Media Releases

SASKATOON – Two Canadian powerhouses in infectious disease research have joined forces in the fight against COVID–19, leading Canada’s response and preparedness for future pandemics.

SASKATOON — The Co-operative Retailing System (CRS) Chair in Co-operative Governance at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) will receive $300,000 over five years from Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), on behalf of the CRS in Western Canada.

SASKATOON – A University of Saskatchewan (USask) team led by kinesiology professor Saija Kontulainen has been awarded $200,000 by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to research whether aerobic and resistance exercises can prevent bone loss associated with fat accumulation in muscles and bone marrow due to inactivity.

SASKATOON – Today the Government of Saskatchewan committed $15 million to support the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization’s (VIDO) position as a Centre for Pandemic Research.

The Government of Canada is investing approximately $1.2 million through Canada’s COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) to support four studies of correctional service employees and individuals incarcerated in Canadian correctional facilities. The studies will determine how many of these individuals have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and involve several federal institutions across the country and provincial prisons in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Quebec.

SASKATOON – A University of Saskatchewan (USask) research team has been awarded $137,392 from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to conduct a six-month COVID-19 wastewater surveillance project in Saskatoon and at five Saskatchewan First Nations communities to provide early warning of outbreaks.

SASKATOON – Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medal-winning coach Mike Babcock is the new head coach of the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Huskies men’s hockey team.

Take one part pandemic, add one part food guide recommendations to consume more meat substitutes, season with years of nutrition research with athletes to improve their metabolism and performance, and voila, you’ve got an online cookbook with 50 tasty legume-based recipes.

SASKATOON – Countries in Europe and Asia are increasingly relying on biofuel – products made from wood and plant residue – as an alternative to fossil fuels in power generation and home heating. The most common form is biopellets, small, finger-sized pellets produced by compacting waste material from the forestry industry and farming.

SASKATOON – Findings from a new study on Alzheimer’s disease (AD), led by researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), could eventually help clinicians identify people at highest risk for developing the irreversible, progressive brain disorder and pave the way for treatments that slow or prevent its onset.

SASKATOON – What makes a social media post racist and how does that hatred spread? These are some of the questions University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers are tackling, measuring how social media hatred directed at the Asian community has risen dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SASKATOON – The first volunteers have been selected for a vaccine trial of COVAC-2, a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Vaccine and infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) is building on its long-standing presence in the Town of Canmore and the broader Bow Valley Region in Alberta by engaging with The Innovate Canmore Group.

SASKATOON – Media are invited to attend this year’s online Indigenous Achievement Week (IAW) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON – The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has received a $331,870 grant from Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) for a project to help unlock key genetic information for bromegrass, an essential forage crop for cattle.

SASKATOON – Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) will provide more than $6.5 million to support livestock research efforts at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON – The city of Fort McMurray, Alta., which has a lengthy history of flooding, is among communities adjacent to northern rivers across Canada that regularly confront the expensive problem caused by ice jams during spring ice breakup, or even at freeze-up or mid-winter breakup.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has been named one of the 15 winners of the North American 2020 TD Ready Challenge presented by TD Bank Group.

SASKATOON – Following a successful year of building, prototyping and delivering services to select customers and partners, the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has launched the Omics and Precision Agriculture Laboratory (OPAL).

SASKATOON – A University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has found that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant worsening of already poor dietary habits, low activity levels, sedentary behaviour, and high alcohol consumption among university students.

SASKATOON – A new University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has found that stretching is superior to brisk walking for reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure or who are at risk of developing elevated levels.

SASKATOON – An innovative collaboration among Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), the federal funding agency NSERC, and the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is improving how contaminated sites are cleaned up and managed to protect the environment.

SASKATOON – Eighteen wide-ranging University of Saskatchewan (USask) crop research projects have been awarded a total of almost $5.8 million through Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), a program jointly supported by the federal and provincial governments and supplemented by industry partners.

SASKATOON – Four new research projects that will benefit Saskatoon residents are advancing thanks to Research Junction, an innovative partnership between the City of Saskatoon and University of Saskatchewan (USask). Research Junction awards funding to projects that apply advanced research methods to addressing current issues in our city. 

SASKATOON – The Vaccine and infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan has received a notice of authorization from Health Canada to initiate a Phase 1 clinical vaccine trial.

SASKATOON – Three University of Saskatchewan female researchers recognized as among Canada’s most promising leaders in their fields have been awarded new Canada Research Chairs (CRC) to advance their innovative work in digital gaming, northern energy security, and health history.

SASKATOON – The first position of its kind at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and unique in the province, the Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence program at the University Library is slated to begin as a six-week pilot on Jan. 4, 2021.

SASKATOON – In the just-published Canada's Top 50 Research Universities 2020 rankings, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is ranked first among the country’s medical universities for growth in total research income—an almost 40-per-cent gain in all external research grants and contracts

SASKATOON – A University of Saskatchewan (USask) evaluation has found that the first group of people to come through Saskatoon’s Mental Health Strategy Court were arrested less often for petty offences in the year following their participation in the program.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) fourth-year medical students will be able to take the national award-winning Indigenous wellness online course, The Role of Practitioners in Indigenous Wellness, at no cost with the generous support of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA).

SASKATOON – A prominent national leader, visionary and researcher in Indigenous health—Carrie Bourassa of the University of Saskatchewan (USask)—was honoured with an Achievement Award from the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) today.

SASKATOON – One hundred made-in-Saskatchewan ventilators will soon be available to support the needs of the province’s residents, thanks to an innovative collaboration among the University of Saskatchewan (USask), the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), and RMD Engineering Inc.

SASKATOON – Cleaning surfaces with hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectants has the potential to pollute the air and pose a health risk, according to research led by the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON – A new program at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Medicine is helping Saskatchewan physicians and nurse practitioners better support pediatric mental health needs in the province.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers will play a lead role in a $1.6-million Urban Public Health Network (UPHN)-led national research project to help eliminate cervical cancer in Canada by 2040.

USask-led study sequences genomes of 15 wheat varieties around the world

SASKATOON – Data collected by the University of Saskatchewan (USask) wastewater surveillance team shows Saskatoon’s COVID-19 case numbers are likely to increase exponentially in the next seven days.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) through the Office of the Vice-Provost of Indigenous Engagement (OVPIE) and the Office of the Treaty Commissioner (OTC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today to ensure that more Indigenous students graduate through increased work in Treaty education implementation and reconciliation at the university.

SASKATOON – Dr. Airini (PhD) is joining the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) leadership team as the next provost and vice-president academic for a five-year term beginning on February 1, 2021.

SASKATOON – Three finalists for the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) first ever virtual hackathon have been announced and a public vote will determine the winner.

Students will get hands-on experience with real-time data using financial terminals gifted by alumnus Gordon Rawlinson. 

SASKATOON – Backed by $2 million from the federal government and partner organizations, University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers aim to make Arctic pipelines stronger and safer, protect the food supply, and improve crop processing with cutting-edge technology.

SASKATOON – As part of a new U.K.-Canada collaboration, a University of Saskatchewan (USask) quantum physics team will develop a highly sensitive and precise sensor for measuring magnetic fields, a technology of potential benefit for geological prospecting, medicine, and quantum computers.

The Saskatchewan Election: A 2020 Perspective provides a snapshot of the provincial election and the outcomes in a variety of policy areas.

SASKATOON – The general public along with members of the media are invited to attend the online VIDO-InterVac Community Liaison Committee (CLC) biennial community meeting on Nov.12, 2020.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) pharmacologist Robert Laprairie will use a Brain Canada research grant to determine how a mother’s use of cannabis during pregnancy affects the brain of the developing fetus she’s carrying.

SASKATOON – New imaging equipment to help understand COVID-19 infection will soon be coming to the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization—International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), thanks to a Canada Foundation for Innovation grant announced today by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

SASKATOON – A new University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has found that exercise performance and blood and muscle oxygen levels are not affected for healthy individuals wearing a face mask during strenuous workouts.

Researchers in national facilities at USask are working together to better understand how decontamination procedures might affect the structure and potential reuse of N95 masks.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Kinesiology is launching the Don Bailey Lecture Series this week, featuring guest speakers from across the globe, presenting on a broad range of topics that advance health and wellness, and promote the importance of maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle.

SASKATOON – A callback centre for COVID-19 has been set up by the USask College of Nursing, in partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Public Health.

SASKATOON – Helping the community where he was born, Dr. Ivar Mendez has decided to take a six-month unpaid leave as department head of surgery at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) beginning Jan 1, 2021, to provide pandemic support in Bolivia.

New tool developed at the University of Saskatchewan to detect virus levels

SASKATOON – Researchers with the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies are part of a global team that has found that the smoke cloud pushed into the stratosphere by last winter’s Australian wildfires was three times larger than anything previously recorded.

SASKATOON – After four years of transformative research, the University of Saskatchewan (USask)–led Global Water Futures (GWF) program—the world’s largest university-led freshwater research program —is launching the second phase of its seven-year mission with a $2.5-million investment in 12 new critically important water security projects.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) will honour a trio of survivors who went on to make major contributions to their communities and to society, and whose stories have inspired and informed Canadians all across the country.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) CREATE Justice centre is teaming up with other organizations across Canada to acknowledge Access to Justice Week (Oct. 26-31) by providing the tools needed to address justice system obstacles.

SASKATOON – In a first-of-its-kind Canadian study, University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Heather Foulds will assess the physical, mental, cultural, and social benefits that result from performing traditional Métis social dances—something she says can narrow the health gap between Métis and non-Indigenous people.

Renowned University of Saskatchewan (USask) forage breeder Bruce Coulman has been selected to lead the university’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE) as interim director, effective Oct. 19. An international search for a permanent director is underway.

SASKATOON – With demand for lentils growing globally and climate change driving temperatures higher, a University of Saskatchewan (USask)-led international research team has developed a model for predicting which varieties of the pulse crop are most likely to thrive in new production environments.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Dentistry has officially opened a seven-chair dental clinic on the USask Prince Albert Campus and is now accepting patients. 

SASKATOON – The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has been awarded a grant of almost $830,000 from the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator to determine the effectiveness of several antiviral compounds against COVID-19.

SASKATOON – Two University of Saskatchewan (USask)-led research teams have been awarded a total of $345,064 in federal funding to expand the reach of innovative digital technology projects aimed at meeting mental health needs of people coping with physical distancing and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SASKATOON – More than 5,100 women in Canada—about 75 a day—will die from breast cancers this year, a dismal statistic that University of Saskatchewan (USask) radiopharmacist Dr. Humphrey Fonge (PhD) aims to sharply reduce with potent new drugs that specifically target two aggressive types of cancer.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) hydrologist Jay Famiglietti has been awarded the 2020 Hydrologic Sciences Award by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) for outstanding contributions to the science of water over his career.

SASKATOON – BASF Agricultural Solutions has pledged $100,000 towards the advancement of a new world-class plant breeding facility at the Crop Development Centre (CDC) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) in Saskatoon.

SASKATOON – Investment and trade opportunities for Saskatchewan and Canada in Bangladesh were the focus of a seminar that took place this week in Saskatoon. It was jointly hosted by the Bangladesh High Commission to Canada, the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and Ag-West Bio Inc.

SASKATOON – The new Canada Water Agency—announced in the recent federal Throne Speech—is the first critical step toward transforming how water is managed across the country, said John Pomeroy, director of the University of Saskatchewan (USask)-led Global Water Futures (GWF) program.

SASKATOON – The College of Dentistry at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has partnered with the Big River First Nation to launch a new dental clinic, providing service to a community with limited access to oral health-care.

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.