, a municipal neighbour to Canada’s biggest city.
Prof. Helen Hambly Odame, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, is trying to change that. She’s the project leader for the UoG Regional and Rural Broadband (R2B2) project team. In September 2017, the team began collaborating with the Halton area, at the request of the region, in hopes of finding economic reasons to improve its connectivity.
The R2B2 team...
Taking a nutritional approach to reducing diabetes risk
Dr. Dan Ramdath (left), PhD student Dida Moravek and Prof. Alison Duncan. Photo: Shannon Mustard
By Shannon Mustard
This year, 23 million people globally will have been diagnosed with diabetes, the majority being type 2. Could Canadian lentils potentially reduce the risk of diabetes as they help to lower blood sugar levels? That’s what a University of Guelph research team wants to know.
Diabetes is a disorder that causes people to have abnormally high blood sugar levels over a long period of time. Those with diabetes may not have high enough levels of insulin (a hormone that helps reduce glucose levels in the bloodstream), or their insulin is not...
Leukemia, breast cancer and ovarian cancer research focus of new awards
Jim Petrik (left), Marc Coppolino and Paul Spagnuolo. Photo: Shannon Mustard
By Shannon Mustard
New support from the Cancer Research Society is helping advance research by three University of Guelph faculty members—Profs. Marc Coppolino, Jim Petrik and Paul Spagnuolo—to prevent and treat leukemia, breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Spagnuolo, Department of Food Science, and his team of graduate students are studying how food-derived molecules could treat leukemia.
Their study began five years ago, when they discovered that a fat compound, Avocatin B, in avocados could help reduce the growth of...
Icewine harvest adds to the wine tourism experience
Prof Mark Holmes staying warm by the fire with a glass of Ontario red wine. (Photo courtesy Mark Holmes)
by Owen Roberts
At least one good thing has come out of this year’s incessantly deep and long cold snap – a great icewine harvest.
Sometimes the harvest, which typically yields about 800,00 litres of ice wine, takes place at night. That’s how producers try to avoid the warming or melting effect of the sun on the frozen grapes, which are left on the vine through the fall to dehydrate and concentrate their sugar content.
But that hasn’t been a worry this year, given the stubborn, rock-bottom -25 C temperatures experienced in the Niagara region...
Internet memes become online activism for Canadian politics
Photo: Mido Melebari
By Megan Swim
Memes— humourous or thought-provoking online images, videos and pieces of text—have been popping up all over the internet as a way of online activism for people promoting the discussion of Canadian politics.
But a Guelph researcher has found that as a technology, the internet and digital political tools such as memes have had less impact on Canadian politicians than other disruptive technologies.
Prof. Tamara Small, of the Department of Political Science at the University of Guelph, says that while digital politics creates a...
Shining a spotlight on SURG
A closer look at the University of Guelph’s undergraduate research journal
By Sameer Chhabra
In 2007, an undergraduate student at the University of Guelph had a curious idea.
Matt Teeter, now an associate professor of medical biophysics at the University of Western Ontario, approached members of the Office of Research to find a way to launch an academic journal aimed at showcasing research specifically conducted by the undergraduate student body at the University.
Through a collaboration between the Office of Research and McLaughlin...
New advances in animal welfare and housing
Prof. Tina Widowski and her team are leading studies into hen behaviour and welfare, and best practices for the management of housing systems.