U of S announces Images of Research competition winners
SASKATOON – Teaching mathematics using Indigenous methods, removing antibiotics from water supplies using innovative approaches, and understanding mosses to predict the future of northern forests are among the many ways University of Saskatchewan students are making a difference for Canada and telling their stories through video.
As part of the U of S Canada 150 Project, the third annual U of S Images of Research competition included a video category this year. In addition to submitting still images and brief descriptions of why their research, scholarly or artistic work matters, current students, faculty and staff were invited to submit 60-second video research pitches to explain how their research makes a difference for Canada.
“This contest showcases the outstanding research, scholarly and artistic work taking place across the U of S campus,” said Karen Chad, vice-president research. “It’s an excellent way to celebrate the beauty our researchers encounter every day and to share it with the world.”
This year’s competition received 100 entries, including 12 video research pitches from across campus and beyond, with more than 8,700 visitors to the website from 30 countries.
Organized by the Office of the Vice-President Research, the contest has expanded every year since its inception in 2015 as the first university-wide research images contest in Canada.
The grand prize went to “Two Pigs. Two Nations. One Health,” a candid photograph snapped by third-year Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) student Taryn Roberts during a trip to Tanzania, where she provided low-cost care to livestock and pets.
“I was one of six WCVM students participating in Global Vets Africa, volunteering and learning from various veterinary and animal welfare organizations,” said Roberts.
Other entries included a mixture of traditional photography, electron microscopy and computer-generated imaging. Winners were chosen by multidisciplinary judging panels in six categories, and contest website visitors chose two images and one video as Viewer’s Choice prize winners by voting.
The images competition garnered more than 40,000 page views, and the video pitches attracted more than 34,000 views.
The winning entries, which will receive cash prizes, will be on public display in the north concourse of Place Riel from April 11 to April 18 and viewable online http://research.usask.ca/images-of-research.php
Viewer’s Choice – Images:
- Veterinary biomedical sciences graduate student Awang Hazmi Awang Junaidi’s colourful photo, “Bloom where you are planted,” took first place.
- Second place went to “Deep space inside you and me,” a microscopic depiction of stem cells from biomedical engineering research assistant Rui Fang.
Viewer’s Choice – Video pitch:
- Oscar Balladares, master’s student in chemical and biological engineering, earned the most votes for his hand-drawn animations in “Antibiotics persistence and a solution for antibiotics release in the Canadian swine industry.”
Making a Difference Video:
- PhD student Mélanie Jean’s video about the importance of studying mosses in northern forests in the face of climate change and forest fires won in the video category.
Community and Impact:
- First-year environmental biology undergraduate Alana Krug-MacLeod’s photograph, “Illumination” won first place.
- Julie Wittrock, a PhD candidate in veterinary microbiology, placed second with her black-and-white photo, “The Herring Spawn.”
Research in Action:
- Toxicology research scientist Lorne Doig takes home top spot for his photo from beneath the ice, “It's about time.”
- Gary Beckhusen, master’s student in archeology and anthropology, placed second with his photo, “Work comes first.”
More Than Meets the Eye:
- Awang Hazmi Awang Junaidi’s photo, “Bloom where you are planted,” won first place.
- Lorne Doig of the Toxicology Centre took home second place for his nightmarish close-up of a midge larva’s face in “A tale to tell.”
From the Field:
- Undergraduate biology student Joanna van Bommel photo of Sable Island horses, “A Battle of giants,” won the category.
- Geological sciences lab coordinator and sessional lecturer Michael Cuggy, an award recipient in last year’s contest, won second prize for his photo “Finding fossils under a watchful eye.”
Best Description:
- History professor Keith Carlson’s photo, “Lena Johnny, 101 years old,” won for best description.
- Alana Krug-MacLeod’s photograph, “Wilderness Highways to Sustainability,” was awarded runner-up.
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For more information, contact:
Jennifer Thoma
Media Relations Specialist
University of Saskatchewan
306-966-1851
jennifer.thoma@usask.ca