Research News
More Milk, Less Methane from Global Dairy Collaboration
A dairy cow using a GreenFeed machine to have her emissions tracked while eating.
By Katie Kroeze
University of Guelph researchers co-led global efforts to establish a database intended to save money for the dairy industry, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr. Flavio Schenkel, Department of Animal Biosciences in the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), co-led the Efficient Dairy Genome Project (EDGP). The database allows farmers to use genomic information to select cattle with improved feed efficiency and lower methane emissions.
Researchers in Canada and abroad were involved in this...
U of G Professor Pens Book Chapter to Improve Food Security in Developing Nations
Source: Unsplash
By Mya Kidson
Improving food security by promoting nutritious food crops for low-income countries is the goal of a new book whose co-authors include a University of Guelph professor.
Dr. Helen Hambly Odame, a faculty member in the Ontario Agricultural College, aims to help ensure that root, tuber and banana (RTB) crops, such as potatoes, cassava and plantains, provide food security, or adequate and stable access to nutritious food, for people living in the world’s poorest regions.
Hambly recently co-wrote a...
Tracking the Spread of COVID Through Wastewater Surveillance
By Mya Kidson
University of Guelph researchers are looking to help improve COVID-19 testing protocols by monitoring wastewater for the pandemic-causing virus.
Dr. Marc Habash, a professor in the School of Environmental Sciences, and his research team are developing a disease tracking model for COVID-19 using wastewater.
“We’ve got a lot of expertise at the University that has been useful in driving this kind of testing forward, and it’s been accelerated through a partnership between the province and other...
Research Project Uses Storytelling to Change Dominant COVID Narratives
By Vanessa Virgo
University of Guelph professor Dr. Carla Rice, College of Social & Applied Human Sciences, collaborated with researchers from other Canadian universities to develop a digital storytelling platform where marginalized groups of people could share their experiences with COVID-19. In this article, SPARK writer Vanessa Virgo examines how the pandemic has had uneven impacts across social groups and how storytelling can change dominant COVID narratives...
The Power of #MeToo Testimony
By Vanessa Virgo
A University of Guelph researcher argues #MeToo testimonies could shift social and cultural attitudes on sexual violence and harassment toward women in ways that benefit not only women but also society at large.
Dr. Karyn Freedman, a professor in the College of Arts, explored the individual and societal benefits of #MeToo testimony in the article “...
New U of G Researcher Highlights the Importance of Conducting Collaborative Research in Indigenous Communities
By Abbey Drew
Implementing Indigenous knowledge systems in environmental research is one goal of a new University of Guelph faculty member.
Dr. Susan Chiblow, a professor in the Ontario Agricultural College and an instructor in U of G’s new bachelor of Indigenous environmental science and practice program, works with Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Holders to explore their research goals.
“There’s been a lot of unethical research done in Indigenous communities, which has greatly impacted the...
Looking at Community Health Through a More Holistic Lens
By Mya Kidson
A unique research project, recently launched at U of G, seeks to integrate Indigenous relational worldviews with government environmental monitoring and health risk assessment approaches.
Dr. Diana Lewis, a professor in the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, is leading the project, which commenced in early June 2022 and extends her master’s and PhD research. She and a team of transdisciplinary researchers will work directly with Indigenous communities to evaluate environmental, wildlife and human health issues using...
U of G Project Shifts Art Gallery Displays to Virtual Walkthroughs
Photo Credit: Emil White
By Caitlin Ford
In response to COVID-19 art gallery closures, a University of Guelph project has used 360-degree photography technology to enable virtual visits to U of G galleries.
The project, called Creating Virtual Spaces for Artists and Performers, was led in 2020 by Dr. Christian Giroux, a professor in the School of Fine Art and Music; Dr. John Phillips, manager of the Interdisciplinary Design Lab in the College of Arts; and digital design technician Thoreau Bakker.
“The visual art world is always interested in how virtualization can be...
U of G Wastewater Surveillance Provides Valuable COVID-19 Data during Times of Limited Testing
By Caitlin Ford
A University of Guelph wastewater project for early detection of food-borne illness has proven to be an invaluable tool for understanding the viral transmission of COVID-19 on campus and in the surrounding community.
In summer 2020, Dr. Lawrence Goodridge, a professor in the Department of Food Science, and his lab team repurposed their research on food-borne illness surveillance to begin surveying U of G’s wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19.
Used to monitor COVID-19...
Consumer Perspectives on Virtual Grocery Shopping amid a Pandemic
Photo Credit: Pexels
By Vanessa Virgo
Despite online grocery shopping options during the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers still prefer to shop in person, according to a new University of Guelph study. Among shoppers opting for online service, the study found, more women prefer to pick up their groceries in person, while men prefer direct home delivery.
Dr. Kimberly Thomas-Francois, Post-Doctoral Fellow, and Drs. WooMi Jo and Simon Somogyi, professors in the School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management in U of G’s Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, aimed...