MAY 2013
May 1
GIVING INFANTS 400 IUS OF VITAMIN D DAILY DEVELOPS HEALTHY BONES: STUDY
A supplement of 400 international units of vitamin D each day is enough to ensure an infant’s health for at least the first 12 months of life, Canadian researchers have determined after testing out several dosage levels in babies. Their study, published Wednesday in a special child health issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found 400 IUs daily is as good as doses of 800, 1,200 or 1,600 IUs at preventing rickets and promoting bone health. “Right now the dose that we’re recommending is the 400 and that’s to be given every day until the baby can achieve that amount from other foods, and typically we consider that more at one year of age,” said co-principal researcher Hope Weiler of McGill University in Montreal. McGill Press Release; CTV; CNN; Radio-Canada; TVA; Canada.com; Global News
APRIL 2013
APRIL 24
SPRING HAS SPRUNG AT MACDONALD COLLEGE, AWARD-WINNING CROPS WILL FEED MCGILL STUDENTS
Spring onions are growing at Macdonald College in Ste-Anne-de Bellevue and, within days in the greenhouse, tomatoes, peppers and asparagus will join them. Although few suburban gardeners have started planting, horticulturist Mike Bleho has been busy since mid-March, tilling soil and gearing up for another banner growing season at the McGill University farm. Last year, the bulk of the fresh fruit and vegetables consumed at four of McGill’s downtown student residences was grown on the 25-acre Mac farm dating back to the 1890s. Since 2010, Bleho, the farm’s chief horticulture technician, and Oliver De Volpi, executive chef for McGill Food and Dining Services, have been working together on a sustainable agriculture venture called Feeding McGill. Read more in the West Island Gazette
APRIL 19
WHEN IT COMES TO SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST, STRESS IS A GOOD THING, SQUIRREL STUDY SHOWS
When the woods get crowded, female squirrels improve their offspring's odds of survival by ramping up how fast their offspring grow. In a study led by Michigan State University and the University of Guelph (Canada), researchers showed for the first time how females use social cues to correctly prepare their offspring for life outside the nest. The results, published in the current issue of Science, confirm that red squirrel mothers boosted stress hormone production during pregnancy, which increased the size and the chances of survival of their pups. … The team based much of its study on the Kluane Red Squirrel Project, a 22-year-long study on North American red squirrels living in the Yukon led by researchers from the University of Alberta (Canada), Guelph and McGill University [Murray Humphries] (Canada). Out in the field, researchers used recordings of territorial vocalizations, or rattles, to create the illusion of a big population of squirrels. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130418142302.htm
FEBRUARY 2013
FEBRUARY 26
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NOURRIR MCGILL/ UNIVERSITÉ MCGILL
Des organismes du secteur public au Canada honorés par l'IAPC et Deloitte pour leur leadership et leur vision … Parmi les gagnants des Prix IAPC/Deloitte de leadership dans le secteur public de 2012 : Initié et dirigé par des étudiants de premier cycle, un mouvement s'est propagé à travers les campus de McGill, réformant complètement l'approche de l'Université concernant les services de durabilité, de restauration et de salle à manger. Des projets novateurs ont été couronnés de succès créant, entre autres, une centaine d'emplois reliés à la durabilité pour les étudiants, détournant 28 000 kg de déchets des sites d'enfouissement, et cultivant quelque 40 000 kg de produits frais pour les programmes de restauration des résidences. Le Fonds des projets de développement durable de McGill - créé dans le but d'encourager le leadership et la collaboration, et de financer des projets à long terme, de vaste portée - est le plus grand du genre en Amérique du Nord. Communiqué de Deloitte; Reuters
FEBRUARY 18
SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR MEAT'S PHOSPHORUS FOOTPRINT?
If you've ever played around with one of those carbon or water footprint calculators, you probably know that meat production demands a lot from the environment — a lot of oil, water and land. (Check out the inforgraphic we did on what goes into a hamburger last year for Meat Week.) But have you thought about your meat's phosphorus footprint? Probably not. That's why Geneviève Metson, a doctoral student in natural resource science at McGill University in Canada, did the math for you. She wanted to find out how much of the phosphorus that's mined and turned into supplements for animal feed or fertilizer to grow feed crops goes to the meat industry. SOURCE: NPR
JANUARY 2013
JANUARY 26
Jouer au bûcheron, ça c’est du sport !
Les bûcherons de l’université McGill ont tenté d’imposer leur loi hier, lors de la 53e édition du Concours interuniversitaire annuel de bûcheronnage qui avait lieu chez eux, à Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. SOURCE: Journal de Montréal
JANUARY 2
WHY DOES CANADA HAVE A MAPLE SYRUP CARTEL?
It may seem bizarre that Canada has a maple syrup cartel at all. But think of it this way: Quebec, which produces about 77% of the world’s maple syrup, is the Saudi Arabia of the sweet, sticky stuff, and the FPAQ is its OPEC. The stated goal of the cartel, in this case, is keeping prices relatively stable. The problem with maple syrup is that the natural supply of it varies dramatically from year to year. “It’s highly dependent on the weather,” explains Pascal Theriault, an agricultural economist at the McGill University in Montreal. Time Magazine
DECEMBER 2012
DECEMBER 20
'EAGLE SNATCHES KID' VIDEO MAKERS ADMIT HOAX
The skeptics were right. Three students studying animation and digital design at Montreal's Centre NAD, the school says, made a video that [went] viral [yesterday] because it looks (sort of) like an eagle snatched a baby off the ground and started to fly away with the little kid. But Centre NAD "reassures Montrealers" that there's "no danger of being snatched by a royal eagle." The video was a digitized class project, not a real snatching. [McGill bird expert David Bird called the incident a hoax early on yesterday morning on Daybreak]. SOURCE: CBC, The Gazette, NPR, CTV, Toronto Star, Houston Chronicle, NBC
IN $18 MILLION THEFT, VICTIM WAS A CANADIAN MAPLE SYRUP CARTEL
It was an inside job of sorts. Thieves with access to a warehouse and a careful plan loaded up trucks and, over time, made off with $18 million of a valuable commodity. […] Although the stolen syrup was insured, Mr. [Simon] Trépanier [acting general manager of the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers] acknowledged that some of the federation’s 7,400 members were not happy that it allowed six million pounds of syrup to disappear. Despite the displeasure of members, though, Pascal Thériault, professor of agriculture at McGill University in Montreal, said the future of the federation was secure. While the closed market system restricts the ability of large, commercial syrup producers to expand, the federation’s voting structure means that it is dominated by part-time producers, many of whom are also dairy farmers. They have no interest, Mr. Thériault said, in returning to an open market. SOURCE: New York Times
DECEMBER 6
FIGHTING MALNUTRITION WITH SCIENCE IN GUATEMALA
A three-year IDRC project to make food more secure and nutritious in Guatemala ─ a country with one of the highest rates of chronic malnutrition in the world ─ was launched in Guatemala on December 5. Food Insecurity and Under-Nutrition in Guatemala brings together leading researchers at Guatemala’s Instituto de Agricultura, Recursos Naturales y Ambiente at the Universidad Rafael Landivar, in collaboration with scientists at the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at McGill University in Canada [Professors Humberto Monardes and Hugo Melgar-Quinonez], to measure and compare the effectiveness of food security and nutrition initiatives in Guatemala to determine which have proven most effective in improving small-scale farming. Roughly one-quarter of Guatemalans do not have enough to eat. Children under five fare the worst: almost half ─ 49% ─ are chronically malnourished, the highest rate in Latin America. The Guatemalan government, international donors, NGOs, and the private sector have funded hundreds of initiatives ─ mainly focused on food distribution and income transfers ─ but food security and poverty indicators in have not improved in 20 years, indicating that past investments have been ineffective. Working with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, the IDRC-supported researchers will also ensure that research recommendations help influence decisions by the Guatemalan government and other national and international development actors. Read the news release
DECEMBER 4
McGill Researcher to Collaborate with Urban Barns
URBAN BARNS FOODS INC. announced collaborative research between Urban Barns and McGill University on CUBIC AGRICULTURE growing practices. The aim of the research is to further improve the efficiency and production of Urban Barns Cubic Agriculture vegetable and fruit production in urban areas. The idea of food production in an urban agricultural environment has been proposed by a number of companies but the technology already developed by Urban Barns coupled with McGill food production research and engineering knowledge will allow the Cubic Agriculture system to reach the next level of sustainable food production. Dr. Mark Lefsrud, McGill's lead researcher on the 5-year project, said, "The major issues to be researched are; energy reduction (light and heat), selection of species and cultivars for this specific growing environment, determining the nutritional improvement of plants grown within the Urban Cubic Growing system with additional focuses on reduced carbon footprint, nutrient recycling, minimal water usage, recyclable product packaging, leading to a sustainable urban agriculture model." Richard Groome, President of Urban Barns Foods Canada said "We are indeed very excited about our new relationship with McGill's Macdonald Campus and Dr.Lefsrud. As Urban Barns rolls out our proprietary Cubic Farming method world-wide, we look forward to working with McGill's outstanding team of researchers to further develop improved cycle times and crop yields along with adding additional crop types that can be grown in our Cubic Farming systems." Read press release
NOVEMBER 2012
NOVEMBER 30
SPIDER SILK MAY ACT AS A PEST REPELLANT, STUDY SAYS [NOTE: Professor Chris Buddle, NRS, is second author in this study]
Spider silk can be scary enough to insects to act as a pest repellant, researchers say. These findings could lead to a new way to naturally help protect crops, scientists added.Spiders are among the most common predators on land. Although not all spiders weave webs, they all spin silk that may serve other purposes. For instance, many tiny spiders use silk balloons to travel by air. Researchers suspected that insects and other regular prey of spiders might associate silk with the risk of getting eaten. As such, they reasoned silk might scare insects off. Read more in Chris Buddle's blog
NOVEMBER 9
IN THE COMPANY OF VETERANS, THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS VOW TO REMEMBER
More than a thousand students from John Abbott College, McGill University and Macdonald High School spent Thursday morning at a special ceremony held in the company of 85 veterans. In a touching ceremony, students took a moment to recognize the commitment and sacrifice of Canada’s soldiers. “I’m very happy to be here and it does a lot of good. I feel appreciated,” said veteran Patrick Wiggins. SOURCE: CTV News
NOVEMBER 8
LES GRANDS PRIX QUÉBÉCOIS DE LA QUALITÉ 2012. VALACTA, CENTRE D’EXPERTISE EN PRODUCTION LAITIÈRE.
En présence de la Première ministre, Mme Pauline Marois, Valacta recevait une mention lors du Gala des Grands Prix québécois de la qualité, dans la catégorie Grande entreprise de services, établissement ou filiale de grande entreprise. Read Valacta press release. More online.
Photo: Jean-Marc Sauvé, sous-ministre adjoint, Services aux entreprises et affaires territoriales, au ministère des Finances et de l’Économie (à gauche), et Roch L. Dubé, président du conseil d’administration du Mouvement québécois de la qualité (à droite), remettent une Mention à Daniel Lefebvre, directeur général de Valacta, centre d'expertise en production laitière.
OCTOBER 2012
OCTOBER 30
13 PERSONNALITÉS HONORÉES À QUÉBEC 35es PRIX DU QUÉBEC [INCLUENT 3 DIPLÔMÉS DE MCGILL]
Les 35es Prix du Québec 2012 honoreront le mois prochain 13 personnalités ayant contribué à l'évolution culturelle et scientifique de la Belle Province. Cette année, sept personnes seront saluées pour leur apport dans la sphère culturelle. Il s'agit de Jacques Languirand (prix Guy-Mauffette - radio et télévision), John Heward (prix Paul-Émile-Borduas - arts visuels, métiers d'art, architecture et design), Benoît Melançon (prix Georges Émile-Lapalme - qualité et rayonnement de la langue française), France Théoret (prix Athanase- David - littérature), Leonard Cohen (prix Denise-Pelletier - arts de la scène), Dinu Bumbaru (prix Gérard-Morisset - patrimoine) et André Melançon (prix Albert Tessier -cinéma). Six Québécois seront pour leur part applaudis pour leur contribution dans l'univers scientifique, dont la psychologue Louise Nadeau, qui sera la première lauréate du nouveau prix Marie-Andrée-Bertrand soulignant l'innovation sociale. Les autres personnes honorées seront : Paul-André Linteau (prix Léon-Gérin - sciences humaines et sociales), Guy Rouleau (MedRes'85 & adj prof human genetics) (prix Wilder-Penfield - recherche biomédicale), Louis Bernatchez (prix Marie-Victorin - sciences naturelles et génie), Edwin Bourget (prix Armand-Frappier - création ou développement d'une institution de recherche ou administration, et promotion de la recherche) et Louis-P. Vézina BSc(Agr)'79 (prix Lionel-Boulet - recherche et développement en milieu industriel). SOURCE: Journal de Montréal, Le Devoir
OCTOBER 29
WATERFRONT 'LE SABOT' WAS BUILT A CENTURY AGO
In the 1960s, the Morgan family donated land to McGill University for the creation of the 240-hectare Morgan Arboretum. With the sale of this estate, another window into the history of Montreal will be closed, but not locked to those who wish to seek it. Cleveland Morgan's legacy is still alive and well with every dog walker or bird watcher that visits the Arboretum, or every visitor to the fine arts museum, the McCord Museum or the Redpath, among others. His was a life well lived, and his beloved "Le Sabot" heralds this life. SOURCE: The Gazette
OCTOBER 25
OBSERVATORY SHEDS LIGHT ON SKIES
It may not be large, but it is powerful. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Bellevue Observatory opened at the Morgan Arboretum in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue with the official First Light ceremony. “The First Light ceremony is when the telescope’s mirrors are opened to receive light for the first time,” Andrew Fazekas said. Fazekas is director of public communications for the Montreal Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and a former RASC Montreal president. “Montreal has a new eye on the universe,” he said. That “eye” is supplied by a $10,000, research-quality robotic telescope, donated by former Montrealer Dr. David Levy — an acclaimed astronomer, comet hunter and RASC honorary president.For the past 50 years, RASC had an observatory set up behind Molson Stadium on McGill University property. “But the increased light pollution was not conducive to showing the public the night sky, so we chose the Morgan Arboretum,” Fazekas said. “It offers the darkest sky views on the island of Montreal.”
OCTOBER 22
NEW DIRECTOR FOR MCGILL UNIVERSITY’S INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
Professor Hugo Melgar-Quinonez satisfied his first ambition, becoming a doctor, only to discover a different calling in the study of hunger and child mortality. Now, as the first Director of McGill’s Institute for Global Food Security, Professor Hugo Melgar-Quinonez has plans to put the institute on the map internationally by making it a magnet for research and action. And he wants to engage students at McGill, interested in these issues, in their very first year. Carmel Kilkenny spoke with Professor Melgar-Quinonez to find out more about his vision, and how his experience growing up in Guatemala, informs his work. SOURCE: RCI
‘EAT ORGANIC’ SLOGANS DON’T BELONG IN AFRICA: AGRICULTURE EXPERT ROBERT PAARLBERG
One floor up from the McGill University conference centre where international experts gathered this week to discuss global food security, posters in a student cafeteria trumpeted the facility’s green credentials. “I choose local. I eat organic,” the signs read. “Make every day Earth Day,” students were urged. “Support environmentally responsible farming.” The slogans may reflect conventional wisdom on North American campuses and in European grocery aisles. But when imposed on the impoverished farmers of Africa, agriculture expert Robert Paarlberg argues, this mindset spells disaster, thwarting efforts to achieve the food security sought by conference-goers. A professor of political science at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, Mr. Paarlberg argued in his 2008 book Starved for Science that a growing distaste for agricultural science — manifested in the embrace of organic farming and rejection of genetically modified crops — is keeping Africans hungry. SOURCE: National Post
OCTOBER 19
MCGILL PROFS AMONG HUNDREDS TO RECEIVE U OF G DEGREES
More than 800 degrees and diplomas will be awarded Saturday during the University of Guelph’s fall convocation at War Memorial Hall. McGill University chemistry Prof. David Harpp is to receive an honorary doctorate of laws degree at the opening 9 a.m. ceremony at which he’ll address graduating students and their families. McGill associate vice-principal Chandra Madramootoo gets an honorary doctorate of science at the 2 p.m. ceremony. Events are to be streamed live. SOURCE: Guelph Tribune; UGuelph Press release
OCTOBER 18
FOOD SECURITY: IT’S POSSIBLE TO PROVE “FOOD DOOMSAYERS” WRONG, MCGILL CONFERENCE TOLD
There are nearly one billion people on the planet who are undernourished. Getting them enough to eat will require increasing the amount of food per hectare that farmers in the developing world produce while providing a safety net for the poorest people, food-security experts told a conference at McGill University Wednesday. SOURCE: The Gazette
OCTOBER 17
LE PRIX DES ALIMENTS AU COEUR D’UN CONGRÈS À MCGILL
La variation des prix des aliments est au coeur de la cinquième Conférence de McGill sur la sécurité alimentaire mondiale, qui réunit plus de 250 personnes aujourd’hui et demain. L’instabilité politique est aussi abordée puisqu’elle va de pair avec les prix des aliments, a indiqué Katherine Gombay, porte-parole de l’Université McGill. Mme Gombay a d’ailleurs avancé que le prix des aliments aurait été l’un des éléments déclencheurs du Printemps arabe. Aussi, avec l’augmentation de la population planétaire, le monde aura besoin de 70 % de plus d’aliments. Les dimensions sociales de la sécurité alimentaire et le rôle des acteurs sociétaux dans la résolution de la crise alimentaire seront aussi examinés. SOURCE: TVA, Journal de Montréal
OCTOBER 15
THE CHANGING FACE OF GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
Hugo Melgar-Quiñonez had always planned to become a surgeon. But he got sidetracked when one of his professors at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena in Jena, Germany, suggested he might be interested in reading the pathologists’ reports from Maputo, Mozambique that the latter had brought back to Europe with him. Read more in the McGill Reporter
OCTOBER 2
7 WAYS TO REDUCE HOUSEHOLD FOOD WASTE
Poor meal planning and a susceptibility to buying in bulk are among the reasons Canadians end up dumping so much edible food in their garbage. … Many people assume that the expiration date on perishable items such as chicken and dairy products indicates the day the product becomes unsafe to eat. While that may be true for meat products, many other items remain entirely edible. "Consumers have to understand that expiration dates are not a date after which the food is not good anymore," says Pascal Theriault, an agricultural economist based in Montreal [Fac of Ag and Env Sc at McGill]. Best-before labels on food products in Canada reflect the date after which the nutritional content on the item is no longer reliable. But that doesn't mean the product in question has turned bad. "If consumers were to understand that, it would probably help to reduce food waste quite a bit," says Theriault. SOURCE: CBC.ca
SEPTEMBER 2012
SEPTEMBER 27
PEI HISTORICAL SOCIETY HOPING TO PURCHASE THE GLENALADALE ESTATE AS PART OF P.E.I.'S UNIQUE SCOTTISH HERITAGE
With 40 per cent of Prince Edward Island's population being of Scottish origin, a great many can trace their arrival roots back 240 years ago to Lot 36 in the Tracadie Bay area. One historic 529-acre piece of allotted land still original to that settlement time is Glenaladale Estate, once the home of army officer and colonizer Capt. John MacDonald who brought with him in 1772 the Scottish ancestors of many Islanders today. Now that property and its impressive 19th-century house are up for sale and the Prince Edward Island Scottish Settlers Historical Society Inc. (PEISSHS) is putting the wheels in motion for the Save Glenaladale Estate campaign to preserve this piece of Island history.[…] "There is also the idea of an academic research centre and possibly a partial partnership with a university either here or MacDonald College at McGill (University), which was founded by Sir William Christopher MacDonald (who built the house in 1883/84)," Reddin adds. SOURCE: The Guardian (PEI)
SEPTEMBER 25
4 TOWNS SELECTED FOR MINOR MILLETS PROJECT
The University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad has been selected to lead a national project to strengthen regional staple foodgrains. The University along with the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund has selected minor millet for ensuring food security in villages. […] The Research Fund will provide to the tune of CAN$9,95,000 (Rs 4 crore). It has selected McGill University [Professor Valerie Orsat], Canada, to provide technical support and the University will play the anchor role in India. The Dharwad University has roped in two NGOs — Chennai-based M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and Dehradun-based Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation. SOURCE: The Hindu
SEPTEMBER 5
Professor Vijaya Raghavan of the Department of Bioresource Engineering has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Professor Raghavan studies and develops pre- and post-production technologies and processes for growing and handling crops and horticultural produce. His work on soil management, controlled environment storage, drying, and thermal processing have led to the development of technologies and techniques that are being applied in developmental work in India and potentially in Africa to address issues of food security and safety, and poverty.
AUGUST 2012
AUGUST 28, 2012
McGILL SERVING MORE LOCALLY-GROWN FOOD
McGill University is increasingly eating local thanks to the the Macdonald Campus farm in Ste. Anne de Bellevue. The farm, along with other previously-underused agricultural resources, is helping McGill achieve its targets which calls for 75 percent of its campus produce served in the summer to be grown within 500 kilometers. Those targets fall to half in the fall and one-quarter in the winter.
Salad Days at McGill (video)
McGill commit to local fruit and vegetables
Farms in Ste. Anne's, Que. are helping McGill University fill a local food quota. Derek Conlon reports on the new menus. SOURCE: CTV NEWS
AUGUST 15, 2012
BIRD'S EYE VIEW: COLUMN HAS BEEN FEATHER IN WRITER'S CAP (David Bird, professor of wildlife biology and director of the Avian Science and Conservation Centre on the Macdonald campus):
"After 28 years of writing columns about birds for The Gazette, 17 of them as a weekly, I regretfully announce that due to restructuring and financial cuts by the newspaper, this will be my last column, folks, or as we should say in the bird world, my "swan song." SOURCE: The Gazette
AUGUST 6, 2012
OÙ EST LE "PLAN SUD" POUR LA BIODIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC?
(Letter sent to all provincial party leaders signed by 54 researchers, including the following McGill professors: Elena M. Bennett, Sylvie de Blois, Gregor Fussmann, Andrew Gonzalez and Martin J. Lechowicz.) A tous les chefs des partis politiques québécois : Cette semaine, une lettre ouverte cosignée par 54 professeurs ou chercheurs de dix universités différentes vous a été acheminée. Ces experts en environnement et en écologie demandent un moratoire sur le développement des milieux naturels résiduels dans la vallée du Saint-Laurent pour protéger cette région qui comprend la plus haute biodiversité de la province. Alors que l'attention du Québec se tourne vers le Nord, le regroupement scientifique souhaite rappeler que la biodiversité du Québec est principalement concentrée dans la partie méridionale de la province, là où les pressions de développement sont aussi les plus importantes. Si le Québec souhaite véritablement répondre à ses engagements de sauvegarder la biodiversité, des changements majeurs dans notre façon de gérer et d'occuper le territoire s'imposent, au nord comme au sud. SOURCE: Le Devoir
AUGUST 2, 2012
TIME TO PROMOTE BREASTFEEDING, CURB BOTTLE; FORMULA-FEEDING HAS DANGERS, ESPECIALLY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, EXPERTS SAY ...
...as World Breastfeeding Week begins on Aug. 1st, breastfeeding specialists want to draw attention to the many benefits of breastfeeding to mother and baby and curb the trend toward bottle-feeding infants with commercially prepared formula… Hilary Wren, who grew up in Guelph, is currently in the Western Highlands of Guatemala where she's conducting research for her doctoral thesis at McGill University. Through email correspondence, Wren said globally, 34 per cent of children under age five are 'stunted,' or have low height for their age - a condition that increases the risk of chronic diseases in individuals from infancy through to adulthood, which in turn can affect social and economic development of vulnerable communities. In Guatemala, stunting rates are 54 per cent and reach 80 per cent in some villages, rates that are alarmingly high, and rates that can be improved if new mothers would breastfeed their babies… SOURCE: Guelph Mercury
JULY 2012
JULY 30, 2012
MEET THE INAUGURAL COHORT OF 3M NATIONAL STUDENT FELLOWS (University Affairs Editor Leo Charbonneau)
"The good folks at the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and 3M Canada, who together have awarded the prestigious 3M National Teaching Fellowships for more than 25 years, unveiled a new award this year: the 3M National Student Fellowships… The winners were – are – an impressive bunch… [includes Pascal Genest-Richard, 3rd Year, Bioresource Engineering, McGill University; and, John Alex Pritz, 3rd Year, School of the Environment; Ecological Determinants of Health, McGill University] SOURCE: University Affairs
JULY 10, 2012
NEW WORLD-CLASS AVIARY OPENS AT ECOMUSEUM
The Ecomuseum inaugurated its new outdoor waterfowl aviary in Ste. Anne de Bellevue on July 5. The new facility, home to more than 30 ducks and herons, offers a striking design. The enclosure is described as a world-class facility, which is now open to the public. Known as the Roger Bider Aviary, the new installation is named after one of the co-founders of the Ecomuseum. SOURCE: The Gazette (West-Island)
JUNE 2012
JUNE 20, 2012
SOME PRODUCERS GROW UP TO FIVE VARIETIES TO EXTEND SEASON
As Canada's main strawberry producing province, Quebec grows nearly half the strawberries in Canada. In North America, according to the Association des producteurs de fraises et framboises du Québec, only California and Florida produce more strawberries. Producers tend to grow four to five different varieties of strawberries, in part to extend the growing season a bit - some are ready for market earlier than others - and because some are seeking a particular colour, taste or flavour they like best, said Shahrokh Khanizadeh, a research scientist with Agriculture Canada's Horticultural Research and Development Centre in St. Jean sur Richelieu. Khanizadeh worked with McGill University scientists and growers to help develop nearly a dozen varieties of strawberries, including the Chambly, the Oka, Joliette and Yamaska (more at cyberfruit. info). The Chambly strawberry, for example, was developed for mechanical harvesting, he explained; it is firmer and more bruise-resistant than other varieties as it goes into the conveyor. (He was saddened to learn that his job is among those to disappear in 2013 as part of government cuts to public services, including federal science and research programs). SOURCE: The Gazette
DEVELOPING A BETTER POTATO FOR INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN COLOMBIA
McGill University and developing-country scientists awarded CA$2.8M to fight potato blight in Colombia
McGill University scientists, led by Ajjamada Kushalappa of the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, have teamed up with researchers from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia to develop nutritious, high-yielding, and more disease-resistant potatoes for food-insecure indigenous communities in Colombia. McGill Press Release
MAY 2012
MAY 30, 2012
CANADA POISED TO BECOME WORLD LEADER IN NEXT-GENERATION BIOFUEL DEVELOPMENT
A plane powered by grass? Sounds unlikely, but thanks to a new research network led by Prof. Don Smith from McGill University’s Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, this could one day become a reality. BioFuelNet Canada is one of three new Centres of Excellence announced today by the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology, during an event held at McGill. Read press release
MAY 2, 2012
ASH TREES IN WEST ISLAND THREATENED BY BEETLE
West Island homeowners have officially been notified that the emerald ash borer beetle is on its way, which could likely kill off thousands of trees in the coming years. … Forest ecology expert Jim Fyles at Macdonald Campus of McGill University says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's warning about beetle infestations means the West Island's ash trees could all be destroyed within 15 years. Fyles described the beetle situation as a SARS-like epidemic facing ash trees. "The way this thing gets around is it rides around in firewood," Fyles said.
SOURCE: The Gazette
APRIL 2012
APRIL 19, 2012
LA CUISINE MOLÉCULAIRE, DÉJÀ DÉPASSÉE ?
"La cuisine moléculaire, c'est fini!", clame son inventeur, le chimiste français Hervé This. Il faut faire place "à la cuisine note à note". … Hervé This a été à l'avant-scène de la gastronomie moléculaire, il y a une trentaine d'années, en compagnie du chercheur Nicholas Kurti. Au début des années 1990, le chef catalan Ferran Adria a pris la balle au bond et créé un menu moléculaire pour son restaurant El Bulli, récemment fermé. Non sans imposer El Bulli comme le meilleur établissement au monde une année sur deux entre 2000 et 2010, et s'imposer lui comme le chef le plus illustre au tournant du xxie siècle. … Mais déjà, un chercheur comme Hervé This regarde au-delà. C'est pourquoi il lance d'un ton un peu provocateur que "le moléculaire, c'est fini". Et en tournée à Montréal pour célébrer les 25 ans du département des sciences de l'alimentation de l'Université McGill, il explique ce qu'est cette cuisine note à note auquel nous nous dirigerions.
Le Droit (lien non disponible)
MARCH 2012
MARCH 30, 2012
FÉLICITATIONS AUX GAGNANTS DE LA PREMIÈRE ÉDITION DU CONCOURS RÉSIDENCES DURABLES!
Durant deux semaines, entre le 7 et 21 mars 2012, des résidences de différentes universités de partout à travers le Québec étaient en compétition pour la résidence qui obtiendrait une réduction la plus importante de son empreinte environnementale, spécifiquement au niveau de la consommation d’énergie et de la génération des déchets. Les gagnants dans chacune des 4 catégories suivantes sont : - Efficacité énergétique : Université McGill, University Hall - Gestion des matières résiduelles : Université McGill, Ecoresidence - Durabilité en générale : Université Laval - Taux de participation : Université McGill, University Hall.
MARCH 29, 2012
NEWSMAKER: PROFESSOR HOPE WEILER IS STUDYING CHILDHOOD OBESITY
A study by Professor Hope Weiler of McGill University aims to improve the health of overweight children and teach them how to be healthy. When it comes to knowing if their children are overweight, "what I would suggest for parents if they're wondering... is probably they are in fact," said Weiler. She and her group are seeking to prevent overweight children from growing into overweight adults, however she is not putting children on a diet.
SOURCE: CTV
MARCH 26, 2012
POUR UNE MEILLEURE GESTION DE L'EAU
(Libre opinion de Lylia Khennache, doctorante au département de génie des bioressources à l'Université McGill) : Au terme du Forum mondial de l'eau qui a récemment eu lieu à Marseille, de nombreux projets novateurs ont fait souffler un vent d'espoir sur les enjeux liés à l'eau dans notre société. Malgré ces initiatives locales et internationales, de plus en plus de pays sont confrontés à un stress hydrique, terme employé lorsque les besoins en eau outrepassent la quantité disponible.
SOURCE: Le Devoir
MARCH 21, 2012
PROPONENTS OF BIRD'S NEST SOUP PUT MONEY IN WALLET
(McGill professor David Bird) "While I always enjoy the weekly columns of my McGill University colleague Dr. Joe Schwarcz - The Right Chemistry - I am particularly pleased when he brings his credibility as an award-winning science writer to help debunk myths concerning wildlife. One such recent example carried the headline "The myth of the healing rhino horn" (Feb. 18). But the one that really caught my eye was the one on Aug. 27: "Taking a flyer on benefits of bird's nest soup."…
SOURCE: The Gazette
MARCH 20, 2012
ÉTUDIANTE MONTRÉALAISE PRIMÉE
Une étudiante en nutrition de l'Université McGill a remporté l'un des deux pris d'un concours pancanadien de lutte contre l'excès de poids et la malnutrition. Alyssa Reid-Fontaine, qui étudie en troisième année, a nommé son projet « Kilos pour la planète ». Son but était de redistribuer les kilos dans le monde et d'équilibrer ainsi globalement le poids des gens à l'échelle planétaire. Le projet encourage les gens qui veulent perdre du poids à recueillir des fonds en se faisant parrainer, puis à remettre ces fonds à une oeuvre de bienfaisance visant à éliminer la faim dans le monde.
SOURCE: La Presse
FEBRUARY 29, 2012
FEBRUARY 21, 2012
DON SMITH TOP NSERC GRANT WINNER
(Alex Usher) : "It turns out that two professors stand out above all the others in this country when it comes to sponsored research grants: Donald Smith, a plant biologist at McGill University and Ajay Dalai, a chemical engineer from the University of Saskatchewan. Between 2006 and 2010, these two received $2.9 million in NSERC funding – but, rather more remarkably, were each the recipients of two new NSERC grants per year. To be clear, that’s not two recurring grants lasting over six years. That’s two brand new ones, each year, for six years. Some of which were recurring. In total, Smith picked up twelve separate NSERC grants over a 6-year period, and Dalai eleven. And that’s not counting Smith’s work in the Biofuels Network Centre of Excellence or Dalai’s Canada Research Chair. … These two somehow have bottled the research productivity genie and their secrets need to be understood. Or perhaps just poached. If you can’t beat ‘em, you could always try hiring them. All you enterprising science and engineering deans wanting to increase your granting council success rates, please form an orderly queue over here…"
SOURCE: HESA
FEBRUARY 13, 2012
SKY IS THE LIMIT FOR USE OF MINI, UNMANNED PLANES
Helicopters collect evidence in some car-crash cases, but the RCMP collision-cop seized had a faster, cheaper, and more portable alternative in mind – namely “Micro-UAVs,” or the stripped-down commercial cousins of the “unmanned aerial vehicles” pioneered by the military. … “I don’t want to destroy things, I want to spy on things, count things and so on,” says David Bird of McGill University, a researcher who has been using UAVs to study birds of prey. The aptly named wildlife-biology professor says UAVs have given him big-picture perspectives on migration patterns and some sharp insights into what’s going on in bird nests. “It’s brand new really exciting stuff,” he says.
SOURCE: Globe and Mail
FEBRUARY 2, 2012
TOP-RATED DIETS OFFER BENEFITS FOR EVERYONE; US NEWS REPORT ASSESSES THE EFFICACY OF VARIOUS WELL-KNOWN PLANS
(Athletics' Jill Barker's column in the Gazette):
Rating diets never gets old. That's because dieting never gets old. It's no wonder then, that for the second year in a row, US News created a buzz with its recent listing of the top diets of 2012. … According to Pearl Nerenberg, a Montrealbased dietitian with her own private practice, get-thinquick diets have their drawbacks, namely a loss of precious muscle mass. "We spend our lifetime trying to build muscle so we'll have enough to compensate for the loss of muscle associated with aging," said Nerenberg. "We're effectively dipping into our retirement fund of lean body mass whenever we go on those types of diets." Kristine Koski, director of McGill's School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, agrees. "How you lose weight is as important as losing the weight itself," she said. "You want to lose fat. Not bone and not muscle mass."
SOURCE: The Gazette
JANUARY 30, 2012
LUMBERJACKS AND JILLS
Students from eastern Canada and the U.S. converge on McGill University's Macdonald Campus in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Saturday, Jan. 28, to take part in the university’s Intercollegiate Woodsmen Competition, part of the Canadian Lumberjack Championships. Two women demonstrate that they are as able as anyone to participate in this back-breaking contest.
SOURCE: The Gazette
JANUARY 18, 2012
WHEN MAGPIES LOOK IN THE MORROR, THEY RECOGNIZE WHAT THEY SEE
STUDY FINDS From Prof. David Bird's column: "Almost all of us begin our mornings with a peek into the bathroom mirror. Whether we like what we see is another matter, but one thing is clear - we are engaging in self-recognition. When animals gaze into a mirror, they will often engage in some sort of social behaviour. Sometimes it sparks aggression. I see that reaction every winter in my Ethology laboratory session involving Siamese fighting fish with my undergraduate students. Aptly named, they treat their mirror reflection as an intruder with whom to do battle."
SOURCE: The Gazette