Data Science: 18th-century British Art and Culture

Monday, April 10th, 2023
A pamphlet with 18th century drawings on it

Photo Credit: Christina Smylitopoulos 

 

By Sydney Pearce

Art history professor Christina Smylitopoulos focuses on British art and visual culture in what’s called the “long” 18th century (1680s–1830s). In a recent project, she worked with students to create a digital catalogue of printed material produced by the early nineteenth-century publisher Thomas Tegg, integrating his graphic satire with other commodities, including books and pamphlets. This has resulted in a...

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Data Science: Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock

Monday, April 3rd, 2023
Four men standing around an IBM 360 computer at the University of Guelph

The first IBM 360 computer delivered to a Canadian university came to the University of Guelph in 1966. 

 

By Alicia Bowland

The IBM System 360 was the first family of computer systems to accomplish a full range of computer applications; the first IBM 360 computer delivered to a Canadian university came to the University of Guelph’s then Department of Animal Science in 1966. Expertise grew and in 1985, computer technology-based genetic research led to the establishment of the Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock (CGIL). 

The centre grows its database by collecting producer...

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Data Science: Guelph Family Health Study safely gathers family data

Friday, March 24th, 2023
A family standing together with signs and vegetable cut outs in the background.

Photo Credit: Guelph Family Health Study

 

By Vanessa Virgo

The Guelph Family Health Study (GFHS) exemplifies big data studies being conducted at the University of Guelph and many other institutions. This study has enrolled over 300 families in a multi-year investigation to study family behaviours, nutrition literacy, food skills and other lifestyle factors to prevent child obesity.  

Researchers aim to determine whether early life interactions in different home environments and family behaviours can lead to...

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Data Science: Engaging the Rural Diary Archive

Tuesday, March 21st, 2023
Someone using a MacBook Air computer to look at a handwritten document.

Photo Credit: Catharine Wilson

 

By Sydney Pearce 

Rural Ontario has a rich history that has been documented through diaries dating between 1800 and 1960. History professor Catharine Wilson has brought together the writing of more than 200 diarists in the Rural Diary Archive. Volunteers across North America have been transcribing these works online, making them accessible and searchable. As they transcribe, they learn to read old...

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U of G Researcher Exploring Automation for Better Dairy Health, Production

Wednesday, March 15th, 2023
Cows in a circular cage

By Vanessa Virgo  

University of Guelph PhD candidate Patty Kedzierski is using automated data collection to develop individualized feeding plans for dairy cows. Aiming to improve cow health and production, her research analyzes differences in dairy balance to tailor nutrition to each animal’s needs. Most farms currently use a total mixed ration, feeding all cows the same diet based on top-performing animals. Kedzierski’s work offers a more...

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Data Science: On the Forefront of Feline Veterinary Medicine

Tuesday, March 14th, 2023
A picture of a cat with numbers in the background.

Photo Credit: Theresa Bernardo

 

By Ashleigh Martyn 

Many veterinarians use data to help keep farm animals healthy, but data is less fully employed to prevent or predict illness among companion animals. Dr. Theresa Bernardo, Department of Population Medicine, and her team are using big data to investigate the average weight of cats over their lifetimes and help prevent disease. 

Bernardo holds the IDEXX Chair in Emerging...

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Data Science: Exploring 19th-Century Innkeeping

Wednesday, March 8th, 2023
An open book with handwritten notes

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...

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New Apple Variety at U of G May Juice Up Cider Industry

Tuesday, March 7th, 2023
A hand holding a Providence crab apple

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...

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U of G Researchers Apply New Method for Detecting Salmonella Bacteria

Friday, March 3rd, 2023
A container of brown coloured eggs

 By Abbey Drew

University of Guelph researchers have developed an advanced molecular tool to improve surveillance and detection of Salmonella in poultry. Using a method called CRISPR-SeroSeq, the team can identify multiple Salmonella serotypes in a single sample, offering more accurate monitoring and aiding outbreak investigations. Led by Dr. Shu Chen and Dr. Carlos Leon-Velarde from the Agriculture and Food Laboratory, this research enhances existing food safety...

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Data Science: Better Breeding Stock Through Biomarkers

Wednesday, March 1st, 2023
A group of researchers posing together for a photo in a lab

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...

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