Media Releases

Conversion of large swaths of land to uniform tree plantations and single-crop species may lead to unintended consequences for the water cycle, putting ecosystems at greater risk for fires, floods, droughts and even hurricanes, warns a think-tank group of almost 30 water scientists from 11 countries.

SASKATOON – Today SaskTel and the University of Saskatchewan (USask) announced that they are partnering to launch a “living laboratory” at the university’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE) to test, develop and demonstrate world-class agricultural technologies.

SASKATOON – Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), has been awarded $25,000 in federal funding to study the impact of COVID-19 on Aboriginal Economic Development Corporations (AEDCs) which have helped to greatly expand the number and scale of Indigenous businesses nationally.

SASKATOON – A newly launched research support and consulting hub at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) offers a unique menu of research services within Canada, including gathering data on public opinion and human behaviour.

SASKATOON – The Canadian Barley Research Coalition (CBRC) announced today it will invest $2.7 million over five years in the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Crop Development Centre (CDC) through a core breeding agreement to develop barley varieties with improved agronomics, disease resistance and end-use quality.

SASKATOON – Two internationally renowned University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) with prestigious awards that rank among the country’s highest honours for academics.

SASKATOON – Daily moments made potentially risky by COVID-19, such as cramming into a crowded bus or elevator, sitting in a packed classroom, and visiting a vulnerable relative in long-term care, may be rendered safer again thanks to new federally funded University of Saskatchewan (USask) research into ventilation systems.

SASKATOON – Following an extensive national and international search, Dr. Baljit Singh, a highly accomplished veterinary researcher, educator and administrator, will join University of Saskatchewan (USask) President Peter Stoicheff’s leadership team as vice-president research, effective February 1, 2021.

Three provincial governments announced the renewal of their financial commitment to the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) today.

SASKATOON – Two University of Saskatchewan (USask) faculty members—internationally renowned artist and sculptor Alison Norlen and historian Valerie Korinek—have been named Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), the national academy of distinguished scholars, scientists, artists and humanists.

SASKATOON – As of the first day classes on Thursday, Sept. 3, enrolment at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) for Fall 2020 is up by two per cent and on track to be the university’s highest enrolment ever.

SASKATOON – Arliss Sidloski and Olivia Stewart have been named the University of Saskatchewan (USask) recipients of the Schulich Leader Scholarship.

SASKATOON — Traditionally, Alumni Weekend is a time to get together and reconnect with old friends and reminisce about old times, visit old haunts and have a few laughs. This year’s University of Saskatchewan (USask) Alumni Week will still allow for that, but in a decidedly different fashion.

SASKATOON—Accurate determination of the number of wheat heads (the grain-bearing tip) in a field is vital for estimating yields in wheat crops, but the usual method—manual counting from digital images—is a long and tedious job.

University of Saskatchewan (USask) digital agriculture researchers are part of a new Protein Industries Canada (PIC) consortium that will develop technology to help lower pesticide use across Canada, making crop protection more efficient and providing economic benefits for farmers.

SASKATOON – Creating artificial substitutes for human tissue and organs, discovering the best diet to help bacteria break down oil spills, and using high-powered computing to develop next-generation materials are some of the University of Saskatchewan (USask) projects made possible by new research infrastructure funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

SASKATOON – Three University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have been awarded federal funding to examine how artificial intelligence (AI) will transform higher education, how one major event transformed the modern Canadian labour movement, and how new tools can help English-as-a-second-language students excel in academic writing.

If you could dive down to the ocean floor nearly 540 million years ago just past the point where waves begin to break, you would find an explosion of life—scores of worm-like animals and other sea creatures tunneling complex holes and structures in the mud and sand—where before the environment had been mostly barren.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) board of directors are pleased to announce that Nutrien executive Candace Laing has joined the GIFS board.

SASKATOON - An international team led by the Plant Phenotyping and Imaging Research Centre (P2IRC) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has decoded the full genome for the black mustard plant—research that will advance breeding of oilseed mustard crops and provide a foundation for improved breeding of wheat, canola and lentils.

Just as redeploying a fleet of small British fishing boats helped during the Battle of Dunkirk, marshalling the research equipment and expertise of the many agtech labs around the world could help combat pandemics, say the authors of a just-published article in Nature Biotechnology.

SASKATOON – A University of Saskatchewan (USask) research team has partnered with researchers across Canada to study how different types of affordable rental housing impact the lives of marginalized people and families.

SASKATOON – A University of Saskatchewan (USask) research team has partnered with researchers across Canada to study how different types of affordable rental housing impact the lives of marginalized people and families.

SASKATOON — In a significant step for Indigenous health research in Saskatchewan and nationally, a new University of Saskatchewan (USask)-led network dedicated to improving health and wellness in Indigenous communities will be moving into Station 20 West in a core neighborhood of Saskatoon’s west side.

Infectious disease experts from Dalhousie University and University of Manitoba (UM) are joining the leading-edge research team at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) on one-year secondments to collaboratively advance research and development against COVID-19.

SASKATOON – Two of Canada’s top science facilities at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) have been awarded a total of more than $77.5 million—a third of the total $230 million announced today by Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains for 14 research facilities across Canada.

SASKATOON—The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has received $3.14 million in funding from the Government of Saskatchewan for its artificial turf replacement project at Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park.

SASKATOON – Six University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have been awarded a total of more than $715,000 by the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) to lead new health research programs, half of which are related to mental health and addictions.

SASKATOON—Members of the media are invited to attend an announcement of major funding provided by the Government of Saskatchewan, involving the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) turf replacement project at Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park.

The University of Saskatchewan (USask) is ranked first in Canada and 20th in the world for water resources research, according to the recently published 2020 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have been awarded a total of more than $1.73 million in federal funding to examine critical societal questions in areas ranging from anthropology to philosophy. Forty per cent of the funding will support projects focused on Indigenous peoples.

SASKATOON – Scientists from the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and Temple University in Philadelphia, Penn., have demonstrated that a salmonella biofilm protein can cause autoimmune responses and arthritis in animals.

A team led by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Khan Wahid (PhD) has been awarded $250,000 from the federal New Frontiers in Research Fund to create a new pill-sized capsule that uses artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled sensing to diagnose gastrointestinal cancers and bleeding earlier and more precisely than is currently possible.

A unique new app developed by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers offers agricultural landowners tailored information about the carbon offset value of planting shelterbelts—a tool that could help reduce the carbon footprint of farming and potentially put a little extra money in farmers’ pockets.

SASKATOON – The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has awarded three University of Saskatchewan (USask) research teams a total of $900,000 to help strengthen Canada’s rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic which had killed more than 450,000 people worldwide.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers are part of two COVID-19-related projects awarded major federal funding today—one to develop a unique saliva-based test for COVID-19 detection and the other to track COVID-19 incidence rates among Canadian dentists.

SASKATOON – Saskatoon Public Schools (SPS) and the Sustainability and Education Policy Network (SEPN) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to further sustainability and climate change education initiatives.

SASKATOON – Two exceptional young University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have been awarded highly competitive Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships totalling $280,000 over two years for projects that focus on aspects of climate change.

SASKATOON – As research starts to resume with the flattening of the COVID-19 curve, University of Saskatchewan (USask) faculty and students will be tackling some big science and engineering questions, thanks to $10.3 million awarded by Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) for nearly 60 wide-ranging projects.

SASKATOON – Increased collaboration with partners to advance sustainable global access to safe and nutritious food is the focus of a new strategy by the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON – Dr. Curtis Pozniak (PhD) has been appointed the new director of the Crop Development Centre (CDC) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON – The health and welfare of broiler chickens may improve thanks to University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Andrew Olkowski and colleagues.

SASKATOON — Two projects led by faculty of the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS)—based at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and University of Regina (U of R) campuses—have been awarded $400,000 from Mitacs, a national not-for-profit innovation organization.

SASKATOON – Following the recommendation of the Canada West (CW) board, the 17 members of the CW conference voted on Friday, June 5 for the cancellation of first term competition team sports due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

SASKATOON – Working with international partners, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has been awarded a $2.5-million Partnership Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to increase climate change education, training and public awareness on a global scale.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask), the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research (GDI), and the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) have partnered with the Mastercard Foundation to support Indigenous students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 110 million years ago, a lumbering 1,300-kilogram, armour-plated dinosaur ate its last meal, died, and was washed out to sea in what is now northern Alberta. This ancient beast then sank onto its thorny back, churning up mud in the seabed that entombed it—until its fossilized body was discovered in a mine near Fort McMurray in 2011.

SASKATOON — An inter-university group led by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Chanchal Roy has been awarded $1.65 million by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to establish a first-in-Canada graduate-level program to train a new generation of software engineers.

SASKATOON – As part of a University of Saskatchewan (USask) research project, small teams of high school students from Saskatchewan and Manitoba will spend their summers in bug jackets, venturing into the wilderness to measure permafrost and track caribou around Churchill, Man.

SASKATOON – A six-week film festival and competition showcasing internationally acclaimed documentaries, features and independent shorts—including films by students from Saskatoon schools—was launched this week by the Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON – Graduation ceremonies and powwow at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) are a time to acknowledge academic achievements and a time to celebrate with family, friends and members of the community.

SASKATOON – A COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) has cleared another major milestone in moving towards human clinical trials: the novel vaccine has proven highly effective in ferrets, one of the commonly used animal models for COVID-19.

SASKATOON – The new Canada Water Agency—a mandated commitment of the federal government—will provide much-needed solutions to the emerging water crisis, according to Tom Axworthy, chair of a national water policy panel organized by Global Water Futures (GWF) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON – Dr. Angela Bedard-Haughn (PhD) has been appointed the new dean of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON – An innovative radiation treatment that could one day be a valuable addition to conventional radiation therapy for inoperable brain and spinal tumors is a step closer, thanks to new research led by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers at the Canadian Light Source (CLS).

Key research and development organizations to leverage Canadian expertise and technologies in battle against COVID-19.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has launched a podcast series, Be Well at USask, delving into issues of health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has launched a COVID-19 Community Archive to document life in Saskatchewan during the global health crisis.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) Indigenous health research leader Dr. Carrie Bourassa has been appointed as the Indigenous Engagement Lead on the federal COVID-19 Immunity Task Force. The leadership group will oversee national efforts to measure the scope and scale of SARS-CoV-2 immunity across Canada.

Bat-virus adaptation may explain species spillover, researchers say.

SASKATOON – Landing silently on a roof in the middle of hostile territory, your team—a rag-tag band of friends from across the globe—weaves through a complex maze to slip undetected into the opposing team’s base. Quickened footsteps nearby. A radio crackles. Have you been detected?

SASKATOON – A new online program, eTick, has expanded into Saskatchewan, allowing University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers and the province’s Ministry of Health to efficiently monitor ticks and inform residents of potential health risks.  

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) has been awarded $23 million to fast-track efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) placed 96th overall in the world—and as high as fourth and twelfth in certain categories—in the 2020 Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings, which measure the success of universities around the world in advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

SASKATOON – The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is providing its research equipment to support the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s (SHA) diagnostic testing for COVID-19.

SASKATOON – During the COVID-19 pandemic, University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers in physiotherapy, rehabilitation science, and neurology are combining their expertise to provide a free online, virtual program to people with neurological conditions.

SASKATOON – Using 3D printers, a University of Saskatchewan (USask) engineering team is designing a comfortable, reusable and sanitizable N95 class respirator mask aimed at protecting emergency room doctors and nurses from COVID-19 in the midst of a global shortage of medical-grade masks.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) PAWS Your Stress Therapy Dog program is live online. Students and other members of the community can now connect and receive comfort and support from St. John Ambulance therapy dogs while learning pandemic-specific mental health self-care tips.

SASKATOON – Most students have enough to focus on in the last months of any school year—between finishing classes and assignments, looking for summer work opportunities, and planning for their final exam study schedule. But spring of 2020 has brought additional challenges for University of Saskatchewan (USask) students who have faced unexpected and increased pressures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers and three local companies are helping to address a provincial shortage of hand sanitizer using a bioprocessing facility on the USask campus to temporarily produce sanitizer and key ingredients, while the business group gears up for larger-scale production.

SASKATOON – How does a country balance the need to contain a disease outbreak such as COVID-19, with pressures to allow international traffic and trade? When should a country shut its borders—or re-open them—in the interests of protecting public health?

SASKATOON – The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) are partnering on a way to safely decontaminate and reuse N95 respiratory masks that are normally thrown away after each use.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) PhD student Joel Bernbaum, well-known in Saskatoon as an accomplished actor, director, playwright, and journalist, has been awarded the prestigious Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation doctoral scholarship—the first ever awarded to a USask student.

SASKATOON — Scientists at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) have published a study that shows beef cattle can tolerate higher concentrations of sulphates in drinking water than previously believed.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Holly Graham has been awarded an Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to build research capacity in Indigenous nursing and improve the health of Indigenous peoples.

SASKATOON – When an in-person, year-end concert was not possible due to social distancing in response to COVID-19, University of Saskatchewan (USask) music professor and Greystone Singers director Jennifer Lang came up with a novel way for the choir to perform virtually together.

SASKATOON—University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have been awarded $5 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) as part of a major new national initiative that aims to create a network of Indigenous research centres driven by and grounded in Indigenous communities.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) health research leader Dr. Carrie Bourassa and Morning Star Lodge, an Indigenous community-based health research lab in Regina, are launching a strategy to inform Indigenous communities about the risks of COVID-19 infection and how to prevent its spread.

The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) of South Korea, a world-renowned international organization founded by the United Nations Development Programme, is collaborating with VIDO-InterVac at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) to better understand the virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic and to develop vaccines and potential treatments.

SASKATOON — The Government of Saskatchewan has announced $3.6 million in new funding for the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization – International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac), one of the world’s most advanced infectious disease labs and a leader in global efforts to find a COVID-19 vaccine.

SASKATOON – Unlocking the full potential of cannabis for agriculture and human health will require a co-ordinated scientific effort to assemble and map the cannabis genome, according to a just-published international study led by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers.

SASKATOON – As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to rapidly evolve, the federal government is announcing $23.3 million in total support for the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization – International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac), one of the largest and most advanced infectious disease research facilities in the world.

SASKATOON – In light of growing concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) will NOT be holding its seventh annual One Day for Students campaign on Tuesday, March 17.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have demonstrated that it is possible to “train” microscopic black fungi in the lab to find radiation sources—a discovery with potential applications such as cleaning up radioactive waste from nuclear accidents and detecting radioactive fallout from illicit nuclear testing.

SASKATOON – A University of Saskatchewan (USask) research team and collaborating scientists from across the country have been awarded almost $1 million over two years to develop animal models and test vaccine candidates for effectiveness and safety against the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

SASKATOON – Eight University of Saskatchewan (USask) health research projects have been awarded nearly $3.6 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to improve health and quality of life for children, mothers, seniors, Indigenous communities, and people in rural areas.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) pharmacy researchers have been awarded more than $1.7 million over three years to implement and assess a new pharmacist-led interprofessional model for chronic pain management aimed at helping to reduce opioid use and improve patient health.

SASKATOON – To help expand agronomy research in Western Canada, crop scientist Dr. Maryse Bourgault (PhD) has been recruited from the United States as the first Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) Integrated Agronomy Chair at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON –The University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Medicine has achieved further strong results from the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS), meaning a site visit will not be required until 2025 or 2026

SASKATOON—University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have used a novel combination of techniques to compare the effects of two families of pesticides used in agriculture, and found that at low dosages the newer pesticide is less toxic than a currently used neonicotinoid one.

SASKATOON – Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Crop Development Centre (CDC) have developed a fast and accurate method for identifying and quantifying toxins in fusarium-infected cereal grain, an innovation that could reduce toxins that are harmful to both animals and humans.

SASKATOON – Measuring pharmaceuticals in Saskatoon’s wastewater, diverting food from the landfill to save money and the planet, and improving property assessment appeals are some of the first research projects of the new Research Junction collaboration between the City of Saskatoon (City) and University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers.

SASKATOON – To help protect Canada’s cattle and bison and maintain the country’s bovine tuberculosis (TB)-free status, scientists from University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) and Parks Canada are conducting trials in bison of several diagnostic tools, including the innovative Actiphage® blood test developed by the diagnostics company PBD Biotech.

SASKATOON – The origin of an understudied hybrid population of poisonous frogs—highly endangered colourful animals that live deep in the Colombian jungle—is the result of natural breeding and not caused by wildlife traffickers moving them, a University of Saskatchewan (USask) study shows.

SASKATOON — One of the world’s most horrific environmental disasters—the 1950s and ’60s mercury poisoning in Minamata, Japan—may have been caused by a previously unstudied form of mercury discharged directly from a chemical factory, research by the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has found.

SASKATOON – The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) of the Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture have agreed to a multidisciplinary research, training and development partnership to help promote sustainable food security in the country.