Media Releases

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.

SASKATOON – Dr. Maureen Reed (PhD) of the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and her colleagues want to transform the mentorship of sustainability scholars and practitioners — the people who tackle issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, poverty, and water security.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) will host the announcement of a new research chair in pollinator health on Thursday morning, June 23, at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM).

SASKATOON – Newly published cutting-edge research led by University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Near Eastern archaeologist Dr. Tina Greenfield (PhD) reveals how domesticated livestock were managed in one of the world’s earliest cities.

SASKATOON – A multi-disciplinary group of University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have been awarded a total of $805,522 by the federal government for five social science and humanities research projects that will explore a diverse plethora of topics – from historical truths of the lives of female magic practitioners, to how today’s teacher education programs can be improved with insights gained from previous programs.

SASKATOON – Construction is complete of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization’s (VIDO) new manufacturing facility, the Vaccine Development Centre, on the University of Saskatchewan (USask) campus.

SASKATOON – The Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) at the University of Regina (U of R) and the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has partnered with the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) to offer a new Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Nation-Building.

SASKATOON – In an environment where the complexity of agriculture-related technology is ever increasing, producers face the challenge of interpreting and selecting data that are most useful to improving their operations.

SASKATOON – The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is pleased to announce the successful hiring of its first Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Nancy Tout (PhD). Tout’s appointment takes effect from Monday, July 18, 2022.

SASKATOON – A diverse team led by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Erika Dyck (PhD) is creating a digital archive of provincial residents’ experience with the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that their stories and material can prepare the province to better cope with future health crises.

SASKATOON – The newly funded Food-Water Nexus Education and Training (FWNET) program will foster a new wave of professionals primed to lead Canada through future agricultural and climate-related challenges.

SASKATOON – A multidisciplinary team will receive $1.65 million over six years from the federal government’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) to build a program that will train graduate students how to integrate both engineering science and Indigenous views in the design of medical devices and technology.

SASKATOON – Indigenous students, academics and staff from across Canada will participate in three days of panels and workshops around Indigenous health research.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) spring convocation ceremonies will be held in-person this year at Merlis Belsher Place for the first time since fall 2019.

SASKATOON – A new exhibition at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Diefenbaker Canada Centre (DCC) will showcase the crucial role of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

SASKATOON – A team led by Dr. Angela Bedard-Haughn (PhD), dean and professor of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), and Dr. Cameron Carlyle (PhD) from the University of Alberta has been awarded $3.2 million in funding for research on carbon sequestration in perennial forage and pastures.

SASKATOON – Multiple sclerosis (MS), which affects one in 3,000 Saskatchewan residents, is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts how information flows from the brain to the rest of the body. With World MS Day on May 30 focusing on connections – both to others and to quality care – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers Dr. Katherine Knox (MD) and Dr. Sarah Donkers (PhD) are working to bring physical rehabilitation for those living with MS closer to home.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) research findings published in Cell Reports examine how a genetic mutation affects the body’s immune system response to viruses and its link to the development of two types of blood cancers.

SASKATOON – Sandhya Chandran, a PhD student at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Engineering, has been awarded this year’s $20,000 Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship by the Government of Saskatchewan.

SASKATOON – Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) has given its support for a new national dental therapy educational program and approved $2.1 million in funding to establish the program, which will be run collaboratively through a partnership between the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA), the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Dentistry, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, and Northlands College.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan wildlife ecologist Dr. Philip McLoughlin’s (PhD) research team has been awarded $1.87 million by a federal granting agency for an interdisciplinary project to study complex environmental changes occurring in Western Canada’s Boreal Plains and help mitigate the consequences.