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Every month, USask Research Profile and Impact highlights research from across campus. DiscoveryDigest is a glimpse into how U of S research, scholarly and artistic work is making a difference forSaskatchewan, Canada, and the world.
New USask research chair probes heart and stroke prevention amongIndigenous women
USask kinesiology researcher Dr. Heather Foulds (PhD) has been named Indigenous EarlyCareer Women’s Heart and Brain Chair and awarded $730,000 over five years for research todetect, prevent and treat heart disease and stroke in Indigenous women. She will study therole social and cultural factors play in mitigating risks of cardiovascular disease amongIndigenous women, who currently are less likely to be diagnosed and treated in a timely way.The program is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, USask and Heart andStroke Foundation of Canada. Read the details.
Ag researchers awarded $3.4 M to curb GHGs
USask researchers Drs. Diane Knight, Bart Lardner, Colin Laroque, Colin Whitfield, andHelen Baulch (all PhDs) have been awarded $3.4 million in total by the Government ofCanada for leading-edge projects to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reducethe carbon footprint of the agriculture sector. The three funded projects involve improvingpasture forage crops to reduce methane emissions from grazing cattle and to sequestermore carbon in the soil, promoting shelterbelts as a valuable carbon sequestration tool, andinvestigating GHG emissions from on-farm water reservoirs. Read more here .
USask Strategic Research Plan – Discovery the World Needs
On Nov. 22, VP Research Karen Chad presented to University Council, after campus-wideconsultations over the past two years, the new 2018-2025 USask Strategic Research Plan.The plan sets out the strategic intent to engage in research, scholarly and artistic works thatembolden our faculty, create opportunities for our students, and enrich and inspireSaskatchewan, Canada, and the world. The Strategic Research Plan aligns with USask’s NewUniversity Plan: The University the World Needs , which will guide USask to 2025. Read thefull Strategic Research Plan here . Download the graphic (above) which presents the plan ata glance.
USask and new partner, Valard Group, aim to advance renewable energy inremote communities
Edmonton-based utility services company Valard Group is supporting the Renewable Energyin Northern, Remote and Indigenous Communities Flagship Program at the USask School ofEnvironment and Sustainability (SENS). Believed to be the world's first multi-sectoralpartnership of its kind, the SENS program aims to address policy challenges and socio-economic barriers to renewable energy development in northern, remote and Indigenouscommunities. Read more here.
More NSERC funding for Discovery Grants
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) has allocated an additional$1.3 million to enhance the four-year Discovery Grant awards announced Oct. 9 for USaskresearchers, bringing the new total to $9.41 million. The additional money for 45 USaskresearchers is the result of new funding announced in the 2018 federal budget, which waswelcomed by USask President Peter Stoicheff as the “strongest federal support forfundamental research in Canada’s history.”
CRC in Indigenous Rights in Constitutional and International Law renewed
The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program has renewed USask College of Law professorDr. Dwight Newman (D.Phil.)’s CRC in Indigenous Rights in Constitutional and InternationalLaw for a second five-year term. The $500,000 investment will investigate implications of theduty to consult and Indigenous title for resource development, as well as other issuesincluding how domestic and international governance must change in response toIndigenous rights.
Indigenous Research
Toolkit helps renewable power projects succeed
USask is working with the World Wildlife Fund, SaskPower and the First Nations PowerAuthority (FNPA) to develop an online toolkit that will help solar and wind power projectproponents identify suitable sites to locate generation facilities, improve consultation andminimize environmental impacts. Dr. Greg Poelzer (PhD), a professor at USask’s School ofEnvironment and Sustainability, said the goal is to meet renewable energy targets by helpingfuture projects succeed. SaskPower’s goal is to increase its wind power capacity to 2,100megawatts by 2030 from 221 megawatts. FNPA member Algonquin Power has beenapproved to build a 177-MW wind project in southwestern Saskatchewan.
USask and James Smith Cree Nation explore joint research and health careinitiatives
The USask College of Medicine, James Smith Cree Nation (JSCN), and JSCN Medical Clinic LPhave signed an MOU to collaborate on initiatives that could include a joint radiology researchchair, medical imaging services and research, and educational development opportunities forIndigenous youth. Read the details.
Major accolades
Pain research wins award
A collaborative health research team has won an award for the most outstanding researchabstract presented at the recent American Public Health Association (APHA) conference inSan Diego. Drs. Nancy Gyurcsik, Larry Brawley, Miranda Cary (all PhDs) of the College ofKinesiology, College of Medicine adjunct professor Dr. Susan Tupper (PhD), Dr. DanielleBrittain (PhD) from UNC and community consultant Don Ratcliffe-Smith were awardedthe Steven P. Hooker Research Award. Their abstract described a multi-phase study onincreasing exercise opportunities for adults with chronic pain. Gyurcsik and Brittain alsowrote about this research in The Conversation Canada.
Bill Waiser awarded top national honour for popularizing history
Dr. Bill Waiser (PhD), distinguished professor emeritus of USask, is the 2018 recipient of theGovernor General’s History Award for Popular Media: The Pierre Berton Award—the topCanadian honour in the field of history and heritage. Canada’s National History Society givesthe award annually to a writer who presents historical events and characters of the countryin an informative and engaging way to a general audience through print, film, radio, TV,theatre or the internet. Waiser is the author or co-author of 17 books, has written a weeklycolumn “History Matters” for The StarPhoenix, a weekly segment “Mining the Past” for CBCRadio, and was researcher and on-camera host for “Looking Back,” an award-winning CBCSaskatchewan TV production.
USask hosts Governor General
During her three-day visit to Saskatchewan, Governor General Julie Payette met with USaskPresident Dr. Peter Stoicheff (PhD) and physics students. She also visited the USaskobservatory and peered through the telescope. Read more here .
Telling your research story
Images of Research 2019
Get your shutters clicking now! The USask Images of Research Photo and ImagingCompetition enters its fifth edition in 2019. With cash prizes in four categories, plus prizesfor overall Best Description, Viewers' Choice and a grand prize of $500, now is your chance toshow the world what research looks like from your perspective. The competition opens inMarch 2019. See previous winners for inspiration.
Do you want to be our next SSHRC Storyteller?
On November 15, SSHRC launched its seventh annual Storytellers contest , challenginguniversity students from across the country to show Canadians how SSHRC-funded research
is affecting our lives, our world and our future prosperity. For a chance to win $3,000, tellyour SSHRC-funded project in a three-minute video or 300 words. Submissions are accepteduntil January 31, 2019. Read more about rules and regulations.
Commercialization
Unique USask-led event brings together academics and industry to tackle latestchallenges in AgTech
Thirteen USask teams were among 17 teams each awarded $1,000 at the USask InnovationEnterprise-hosted AIMday™ AgTech on Oct. 31. Partnering with the University of Regina (Uof R) and Saskatchewan Polytechnic (Sask Polytech), the event brought researchers andindustry representatives together to discuss challenges and opportunities in the burgeoningagricultural technologies (AgTech) research space and to develop pathways to newcollaborations.
A total of 55 proposals were submitted by researchers from which the 17 projects werechosen -- the first step in a process expected to lead to joint research projects that willaddress specific industry needs and help transform the global food system through newsmart farming technologies.
The Government of Canada, through Western Economic Diversification Canada, hasannounced a $30,000 investment to support USask AIMday™ events throughout 2018 and2019. Read more here.
One Health Research
Stressed bats can increase spread of deadly viruses
Veterinary microbiologist Vikram Misra has led an international research team that includesPhD student Sonu Subudhi and research assistant Noreen Rapin of WCVM’s bat zoonosislaboratory. The team has discovered that bats are responding to stress from such things ashabitat destruction, lack of nutrition, and infections by increasing the production andshedding of viruses. The viruses cause serious and often fatal diseases in humans and otheranimals. The findings were published in Nature—Scientific Reports in mid-October.
Food security research
International biosciences leader named interim executive director and CEO forGIFS
Stephen Visscher, current Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) board member, wasnamed interim executive director and CEO of GIFS by the GIFS board of directors and USaskVP Research Karen Chad. GIFS is a partnership among the university, Nutrien and theGovernment of Saskatchewan dedicated to addressing the increasing global demand for safe,reliable and nutritious food. Visscher, whose new role begins mid-November, previously helda number of executive positions at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences ResearchCouncil (BBSRC) in the United Kingdom.
New scholarships in global food security could lead to important discoveries inagriculture and health
(Left to right: Yujie Pei, Dr. Maurice Moloney (PhD), Ziliang Song, and Dr. Patrick Man Pan Yuen (MD) )
Two University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduate students from China have been awardedthe first Dr. Donald Baxter Scholarships Global Food Security to work on research projectsthat could improve crop production and improved benefits for what’s been called the “newwonder food”, flaxseed.
The scholarships, valued at $40,000 each year to study at the USask under the supervision ofa Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) researcher, were made possible by a $1-million giftfrom Dr. Patrick Man Pan Yuen (MD), a distinguished pediatrician and USask alumnus livingin Hong Kong.
The scholarships were awarded to: Master's student Yujie Pei who is enrolled in the School ofEnvironment and Sustainability for research that could lead to new mathematical methods toevaluate, track and select developed root traits to improve crop production, and Ziliang Song,currently pursuing a PhD in plant sciences, for studying the composition and structure offlaxseed to make the seed easier to digest, thereby improving its health benefits
Water resources research
Groundwater stores overestimated
Potable groundwater supplies in 28 prominent sedimentary basins in the United States aresmaller than originally thought due to stresses from both above- and below-ground sources,says a USask-led study. Dr. Grant Ferguson (PhD), principal investigator of the Global WaterFutures project and collaborator Jennifer McIntosh, a University of Arizona professor andUSask adjunct professor in the College of Engineering, worked with researchers in California
and found that fresh groundwater is much less extensive at depth than previously thought,and being potentially contaminated by the injection of water and chemicals used in hydraulicfracturing or “fracking” to extract oil, and by enhanced oil recovery and associated wastedisposal. Their findings were published recently in Environmental Research Letters.
Health research
Student teams win dentistry research competition
Student research projects on the effects of sport drinks on oral health, the rate of oral cancerin Saskatchewan, and Syrian refugees’ oral health are the winners of the USask College ofDentistry’s 2018 Table Clinics competition. The first place winners are students Dylan Jackle,Donovan Shire and Duke Young. Read more here.
In
Children with arthritis lack vitamin D - Dr. Alan Rosenberg (MD), Dr. HassanVatanparast (MD, PhD), and Sarah Finch
A new study points to a clear link between childhood arthritis and abnormally low levels ofvitamin D, especially ion northern countries.
We found grizzly, black and polar bears together for the first time - Dr. Douglas Clark(PhD)
Never before have grizzly bears, black bears and polar bears been found living in the sameplace.
Bad molars? The origins of wisdom teeth – Dr. Julia Boughner (PhD)
When they cause problems, wisdom teeth don't seem very smart. But they may have beenevolution's answer to a coarse diet.
Memorials give us the chance to sit and think about the First World War – Dr. Bill Waiser(PhD)
On the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, the University of Saskatchewandedicated a memorial bench on the university campus.
Hello magic and witchcraft, goodbye Enlightenment - Dr. Frank Klaassen (PhD)
Recently a Canadian woman was charged with pretending to practise witchcraft under a lawon the verge of disappearing from the Canadian Criminal Code. She had attempted to extortconsiderable sums of money from vulnerable clients.
Kill Bill C-69 – it undermines efforts to tackle climate change - Dr. Jason MacLean (PhD)
Bill C-69 will slow down Canada's efforts to transition to a decarbonized and sustainableeconomy.
Write about your own research in The Conversation
Want to reach a broad audience with your research? Consider submitting an item to theConversation, an academic journalism hub of which USask is a founding member. Wondering where to start? Read a short explainer on how to write for the ConversationCanada. Read previous USask articles here and get in touch with Sarath Peiris.
Young Innovators
Advancing gene therapy for skin cancer
USask pharmacy post-doctoral researcher Dr. Mays Al-Dulaymi (PhD) and co-supervisorsDr. Ildiko Badea (PhD) and Dr. Anas El-Aneed (PhD) have developed a tiny chemicalcompound that holds promise for improving gene therapy for skin cancer and other geneticskin disorders. The research was published in Bioconjugate Chemistry and the Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis .
USask system to improve online privacy
Computer science professor Dr. Julita Vassileva (PhD) and her PhD student Ajay Shresthahave developed a web application that helps users store their data permanently and setconditions for others to access the data. The application based in blockchain technology —the same permanent, unchangeable record of transactions as behind Bitchoin virtualcurrency — has the potential to change data sharing on social media. The research waspresented at the first international conference on blockchain in the United States in June2018.
Study sheds light on low asthma rates in rural children
Dr. Oluwafemi Oluwole (PhD), post-doctoral fellow in the College of Nursing, and Dr. JoshuaLawson (PhD), professor in the College of Medicine, have found that rural children inSaskatchewan are underdiagnosed for asthma compared with children living in cities,shedding light on findings from previous studies that indicated that rural children are simplyless likely to have asthma. The research was published in the Journal of Asthma .
Undergraduate research
For the Love of Research
Bidushy Sadika recognized her passion for research early on and is now working towards acareer in research. "I love research, and I am never bored of it," Sadika said. Throughcoursework, Sadika was drawn to apply to the USask honours program in psychology.Sadika's supervisors Drs. Todd and Melanie Morrison (PhD, both) helped her refine herideas into a research question. Read more .
A "Green and White" Globe
International blueprint key to USask’s global impact
The new International Blueprint for Action 2025 charts a course over the next seven yearsthat enables the University of Saskatchewan to significantly advance its mission to becomethe university the world needs.
The strategy is to co-ordinate and integrate the diverse breadth of USask’s internationalactivities in research, teaching and student experience. The blueprint fosters initiatives thatwill improve the quality and scope of USask’s international activities through collaborationswith universities, governments, and industry. Read the details here.
New USask International website launches
USask has launched a new website usask.ca/international, which centralizes theinternational activities of the university in one online portal. International activities at USaskare distributed across campus in different units, so having one central location will makeinformation easier to find for prospective and current students, faculty and staff. Visit thenew site.
Inside International Education features USask researchers
Graduate student Anakaren Botana was featured in the Government of Saskatchewan InsideInternational Education newsletter to showcase how her Mitacs-sponsored summerinternship has led her to pursue a master’s degree in chemical engineering at Usask and aresearch project that could benefit both the oil industry and the environment.
English professor Dr. David Parkinson (PhD)’s Project in International Collaborative Teachingwas also featured. The project is a new intercultural teaching and learning model whereinstructors offer free, real-time online courses to students across institutions. This initiativemay offer international engagement in learning, especially where students are unable toexperience education abroad.
Humanities and arts
Frankenstein continues to intrigue readers
USask joined an international celebration of the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’sinfamous Gothic horror novel Frankenstein by holding a Frankenreads event at Upper PlaceRiel on Halloween. English professor Dr. Lisa Vargo (PhD), a noted researcher on MaryShelley, felt it was important for USask to be part of the worldwide celebration organized bythe Keats-Shelley Association of America. The society honoured her with a DistinguishedScholar Award in January.
Upcoming events
Historical research informs artistic decisions
Award-winning Saskatoon actor and USask alumnus Skye Brandon is heading back to thestage that helped launch his professional theatre career. From November 21 to December 1,he is directing and starring in Greystone Theatre's upcoming production of WilliamShakespeare’s Henry V. The performance serves as part of Brandon's Master's thesis, whichis focused on how historical research informs artistic decisions. Be sure to check it out! Buytickets here.
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