Media Releases

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.

SASKATOON – In the first comprehensive study mapping global patterns of stillbirth rates, University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have found that pregnant women who are poor and have lower access to education and employment are more likely to experience a child’s death at delivery.

A University of Saskatchewan-led international team has produced the first web and mobile phone app of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales—the first major literary work augmented by new scholarship, in any language, presented in an app.

SASKATOON – With $2.35 million in funding from the federal government and the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC), University of Saskatchewan (USask) veterinary researcher Dr. Cheryl Waldner will undertake a major five-year research program to advance beef cattle health and productivity, helping to sustain the profitability and competitiveness of Canada’s $17-billion-a-year beef industry.

SASKATOON — The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has officially opened the USask Community Centre, located in Marquis Hall on the Saskatoon campus.

SASKATOON – Twenty University of Saskatchewan (USask) projects have been awarded nearly $7 million through a joint federal-provincial government funding program to advance cattle, swine, and poultry research.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) research has received a $675,000 boost from the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) to investigate social science impacts on food security and barriers to agri-food innovation.

SASKATOON – Thirty University of Saskatchewan (USask) crop research projects have been awarded a total of more than $8 million through Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), a program jointly supported by the federal and provincial governments and supplemented by industry partners.

SASKATOON – A grant from Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) is helping researchers at the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) pursue a project that could help extend the growing season for canola and soybean in the province and in temperate climates around the world.

SASKATOON —Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) are members of an international consortium of key academic and global seed company leaders from Canada, the United States, Europe and Israel that has successfully sequenced the genome for canola.

SASKATOON — Canada’s first laboratory combining digital data analysis of plant genes and traits with the latest precision agriculture technologies to improve crop yield, profitability and sustainability in the agri-food sector is gearing up for a two-year pilot project this year at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS).

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is pleased to announce that the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) will work with African swine fever (ASF), further supporting Canada’s preparedness strategy by increasing research capacity.

Pre-clinical study seeks to determine the impact of cannabis derivatives on mental health conditions.

SASKATOON — The University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS) and a top Indian research institution—the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru—have signed an over-arching agreement to partner for five years on joint research, training and academic exchanges related to water security, climate science and policy issues.

SASKATOON – Members of the media are invited to attend the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Dentistry White Coat Ceremony.

SASKATOON – With a sound on-going commitment towards Indigenization, decolonization and reconciliation, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is pleased to announce that it has joined a growing number of organizations in renewing its presence on an urban reserve in the city of Saskatoon with the announcement of a new location.

The future of seed development is set to become more efficient thanks to PlotVision, a new image analysis software product from the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Plant Phenotyping and Imaging Research Centre (P2IRC).

SASKATOON – Chemicals commonly used in smartphone, television, and computer displays were found to be potentially toxic and present in nearly half of dozens of samples of household dust collected by a team of toxicologists led by the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON—The heady aroma of magnolia blossoms and lotus flowers might have wafted to your nostrils if you had gone for a walk 56 million years ago in the lush green forest which covered Canada’s northernmost islands.

MADRID, SPAIN – At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain (COP25), University of Saskatchewan (USask) scientists are focusing attention on the world’s changing mountain snowpacks, glaciers, vegetation, and long-term effects that the thaw of snow and ice are having on the world’s freshwater and ocean water.

SASKATOON — Committed to creating the best student-athlete experience in the country, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has appointed new members to its Huskie Athletics Board of Trustees.

SASKATOON – A group of international scientists and practitioners including University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Jay Famiglietti say we are not doing enough to protect and manage global groundwater resources, which will have long-term effects on the planet’s drinking water, food production, and adaptation to a rapidly changing climate.

SASKATOON—Eating a krill-only diet has made one variety of Antarctic penguin especially susceptible to the impacts of climate change, according to new research involving the University of Saskatchewan (USask) which sheds new light on why some penguins are winners and others losers in their rapidly changing ecosystem.

REGINA – Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) has announced a contribution of $100,000 over the next decade to the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE).

SASKATOON—Learning how psychiatric service dogs can help veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) recover from problematic alcohol and drug use is the focus of a new $1.4-million research program led by the University of Saskatchewan (USask), in partnership with five universities and a dozen community organizations and members.

HAMILTON – Canada could lead the world in helping to achieve water sustainability but is falling short of reaching the goals set out by the United Nations (UN), according to a new report from scientists with the University of Saskatchewan-led Global Water Futures (GWF) program.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN-S) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today designed to improve the education status of Métis people, remove barriers and close the university achievement gaps between Métis and non-Indigenous populations.

As blue-green algae proliferates around the world, a University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher cautions that current municipal drinking water monitoring that focuses on a single toxin associated with the cyanobacteria blooms is likely to miss the true public health risks.

SASKATOON – Using a relevant animal model (pigs), University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have shown that mild Zika virus infection in fetuses can cause abnormal brain development in apparently healthy young animals.

SASKATOON – Members of the media are invited to the University of Saskatchewan (USask) fall convocation, November 13, at Merlis Belsher Place.

SASKATOON — The University of Saskatchewan (USask) will pay tribute to an innovative and influential international leader in the field of synchrotron science at this year’s Fall Convocation ceremonies.

SASKATOON – Gabriel Ribeiro, the new Saskatchewan Beef Industry Chair at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), will be developing nutritional strategies to improve health, performance and profitability, while lessening the environmental impact of beef cattle production.

SASKATOON — The University of Saskatchewan (USask) will pay tribute to a renowned business leader, philanthropist and volunteer at this year’s Fall Convocation ceremonies.

At a stop on Oct. 22 during her ongoing trip across North America, climate activist Greta Thunberg met with University of Saskatchewan (USask) water scientist John Pomeroy at a USask field research site on the Athabasca Glacier in Jasper, Alberta.

Fourth annual Plant Phenotyping and Imaging Research Centre conference takes place October 23-24

SASKATOON — Together with more than a dozen organizations and community groups, CREATE Justice and the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan (Usask) have planned workshops, lectures and other public events to celebrate the fourth annual Saskatchewan Access to Justice Week from Oct. 20 to 25.

With a $133,000 investment from Saskatchewan mining companies through the International Minerals Innovation Institute (iMii), the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is partnering with the Saskatoon Tribal Council on a new mentorship program for Indigenous women.

This week, the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) invited and hosted His Excellency Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Canada, as well as representatives from the country’s ministries of agriculture and education and leading research and training institutions, in weeklong meetings and negotiations to establish a research and training development partnership.

SASKATOON – Today, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and the University of Saskatchewan (USask) announced a partnership to create the Ducks Unlimited Canada Endowed Chair in Wetland and Waterfowl Conservation—the first of its kind in Canada.

Today, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and the University of Saskatchewan (USask) announced a partnership to create the Ducks Unlimited Canada Endowed Chair in Wetland and Waterfowl Conservation—the first of its kind in Canada.

Leon Kochian, Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) at the University of Saskatchewan (Usask), has won the 2019 Arrell Global Food Innovation Award for “global excellence in food innovation.”

SASKATOON – The College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is thrilled to announce the largest gift in its 92-year history from donors Jane and Ron Graham to establish a school for the scholarship of teaching and learning.

SASKATOON — John Pomeroy, Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), has been awarded one of Canada’s top honours for outstanding contributions to environmental science.

A team involving two University of Saskatchewan (Usask) researchers – Kishor Wasan, from the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition and Franco Vizeacoumar from the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency – is one of 10 teams across the country awarded a total of $2 million by Prostate Cancer Canada and Movember to accelerate discoveries that could save and improve men’s lives.

SASKATOON – New research at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) shows how the world’s most widely used insecticides could be partly responsible for a dramatic decline in songbird populations.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) is pleased to announce that the College of Dentistry has received $1,050,000 from dentalcorp, the largest donation in the college’s history since its inception in 1968.