Media Releases

SASKATOON – Dr. Volker Gerdts (DVM, PhD), director and CEO of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) and professor in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), has been recognized with an Achievement Award by the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF).

SASKATOON – Early detection of infectious diseases in chickens and developing regional influenza vaccines for pigs are among 28 innovative livestock and forage research projects at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) to be awarded a total of $5.2 million in new funding Wednesday.

SASKATOON – Dr. Terry Fonstad (PhD) has stepped into the role as interim director of the Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) until the end of June.

SASKATOON – Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities rankings for 2022 published Wednesday place the University of Saskatchewan (USask) first among the country’s tier of 16 medical universities for research income growth from all grants, contracts, and contributions.

SASKATOON – A veterinary researcher at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is leading a Canadian surveillance study that looks at the connection of zoonotic diseases and recently imported dogs—the first study of its kind in Western Canada.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has been awarded $14 million through Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), with $7.2 million of the funds allocated to operating the Crop Development Centre (CDC) for the next five years.

SASKATOON – A team of scientists who pioneered methods to observe changes in global groundwater stores over the past two decades using a specialized NASA satellite mission has made a surprising discovery about the aquifers that supply California’s Central Valley region.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) Métis drama professor Bruce Sinclair has been named the University Library’s Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence at USask for 2023.

SASKATOON – The Community University Institute for Social Research (CUISR) and the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) President’s Advisory Council on the Status of Women (PACSW) are hosting an event at the Remai Modern to gather and share perspectives on ways to ensure substantive intersectional gender equity at the university.

SASKATOON – A University of Saskatchewan (USask)-led research project is literally putting food on the table for families in one of the most malnourished countries in the world.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Tara Kahan (PhD), recognized as a world leader in both atmospheric chemistry in snow and ice (cryospheric chemistry) and indoor chemistry, has won the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) Environment Division’s 2023 Early Career Research Award.

SASKATOON – A recent investment of $17.4 million in a national research and training platform by two federal granting agencies will provide University of Saskatchewan (USask) health and social sciences researchers secure remote access to a wide array of microdata from Statistics Canada.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have developed a pet-friendly rental housing guide for Saskatoon—part of an initiative to explore the benefits of welcoming companion animals in places where they wouldn’t normally be allowed.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) donor-funded Pathways to Equity initiative has awarded funding to a trio of projects focused on housing security, renters’ rights, and homelessness.

SASKATOON – Today, the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA) released key findings from its Economic Impact Study conducted on the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO). The study concluded VIDO’s operations and construction projects contributed more than $511 million to the economy in the last decade. The impact of VIDO’s commercialized vaccines was not included in the study.

REGINA – An anatomy lab is being built at Regina General Hospital to support University of Saskatchewan (USask) medical students learning in Regina.

SASKATOON – In everything from shiny gift wrapping to kids’ dance costumes to makeup for adults heading to parties, glitter is everywhere this time of year. But custodians and environmentalists hate the stuff, because it’s almost impossible to clean up, both indoors and especially outdoors.

SASKATOON – Chemotherapy can be a saving grace when facing cancer. When drug-induced neuropathy results from anti-cancer drugs like Cisplatin (CP), a common drug for breast cancers, a way to combat these unwanted side effects is critical for patients to maintain optimal treatment.

SASKATOON – A now-defunct world news co-operative’s legacy is found in the creation of Métis Nation–Saskatchewan’s New Breed Magazine in 1970, establishment of the national APTN network in 1992, launch of Al Jazeera in 2006, and the growing presence of Indigenous and minority journalists in media today.

SASKATOON – Hydrological research on the Prairies can be a challenge when the water is locked up in ice for almost half the year.

SASKATOON – By combining heat from microwaves and infrared energy, University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have uncovered a new, more energy efficient way to process lentils, making them more nutritious and digestible. The findings may result in more value for consumers, food processors, ingredient manufacturers, and producers.

SASKATOON – When University of Saskatchewan (USask) student Cassidy Serhienko got the call on Nov. 20, 2022, her life changed forever. One of only 11 recipients in Canada, Serhienko was awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to pursue her Master’s in English Literature, with a focus on contemporary feminist writing, at the University of Oxford in England.

LONDON, ON – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) most generous alumni, Ron and Jane Graham, have been named recipients of the 2022 Mitchell Family Award for the U SPORTS Alumni of the Year.

SASKATOON – A University of Saskatchewan (USask) beef cattle specialist at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) has launched a new podcast that gives listeners a Canadian perspective on beef cattle health and nutrition.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) doctoral students Gilbert Adum, Lindsey Boechler, Cody Koloski, and Pezhman Zolfaghari Didani have been named 2022 Vanier Scholars.

SASKATOON – Two researchers have been awarded highly competitive fellowships to carry out research at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) in support of self-determination for Indigenous community disaster displacement, and to get to the root of why Earth’s first animals made the move from oceans to land 420 million years ago.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have developed a new method of killing brain cancer cells while preserving the delicate tissue around it. The technique also has a remarkable side-benefit: making chemotherapy treatment of brain cancer suddenly possible.

SASKATOON – Before you got those nasty gut cramps that sent you scurrying to the washroom, or you came down with a fever, chills, and clogged airways thanks to pneumonia, various cells in your body were battling bacterial invaders who showed up armed with a sophisticated toolbox to overcome the body’s defences.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers are co-leading a new pan-Canadian and international research team aiming to understand how cities of all sizes in all countries can most efficiently implement and build sustainable transportation infrastructure—such as bike lanes, bus rapid transit, and road safety projects.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Robert (Bobby) Henry (PhD), whose work on Indigenous street gangs and lifestyles is internationally recognized, has been awarded a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Indigenous Justice and Well-being.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) has received a significant investment from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to establish containment Level 4 (CL4) capacity—the highest level of containment. Once completed, this will make VIDO the only non-government CL4 facility in Canada.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) community and members of the public are invited to gather for the 94th annual wreath-laying ceremony on Friday, Nov. 11, at the Memorial Gates on campus.

SASKATOON – Led by the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and McMaster University as co-chairs of the Canadian Neutron Initiative, 15 member universities have come together to incorporate a new not-for-profit research organization, Neutrons Canada.

SASKATOON – This fall, 981 students will receive 994 degrees, certificates, and diplomas from the University of Saskatchewan (USask). These graduates join a century-old community of more than 169,000 alumni worldwide whose contributions are helping to shape our world.

SASKATOON – As Canadian institutions face the challenge of people who falsely claim to be Indigenous, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is sharing a new independent report that will contribute to the national conversation and inform the university’s continued implementation of policies and practices around this issue.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Colleen Dell (PhD) and her team have partnered with St. John Ambulance in Saskatchewan to offer a first-of-its-kind online certificate course to improve the abilities of therapy dog handlers to prepare and support their interactions with the program’s participants.

SASKATOON – Award-winning Canadian author, journalist, poet, and editor Mark Abley will be honoured by the University of Saskatchewan (USask) during Fall Convocation celebrations this month.

SASKATOON – Faced with soaring grocery bills that have grown at their fastest rate since August 1981 to far outpace the overall inflation rate, more Prairie residents are turning to food banks and community fridges to feed themselves than citizens of any other region in Canada.

SASKATOON – A new certificate program at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) will provide students the opportunity to gain knowledge and develop experiential skills in precision agriculture by leveraging competencies from their academic discipline.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) is among the top tier of all universities in tackling the world’s biggest environmental, social, and governance challenges, according to the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings: Sustainability.

SASKATOON – A new undergraduate degree program at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) meets the growing industry need for graduates with interdisciplinary training in food science, agribusiness, and marketing.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has achieved its best-ever subject ranking in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by Subject, with education garnering a spot in the 151-175 category, moving up four tiers from a ranking of 301-400 one year ago.

SASKATOON – A recently published study authored by a pair of University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers shows that reconstructive surgery after breast cancer treatment has a demonstrable impact on arm and shoulder function.

SASKATOON – A University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher with a focus on human rights and access to justice has been awarded $140,000 for a project that aims to find alternatives to child and youth evictions in Canada.

SASKATOON – One of two cutting-edge research projects awarded funding though an innovative collaboration between the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and City of Saskatoon contributed to discussions around the national dental plan, while the other is helping to predict riverbank slope failures in the city.

SASKATOON – Lock up the silverware! According to new research from the University of Saskatchewan (USask), that’s how the body responds to Acinetobacter baumannii, a nasty pathogen commonly found in hospitals across the globe.

SASKATOON – Media are invited to attend the 8th Manitoba-Northwest Ontario-Minnesota-Saskatchewan (MOMS) medical history conference taking place Oct. 21-23, hosted by the University of Saskatchewan (USask) on the Saskatoon campus.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Law is collaborating with local and national partners to focus on data and evidence informed policy making for the seventh annual Saskatchewan Access to Justice Week, taking place Oct. 24-28 in conjunction with the third annual Canada Access to Justice Week.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) is now accepting applications for the second phase of a new program that aims to increase interdisciplinary research activity by recruiting outstanding post-doctoral fellows from around the world.

Let’s say you want to know how many asylum seekers came to Canada from Iran in 2020. Where do you go to find out? What if you want to apply for a grant to start an after school program in Lethbridge and you need to know how many 14-year-old refugee children live in the area? Now, you can click a mouse button and find the answers.

SASKATOON – Pregnancy- or childbirth-related death is rare in high-income, western countries, but not so in low- and middle-income countries.

SASKATOON – With a dramatic increase in global food insecurity caused by a number of different factors, the Government of Canada is committed more than ever to strengthening Canada’s leadership role in food production and innovation. The government is supporting agri-food, biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovations that are needed to help meet increasing demands for safe healthy food.

SASKATOON – A University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher is breaking negative stereotypes about video games by using them as a tool for combating procrastination instead of causing it.

NEW YORK – Professor John Pomeroy, Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change at the University of Saskatchewan, and Director of the Global Water Futures Programme, will be in New York on Friday, Sept. 23, presenting to the United Nations (UN) in a high-level side event on the melting cryosphere and the ongoing threats to groundwater, streamflow and the sustainability of water resources management.

SASKATOON – Three University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have been awarded $430,000 in total by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to help purchase cutting-edge equipment that will advance research aimed at reducing environmental and health-care burdens for Canadians.

SASKATOON – Even Dr. Scott Napper (PhD) uses words such as scary when describing the focus of his research—a group of diseases caused when otherwise innocuous proteins go rogue, creating conditions that are always fatal and currently untreatable.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) scientists are pursuing research unlike anything else in the world to learn more about how one of most infamous food-borne illnesses spreads.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) research team that developed a low-cost, effective method to monitor seven student residences for COVID-19 has published a paper describing the scientific groundwork laid for the process whose results compared well with city-wide sampling in Saskatoon.

SASKATOON – Sarah Ens and Ami Rai have been named the University of Saskatchewan (USask) 2022 recipients of the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarship.

SASKATOON – A University of Saskatchewan (USask) research team is partnering with an array of industry groups to establish a “globally unique” facility on campus to develop and test plant- and insect-derived proteins to replace the fishmeal that has no great substitute in aquaculture feed today.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Office of Indigenous Engagement and the Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI) are proud to unveil the Métis Red River Cart installation outside the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP) and the Gabriel Dumont College (GDC) centre located at McLean Hall on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, at 1pm CST.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s quartet of historic Amati string instruments featured in four-concert series launching September 11.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Vivian Ramsden (PhD) will be inducted today as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS), one of the highest honours for a health scientist in Canada.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has launched a suicide prevention strategy to help students in the province who are experiencing thoughts of suicide, those wanting to support someone experiencing thoughts of suicide, and those impacted by a suicide loss.

SASKATOON – As you fret over lunches to send with your child to school, consider that Canada is the only G-7 nation—and one of only a few countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)—that do not have a nationally harmonized school food program.

SASKATOON – Research to explore the effectiveness of innovative targeted treatments for HIV infections, and the use of protein therapy to break down fibrous scar tissue are two of five new University of Saskatchewan (USask) projects awarded a total of $3.3 million in federal funding.

SASKATOON – Investigating the effectiveness of intermittent low oxygen therapy for nerve regeneration and increasing health professionals’ understanding of menstrual pain in female youth are two of five University of Saskatchewan (USask) research projects awarded a total of $3.3 million in federal funding.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) chemists have successfully produced for the first time a new, stable organic compound which has eluded other scientists for more than 27 years.

SASKATOON – With a rise in the number of wildfires in Saskatchewan and beyond each year, burnt landscapes stripped of plant life are becoming more common. Most creatures find a burnt environment uninhabitable, but a University of Saskatchewan (USask) research team has discovered how certain species of insects use these scorched lands as a safe location to lay eggs.

SASKATOON – Research conducted by former University of Saskatchewan (USask) doctoral student Dr. Rachel Parkinson (PhD) under the supervision of Dr. Jack Gray (PhD), professor of biology in the College of Arts and Science, has shown that even at sublethal quantities, insecticides impair a honeybee’s ability to move in a straight line.

SASKATOON – Four flagship research centres at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) uniquely equipped to keep Canada at the forefront internationally in vaccine development, imaging science, sustainable water management and monitoring space weather have been awarded nearly $170 million.

SASKATOON – A research team at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has been awarded a national grant to study genetically modified fish to gain a better understanding of how a human heart beats.

SASKATOON – Three interdisciplinary health and agriculture projects led by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have been awarded $250,000 each under a federal program that aims to foster innovative high-risk research with the potential to yield significant and impactful results.

ST. PHILIPS, SASK. – Pewaseskwan Indigenous Wellness Research Group (pewaseskwan) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has partnered with The Key First Nation and the Yorkton Tribal Council to support research on heart disease and spinal-bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), also known as Kennedy’s Disease.

ST. PHILIPS, SASK. – Members of the media are invited to attend a research partnership ceremony between pewaseskwan Indigenous Wellness Research Group (IWRG) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), The Key First Nation, and Yorkton Tribal Council.

SASKATOON – In three new projects, University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers are aiming to trace and reconcile Métis history in Saskatoon, prevent a toxic compound from entering the river, and expand participation of low-income renters and landlords in civic home energy efficiency programs.

SASKATOON – A team led by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Martyn Clark (PhD) has been awarded $180,000 over three years by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to improve seasonal streamflows forecasts for river basins across the country.

SASKATOON – Floods, droughts, and other water-related disasters are some of the costliest natural events that occur in Canada and around the world. Even with significant global advances in science and infrastructure designed to predict and manage such extreme disasters, many communities still face major societal and economic impacts when these events occur.

SASKATOON – A group of youth in the city will showcase their micro-businesses at the first annual Edwards Entrepreneurship Exploration business fair on the University of Saskatchewan (USask) campus.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Matthew Toohey (PhD) and University of Bern researcher Dr. Michael Sigl (PhD) were part of the research team that developed an updated, more accurate reconstruction of volcanic eruptions that can help scientists understand future climate risks.

REGINA – Medical residents interested in cancer care will have the opportunity to train at home for the first time in Saskatchewan’s history. The University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Medicine is launching a new residency program in medical oncology, in collaboration with the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency (SCA), and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has approved a new policy on Indigenous membership/citizenship verification, the result of ground-breaking work by a task force led by Indigenous Elders and leaders.

SASKATOON – Most people know their dogs as the furry friend who greets them at the door after a long day’s work, but dogs have an interesting and complex history all their own. A new study published in the journal Science Advances examines the ancient lives of dogs and the ecological impacts of their diets.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE) has joined the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network.

SASKATOON – The findings of a recently published study of ancient groundwaters have important implications for such practices as carbon sequestration and deep underground storage of waste from nuclear power and oil and gas production, says University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Grant Ferguson (PhD).

SASKATOON – The latest University of Saskatchewan (USask) enrolment numbers are in and for the first time in the institution’s history, enrolment reached and then passed 26,000.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have received more than $930,000 in provincial funding support from the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) for research addressing pressing health challenges faced by the people of Saskatchewan and impacting global communities.

SASKATOON – The demands for “freedom” coming out of anti-mask protests, truck convoys, and streams of political rhetoric over the past two years have been imprinted on the brains of Canadians.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the University of Regina (U of R) will go head-to-head in multiple sports in a season-long competition to determine the winner of the inaugural U-Prairie Challenge.

SASKATOON – New research at the intersection of how humans and ecosystems interact with water shows that the most-stressed regions in the world are becoming drier leading to water governance, economic and social challenges.

SASKATOON – The Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research (SCPOR) based from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has entered a second phase of operation, thanks to a $12.6-million grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and matching funds provided by a group of partners.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) has completed the construction of its Vaccine Development Centre (VDC), strengthening and expanding Canada’s domestic biomanufacturing capacity.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Medicine’s Division of Continuing Medical Education (CME) has taken over the delivery of education on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) for primary care providers. Funding of nearly $100,000 from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health will support the program for one year.

TREATY 6 TERRITORY (SASKATOON) – The Saskatchewan First Nations Women’s Commission (SFNWC) at the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) and pewaseskwan—the Indigenous Wellness Research Group (IWRG) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask)—are signing a memorandum of understanding on June 24 to commemorate the start of a research alliance.

SASKATOON – Cell division is one of the most important biological events that occurs in living organisms, as this process provides the building blocks of growth, development and life itself.

SASKATOON – A new University of Saskatchewan (USask) research chair position at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) will focus on the health of pollinators that play an integral role in global food production and agricultural sustainability.