Research News
Data Science: Exploring 19th-century Innkeeping
Photo credit: Kevin James
By Sydney Pearce and Cate Willis
Kevin James, a professor in the Department of History and Head of the Tourism History Working Group, is studying the history of inns and hotels in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England and the Isle of Man in the 19th century. He transcribes digital records of hotel books to explore the social and cultural history of tourism...
New apple variety at U of G may juice up cider industry
Providence crab apple
By Cate Willis
A University of Guelph researcher has developed a new apple variety that holds promise for the cider industry.
Dr. John Cline, a professor of pomology and tree fruit physiology in the Department of Plant Agriculture at the Ontario Agricultural College, bred and developed Providence, a crab apple that has crimson-coloured flesh and produces crimson-coloured juice when processed or fermented...
U of G researchers apply new method for detecting Salmonella bacteria
By Abbey Drew
University of Guelph researchers have found a way to improve existing surveillance measures for preventing Salmonella outbreaks.
The research team included Dr. Shu Chen, senior research scientist, manager at the Agriculture and Food Laboratory (AFL) and associate graduate faculty in the Department of Food Science, and Dr. Carlos Leon-Velarde, AFL supervisor of food microbiology and adjunct professor in the Department of Food Science. Their goal was to implement an advanced...
Data Science: Better breeding stock through biomarkers
Dr. Julang Li (centre) lab group
By Mya Kidson
Biomarkers—measurable health indicators such as bodily fluids—offer many details about the risk of developing disease, overall health status and even the reproductive abilities of an organism. University of Guelph researchers are studying the use of biomarkers in female pigs, also known as gilts, to find individuals with high reproductive potential for breeding stock.
Dr. Julang Li, Department of Animal Biosciences, and her research team are...
U of G spin-off named one of Canada’s 50 most investable clean-tech companies
Psigryph co-founder Dr. Gopi Paliyath was passionate about finding a home in industry for his research (Photo credit: Richard Bain Photography)
Psigryph, an innovative company built on University of Guelph research into naturally derived nanoparticles to deliver nutrition and medicine into cells, has been named one of Canada’s most investable cleantech firms by cleantech accelerator Foresight Canada.
The innovative Guelph-based company was co-founded in 2018 by Department of Plant Agriculture researcher Dr. Gopi Paliyath, who passed away in September 2022, and entrepreneur...
Data Science: Connecting communities through creativity
By Sydney Pearce and Caitlin Ford
Mitigating COVID-19 isolation for vulnerable seniors and children is the goal of an innovative project led by a University of Guelph history professor.
Launched during the pandemic by Dr. Kim Martin, Connecting Generations Art Journals is intended to bring together two groups that have been especially vulnerable to...
Data Science: Social media as a disease detection tool
By Mya Kidson
University of Guelph research suggests that Twitter’s big-data capabilities make it useful for improving disease surveillance and public safety.
Dr. Rozita Dara, a computer science professor in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, and Dr. Shayan Sharif, a pathobiology professor at the Ontario Veterinary College, have created a system that combines machine...
Data Science: Promoting early disease detection in robotic milking systems
Robotic milking systems can lead to early disease detection in dairy herds.
By Sydney Pearce and Cate Willis
Analyzing thousands of robotic milking system records has taught University of Guelph dairy researchers a vital lesson—cow behavioural changes documented by such systems can help predict certain disease events earlier.
On-farm, these systems can let farmers know that cows are unwell up to four days or more before milk yields drop, allowing farmers to intervene sooner, says Dr. Trevor DeVries, a professor in the Ontario Agricultural College.
Meagan King, a former post-doctoral...
Data Science: Taming the complicated world of wheat genetics
Healthy wheat (above) as seen under a microscope; unhealthy wheat (right).
By Samantha McReavy
Using high-performance computing (HPC) power provided by the SOSCIP consortium cloud services, researchers at the University of Guelph are identifying novel genes linked to disease resistance in wheat to develop a robust crop variety. Disease-resistant varieties make better use of farmers’ resources.
Post-doctoral researchers Soren Seifi and Mina Kaviani and senior scientist Mitra Serajazari in the Department of Plant Agriculture...
Data Science: Protecting water on agricultural land
GIS mapping is helping to create effective management strategies to protect the environment.
By Alicia Bowland
Bayfield, Ontario, a waterfront community on gorgeous Lake Huron, is cottage country to some. But to others, it’s the home of the Gully Creek and Bayfield North watersheds, comprising 40 square kilometres of natural, recreational and agricultural land whose waterways drain into the lake.
And data is helping keep it pristine.
Watersheds—areas of land that drain water and snowmelt to rivers and lakes —are vital for supporting habitats and water conservation but can often collect...