New animal care program gives researchers better insights

Photo of cows at LRIC

By Liz Snyder

Animal Care Services has been developing a system to support animal research teams through the life of their research project – and animal researchers at the U of G can soon look forward to even more support with the hiring of a post-approval review coordinator.

To get to this point, for the past two years Animal Care Services has been consulting with Canadian universities that have similar animal care programs and U of G researchers and animal facility managers.  They wanted to see what a good post-approval review program would look...

Read more: New animal care program gives researchers better insights

You can help track wildlife health

infographic about wildlife health surveillance

New online tool gets the public involved

By Sydney Pearce

Tracking wildlife health is too large of a task for just one individual, so a wildlife health tracking website, developed by the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) at the University of Guelph, is getting the public involved.

The initiative is designed to make it easier for the public and groups interested in wildlife health to report sick and dead wild animals they encounter in Ontario, and eventually across Canada.

“There is a wide span of benefits for a tool like this...

Read more: You can help track wildlife health

Appreciation, growth opportunities and job security motivate hospitality industry workers

Photo of a woman making pizza

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...

Read more: Appreciation, growth opportunities and job security motivate hospitality industry workers

Research charts the course of marijuana 'normalization' prior to legalization and regulation of the drug

A group of young adults at a 420 rally

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...

Read more: Research charts the course of marijuana 'normalization' prior to legalization and regulation of the drug

Sexting for women may be empowering

Photo of a woman's hand holding a cellphone

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...

Read more: Sexting for women may be empowering

Reducing the digital divide between rural and urban Ontario

Photo of cables being laid. Adobe stock.

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...

Read more: Reducing the digital divide between rural and urban Ontario

Taking a nutritional approach to reducing diabetes risk

Dr. Dan Ramdath,  PhD student Dita Moravek and Prof. Alison Duncan

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...

Read more: Taking a nutritional approach to reducing diabetes risk

Leukemia, breast cancer and ovarian cancer research focus of new awards

Profs. Jim Petrik, Marc Coppolino and Paul Spagnuolo

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...

Read more: Leukemia, breast cancer and ovarian cancer research focus of new awards

Icewine harvest adds to the wine tourism experience

Photo of Mark Holmes

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...

Read more: Icewine harvest adds to the wine tourism experience

Internet memes become online activism for Canadian politics

Photo of Tamara Small looking at her computer

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...

Read more: Internet memes become online activism for Canadian politics