Macdonald in the News
In the News
AUGUST 2
9 billion fed by 2050? Young leaders tackle global hunger at the Feeding a Hungry Planet Youth Agricultural Summit
Youth delegate Mathieu Rouleau (BSc Ag Business and Economics; FMT’13), representing Quebec and 4H, explains how he was selected for the initiative, and says more education on world hunger is needed. Watch video on Canada AM
JUNE 11, 2013
BEST PRACTICES TEACHING AWARD
Congratulations to Professor Chris Buddle, NRS, (pictured here with Laura Winer, McGill Teaching & Learning Services) who received a "Best Practices Teaching Award" presented at the recent SALTISE conference (Supporting Active Learning and Technological Innovation in Science Education), in Montreal. This award was in part because of Professor Buddle's teaching innovations related to his St. Lawrence Ecosystems course.
MAY 22, 2013
BACTERIUM FROM HIGH ARCTIC AND LIFE ON MARS. Permafrost microbe discovered growing at –15°C, the coldest temperature ever reported for bacterial growth.
The temperature in the permafrost on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian high Arctic is nearly as cold as that of the surface of Mars. So the recent discovery by a McGill University led team of scientists of a bacterium that is able to thrive at –15ºC, the coldest temperature ever reported for bacterial growth, is exciting. The bacterium offers clues about some of the necessary preconditions for microbial life on both the Saturn moon Enceladus and Mars, where similar briny subzero conditions are thought to exist. The team of researchers, led by Prof. Lyle Whyte and postdoctoral fellow Nadia Mykytczuk, both from the Dept. of Natural Resource Sciences at McGill University, discovered Planococcus halocryophilus OR1 after screening about 200 separate High Arctic microbes looking for the microorganism best adapted to the harsh conditions of the Arctic permafrost. ”We believe that this bacterium lives in very thin veins of very salty water found within the frozen permafrost on Ellesmere Island,” explains Whyte. “The salt in the permafrost brine veins keeps the water from freezing at the ambient permafrost temperature (~-16ºC), creating a habitable but very harsh environment. It’s not the easiest place to survive but this organism is capable of remaining active (i.e. breathing) to at least -25ºC in permafrost.” Read press release.
MAY 2013
DEVOTION TO DAIRY
Macdonald College is the proud recipient of Holstein Canada’s “Century of Holsteins” award. The Farm, originally started by the college’s founder, Sir William Macdonald, was recognized in April at Holstein Canada’s national convention in Niagara Falls for having been a member for 100 consecutive years. Macdonald College Farm began breeding registered Holstein dairy cattle in 1912, five years after the college was established. The original herd was Ayrshires, who continued to make up about half of the herd until the 1960s. Today, all of the research is performed with Holsteins, but there is still a good representation of quality Ayrshires, as well as Jerseys, Brown Swiss and a couple of Canadiennes.
Read article by farm manager Paul Meldrum, first published in the May issue of the Quebec Farmers' Advocate. Posted with permission.
In photo: Holstein Canada Award Presentation April 2013; (l-r) Harry Van Der Linden, John Buckley, Paul Meldrum, Ann Louise Carson, Glen McNeil (Photo courtesy Holstein Canada)
MAY 13, 2013
AIRBUS, AIR CANADA AND BioFuelNet CANADA PUSH FOR NEW AVIATION FUELS. Existing and emerging solutions being studied for Canadian aviation.
Airbus, Air Canada and BioFuelNet Canada, hosted by Montreal’s McGill University, have formed a partnership to assess Canadian solutions for the production of sustainable alternative jet fuels with the long term goal to supply Air Canada. The first assessment is expected by the end of 2013. The partnership was announced today, at the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) Aviation and Environment workshop in Montreal. Read press release.
MAY 1, 2013
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 24, 2013
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, 2013
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 26, 2013
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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, 2013
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 26, 2013
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, 2013
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
Watch Mac in the Media
Les lumières DEL révolutionnent la culture en serres
Interview with Professor Mark Lefsrud on Le Code Chastenay
Interview with Pascal Thériault on the difficulties faceing Quebec farmers
on RDI Economie
Sowing the Seeds of Inquiry: Learning to Observe
(with Professor Chris Buddle)
Meeting Food Industry Demands
(MAKING HEADWAY)
(with Professors Kristine Koski, Salwa Karboune and Inteaz Alli)
Nutrients and Nutraceuticals
(MAKING HEADWAY)
(with Professors Hope Weiler, Valérie Orsat and Stan Kubow)
The Obesity Pandemic
(MAKING HEADWAY)
(with Professor Katherine Gray-Donald and Laurette Dubé)
L'ABC des prix alimentaires
(with Pascal Thériault)
Roundtable Talks: Tackling Food and Nutrition Security.
McGill Conference on Global Food Security 2010
Roundtable Talks: Tackling Water Scarcity.
McGill Conference on Global Food Security 2010
Macdonald Campus Freshman Video
Why is environmental education important?
(with Professor Elena Bennett)
African adventure
Bioresource Engineering students in Benin
Searching for life on Mars
(with Professor Lyle Whyte)
Plant Science tackles climate change and food crises (with Professor Don Smith)
Fighting for Food Security
(with Professor G.S.V. Raghavan)
What People are Saying...
June 18-2013
Well done! BRE students Laurie Bennett, Marilyn Brière-Deschênes, Antony Glover, Janick Hardy and Mary-Elizabeth Konrad were part of the McGill team recently recognized by the Scotiabank Ecoliving Awards. The students worked on one of several projects undertaken by the McGill Energy Project as part of the BRE Senior Design Project course: a solar water heating system feasibility and analysis in order to improve the efficiency of the hot water heating system in the University Residences http://vimeo.com/67858043#t=223
June 18-2013
A proud day for McGill https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/node/18800
June 13-2013
Chris Buddle has been recognized once again for his outstanding teaching. At its annual conference this year, SALTISE awarded Chris with the Best Practices and Pedagogical Innovators Award for University Instructors largely for work he did with the St. Lawrence Ecosystems Course. Read more about his work here http://publications.mcgill.ca/macdonald/2012/12/17/social-media-becomes-a-teaching-tool/
May 25-2013
Congratulations to co-authors Professor Harriet V. Kuhnlein and Chief Bill Erasmus on the publication of Indigenous People's Food Systems and Well-Being; Intervantions and policies for healthy communities. This is the third book in the series of unique books promoting the use of local food systems by Indigeneous Peoples.
Congrats once again to the McGill Feeding McGill project for its Gold Medal win in the Outreach and Education Category by the National Association of College and University Food Service Providers.
May 22-2013
Exciting discovery of a new cold water bacterium that thrives in the Canadian High Arctic may give us clues to life in elsewhere in our solar system. The research was carried out by an international team of researchers led by Professor Lyle Whyte and postdoctoral fellow Nadia Mykytczuk, (Natural Resource Sciences) https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/bacterium-canadian-high-arctic-and-life-mars-226842
Macdonald College is the proud recipient of Holstein Canada’s “Century of Holsteins” award. The Farm, originally started by the college’s founder, Sir William Macdonald, was recognized in April at Holstein Canada’s national convention in Niagara Falls for having been a member for 100 consecutive years. Photo: Holstein Canada.