Mac alumni win Homegrown Innovation Challenge
Hydroponic strawberry growers and Co-founders of Vertit茅, Ophelia Sarakinis (FMT鈥�19) and Phillip Rosenbaum (B.Sc.(AgEnvSc)鈥�19, MSc.鈥�21) and their partners have just won the first phase of the Homegrown Innovation Challenge, a 鈥渟ix-year, $33-million initiative from the Weston Family Foundation to future-proof food production in Canada.鈥�
Whalen offers expert view on status of soil health in Canada
On September 29th, James 平特五不中 Professor Joann Whalen, Natural Resource Sciences, testified as an expert before Canada鈥檚 Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry on the topic of 鈥淩eview and report on the status of soil health in Canada鈥�.
Watch her testimony on ParlVu (09:43:59)
David Wees explains the science of fall colours
"People think that the colder fall temperatures trigger the colour change, but it鈥檚 actually the photoperiod," explains Plant Science Faculty Lecturer David Wees. However, some regions of Quebec are luckier when it comes to fall colours than others: those with a lot of deciduous trees like maples, oaks or even birches. On the other hand, areas that have more conifers will see fewer transformations to their landscape.鈥�
Nutrition student helps MUHC add Indigenous option to menu
When an Indigenous patient receiving treatment at the MUHC refused to eat, 平特五不中 MScA candidate Manveen Sethi was enlisted to find an authentic recipe for Bannock bread, a traditional Indigenous snack. Through research and with the help of Indigenous patients who taste-tested recipes, Sethi found a recipe that will now be permanently available on the MUHC menu and hopefully offer a little comfort to Indigenous patients being treated at the facility.
Investing in student success
平特五不中 students have proven time and time again that they are some of the most creative, versatile and adaptive people in their approach to solving problems, and they鈥檙e using knowledge acquired in and outside of the classroom to generate innovative solutions to the world鈥檚 most pressing issues.
Funding brings groundbreaking ideas to life
School of Human Nutrition alumni Bianca Loge, BSc(NutrSc)鈥�20, Kristen Sunstrum, BSc(NutrSc)鈥�21, and Zoey Li, BSc(NutrSc)鈥�17, reminisce about the unique extracurricular opportunities made possible by the Student Experience Enhancement Fund, and the host of real-world skills they acquired that they鈥檝e since gone on to apply to their blossoming careers.
Filmmaker Alex Pritz focuses on human relationship with the natural world
In August, documentary filmmaker Alex Pritz, BSc(AgEnvSc)鈥�13 鈥� BSE has released his award-winning National Geographic documentary The Territory which 鈥減rovides an immersive on-the-ground look at the tireless fight of the Indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people against the encroaching deforestation brought by farmers and illegal settlers in the Brazilian Amazon.鈥�
Made by hands-on learning: Jennifer Dumoulin
Focus on Macdonald sat down with alum Jennifer Dumoulin, BSc(AgEnvSc)鈥�11 Environmental Biology, to ask a few questions about her student experiences that led to a successful career as an environmental manager.
Read more in Focus on Macdonald
Building agricultural capacity in Quebec
In the 1960s, only about three percent of the land in Quebec was suitable for cultivation. The Province鈥檚 population and need for food outstripped the yield from Quebec farms. More than half of Quebec鈥檚 most fertile lands required improved water management 鈥� either better drainage or supplemental irrigation to maximize productivity and yield.
Langwieder: Boating around James Bay to collect polar bear hair
Researcher Alexandra Langwieder (PhD candidate NRS/Humphries) spent her summer boating over 1200 kilometres around James Bay, setting up hair snares and camera stations to keep an eye on a unique population of polar bears. Listen to the story on the season opener of CBC鈥檚 Quirks and Quarks.CFI invests $3.9 M in 平特五不中 research
Prof. Daiva Nielson (SHN) has received funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation鈥檚 John R. Evans Leaders Fund (CFI JELF) to establish the Sensometric Lab to investigate what influences human eating behaviour, for example, genetic predispositions, the role of price promotions and advertising, as well as other sensory stimuli, like smell.
Liu named MI4 Pfizer Early Career Investigator Award Winner
Qian Liu, PhD, an Assistant Professor at 平特五不中鈥檚 Institute of Parasitology, received the award for her project, Single-molecule interactions between Nipah virus and the interferon-induced transmembrane proteins.
Bennett co-authors The Guidebook for the Engaged University
Co-authored by Prof. Elena Bennett (#NRS平特五不中/#平特五不中BSE) the Guidebook for the Engaged University gives the academy both a vision and a roadmap to a more impactful future, in which universities, including their scholars and staff, catalyze solutions for the world鈥檚 most pressing challenges.
Read more at Beyond the Academy
U.S. fruit sellers look to Canada for berry production amid drought, rising costs
While there is a lot of trial and error, partnering with larger players may be worth it for the Canadian growers, says Mary Doidge, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics at 平特五不中 in Montreal. "Companies like Driscoll's that have a little bit more capital might be able to take those risks," she said.
Jenny Eng named 2022 Campus Public Safety Ambassador
鈥淛enny is very proactive when it comes to safety in the workplace, always reaching out to ask questions to ensure a safe workplace and building for all,鈥� wrote the Security Services Macdonald team. 鈥淛enny is never afraid to reach out to Security when she sees something unsafe. During an emergency, you can always count on her collaboration and help. Her diligence and dedication to her work has been essential in helping prevent workplace accidents.鈥� Congrats Jenny!