Media Releases

SASKATOON — Threats to Canada’s endangered woodland caribou can be traced back to spruce budworm infestations and salvage logging, says a paper co-authored by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Philip McLoughlin (PhD).

SASKATOON – Between May 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021, the number of students attending the University of Saskatchewan (USask) totaled 25,965, which is an overall increase of one per cent compared to the previous year and the highest enrolment to date.

SASKATOON – To help protect Saskatchewan residents from emerging disease threats, Hospitals of Regina Foundation (HRF) has invested $150,000 to help establish Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO).

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers along with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and CHEP Good Food Inc. are working together to better understand the historical roots of food insecurity and food sovereignty in the province, and design a path to a more sustainable future.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) PhD students Fidelia Anulika Orji, Jocelyn Peltier-Huntley, and Gabrielle Iakotennikonhrare Doreen have been awarded the prestigious 2021 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. The annual award recognizes researchers who demonstrate academic excellence, research potential and leadership ability.

SASKATOON – One of the newest scientists at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) has published new research on potential lasting effects of COVID-19.

SASKATOON – A new Beef Industry Integrated Forage Management and Utilization Chair will be established at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) to connect the study of soils, plants, animals, economics, and ecosystems to tap into forage crops’ full range of benefits.

SASKATOON – A once popular high-protein legume crop with potential to make farming more environmentally sustainable is poised for reinvigorated popularity, thanks to an international research team, including plant geneticists from University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON – A new exhibition at the Diefenbaker Canada Centre on the University of Saskatchewan (USask) campus will provide visitors with a rare opportunity to view an authentic Second World War Enigma cipher machine.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Medicine will expand its teaching and learning presence in Regina in August 2022 when that campus will become home to about 40 first-year medical students.

SASKATOON – The fourth report from the Confederation of Tomorrow 2021 Survey has found that seven in 10 Canadians believe individuals have a role to play in reconciliation—a proportion that is higher than either of the previous two years.

SASKATOON — Nearly one in three Canadians have flouted public health guidelines on COVID-19, justifying it mostly to see friends or family. Meanwhile, more than one in five have had a falling out with friends or family members because of conflicting views on the pandemic.

RBC commits $1 million to expand the RBC Learn to Work, Work to Learn program

SASKATOON – Today, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the Canadian Light Source (CLS) are announcing the retirement of Professor Robert Lamb, CLS executive director, effective this fall.

SASKATOON – Today the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) announced positive interim results from their Phase 1 clinical trial for COVAC-2, VIDO’s COVID-19 subunit vaccine candidate.

SASKATOON – Researchers from the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the University of Regina (U of R) have collaborated with leading public policy organizations across the country to release the third report from the Confederation of Tomorrow 2021 Survey of Canadians.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Yongfeng Ai (PhD) has been awarded $2.5 million through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to improve the processes of transforming pulses into novel food ingredients, new bioplastics, and high-value biomedical materials.

SASKATOON – An international team led by Dr. Tatiana Nomokonova (PhD), assistant professor of archaeology and anthropology in the College of Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), will investigate the 2,200-year history and ongoing importance of reindeer herding to Indigenous Nenets and Khanty peoples in the Iamal peninsula of Arctic Siberia.

SASKATOON – A new Indigenous-led centre for research on HIV, Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and sexually transmitted blood-borne illness (STBBI)—focused on Saskatchewan and Manitoba—has officially launched.

SASKATOON – With a five-year Insight Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of nearly $214,000, Dr. Benjamin Hoy (PhD), assistant professor of history in the College of Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), and assistant librarian Sarah Rutley aim to advance knowledge about how Canada and the United States project power and exercise justice on their citizens living across the border.

SASKATOON – If no changes are made to the rate of global greenhouse gas emissions, storms that used to occur every 20 years on average will instead occur every seven by the end of the century.

SASKATOON – A multidisciplinary research team led by Dr. Scott Thompson (PhD), assistant professor of sociology in the College of Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), will use an award of $400,000 over five years to study prairie police services’ use of street checks—“carding”—to determine community impacts of the controversial practice that’s often criticized for unfair treatment of persons based on race and socioeconomic status.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have been awarded nearly $5.7 million from Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s (NSERC) Discovery Grants Program to support 32 wide-ranging projects.

SASKATOON – Take a unique-in-Canada science project, inject $1.65 million, add brilliant young scientists from Saskatchewan and around the world, and mix in a rigorous set of professional development opportunities—that’s the recipe for a new training program just launched by the University of Saskatchewan (USask), thanks to new funding from Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).

SASKATOON – Saskatchewan residents can give input about COVID-19 public health measures by using their smartphones to respond to a series of five-minute surveys.

A large group of iconic fossils widely believed to shed light on the early evolution of many of Earth’s animals and their communities may be hiding a secret.

SASKATOON – Three interdisciplinary, multi-institutional projects led by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have each been awarded $250,000 over two years under a federal funding program that fosters innovative high-risk research with the potential for significant and impactful results.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Department of Drama—the oldest drama department in Canada and the Commonwealth—is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a series of virtual events beginning June 1, 2021.

SASKATOON – This spring, 3,465 students are expected to graduate from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) with 3,577 degrees, diplomas and certificates. These graduates join a century-old community of more than 162,000 alumni worldwide whose contributions are helping to shape our world.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the City of Saskatoon have been honoured for their collaborative wastewater monitoring project that advances environmental and human health—one of 50 international projects named to the 2021 Smart 50 list.

SASKATOON – The world is changing rapidly, and the past is no longer a guide to the future in terms of extreme events and floods.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Education students are helping to preserve the culture and history of the province’s oldest permanent settlement, one quilt patch at a time.

SASKATOON - The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is one step closer to establishing its Centre for Pandemic Research, thanks to a $150,000 donation from Saskatchewan Blue Cross.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) and Saskatchewan Collaborates Inc. (Co.Labs), the Saskatoon-based tech incubator, have signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at creating a pipeline of innovative ideas, services, and talent.

SASKATOON – Dr. Carol Henry (PhD) of the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is the lead researcher of an international team awarded $100,000 from the Templeton World Charity Foundation for work aimed at seeing young women on two continents thrive.

SASKATOON – Tepary beans—a high protein legume common to the southwest United States and Mexico—may hold the key to adapting bean crops for the increasingly harsh conditions brought on by a changing climate, according to research led by University of Saskatchewan (USask) and Michigan State University.

SASKATOON – For the first time, researchers have mapped groundwater circulation up to five kilometres below the surface—one of the first attempts to document the deepest parts of the hydrologic cycle.

SASKATOON – A clinical resource for pharmacists first developed at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) nearly 10 years ago is finally getting its due.

As part of a national initiative to mark the 50th anniversary of Gerhard Herzberg’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) is partnering with heritage education organization Defining Moments Canada, Canadian Heritage, and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) on a major digital project that will showcase Herzberg’s life and achievements to a wide public audience including high school students.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) will honour four remarkable individuals proudly associated with the university who have gone on to make significant contributions to their communities and to Canadian society throughout their careers.

SASKATOON – Scott Wright has been selected to lead the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE) as director, effective May 19.

SASKATOON – A team of researchers from the University of Saskatchewan (USask), and others from around the world, are partnering with artists to launch a new online exhibit of art and science that aims to inspire and inform about water issues globally.

SASKATOON – Newly formed research relationships at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) were honoured and blessed with virtual pipe ceremonies on April 6 and 13, 2021.

SASKATOON - While health workers are caring for people infected with the novel coronavirus, veterinary researchers are helping to protect the public from illnesses spread by another health threat: ticks.

Budget 2021 is the Government of Canada’s plan to finish the fight against COVID-19 and ensure a robust economic recovery that is inclusive of all Canadians.

SASKATOON – A group of University of Saskatchewan (USask) students developing the province’s first cube satellite (RADSAT-SK) is getting closer to sending their project into orbit.

SASKATOON – Today the Government of Canada announced $59.2 million to the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO). The funding supports the development of its vaccine candidates and the expansion of its research facilities, including a National Centre for Pandemic Research.

SASKATOON – Researchers from the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the University of Regina (U of R) have collaborated with leading public policy organizations across the country to release the second report produced from the Confederation of Tomorrow 2021 Survey of Canadians.

SASKATOON – More severe and frequent fires in the Alaskan boreal forest are releasing vast stores of carbon and nitrogen from burned trees and soil into the atmosphere, a trend that could accelerate climate warming. But new research published this week in the journal Science shows that the deciduous trees replacing burned spruce forests more than make up for that loss, storing more carbon and accumulating it four times faster over a 100-year fire interval.

SASKATOON – Saskatoon residents now have access to the results of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, thanks to a partnership between University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers, the City of Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

nehiyaw wicihitwin (Cree helping Cree) program is grounded in Cree culture, language, values and beliefs

SASKATOON – Despite unprecedented challenges, University of Saskatchewan (USask) students, faculty, staff, and alumni snapped images of what research looks like from their side of the lab bench, dig site, and desktop, and submitted more than 70 images to showcase the beauty of that work.

SASKATOON – Researchers from the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and the University of Regina (U of R) have collaborated with leading public policy organizations across the country on a national public opinion survey that gives voice to Canadians about major issues shaping the future of the federation and their political communities.

SASKATOON – A multi-agency research team led by University of Saskatchewan (USask) veterinary reproductive biologist Dr. Gregg Adams (DVM, PhD) aims to make rapid strides in improving the productivity, efficiency, and sustainability of Canada’s $18-billion beef sector by integrating advances from the field of omics into livestock production.

SASKATOON – A new partnership between the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA), Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has been awarded $150,000 by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) to create a model for establishing the only accredited dental therapy program in Canada.

SASKATOON – Canadians are bullish on a post-pandemic future when it comes to new ways to do their work but are apprehensive about dark days to come for their mental health, the economy, and for their personal finances—these are some of the highlights of the first Taking the Pulse of Canada national survey conducted by the University of Saskatchewan’s Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research (CHASR).

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) and University of Regina (U of R) researchers are joining forces with scientists across the nation to undertake surveillance, sequencing, tracing and research-driven action on the COVID-19 virus variants that have been identified in Canada.

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) nuclear medicine researcher Chris Phenix has been awarded US$150,000 by The Michael J. Fox Foundation to develop diagnostic radiotracers for early detection of Parkinson’s Disease, a chronic degenerative brain disorder that affects more than 100,000 Canadians. The project is eligible for supplemental funding after one year if progress warrants additional pursuit.

SASKATOON – Three University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers have been awarded a total of $1.87 million by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) for projects involving fatty liver disease, high blood pressure, and long-term impacts of Zika on babies born without tell-tale microcephaly signs of the viral disease to mothers with “silent” infections.

SASKATOON – A multidisciplinary research team from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has been awarded $289,000 for a project to develop water security solutions that contribute to enhanced gender equity in the West African nations of Ghana and Senegal, where women and girls are hit hardest by impacts of climate change.

SASKATOON AND GATERSLEBEN – An international team led by the IPK Leibniz Institute in Germany and including University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers has succeeded in completely decoding the genome of rye, despite its large size and complexity.

SASKATOON – Virtual follow-up with discharged intensive-care patients and the development of culturally sensitive treatment for chronic musculoskeletal issues are just two of the 10 University of Saskatchewan (USask) research projects recently awarded funding from the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF).

SASKATOON – A rising star in conservation science has been hired as the Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) Endowed Chair in Wetland and Waterfowl Conservation at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON – A pioneering study led by University of Saskatchewan (USask) veterinary ophthalmologist Dr. Marina Leis (DVM, DACVO) shows that bacterial communities vary on different parts of the eye surface—a finding that significantly alters understanding of the mechanisms of eye disease and can lead to developing new treatments.

SASKATOON – Scientists have developed a way to predict the depth and movement of snowpacks in the Canadian Rocky Mountains which will provide valuable information on spring runoff, risk of flooding, avalanche danger, and the impact of climate change.

SASKATOON – Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) are members of an international consortium of leading academic and commercial seed companies from the USA, Canada, Europe and Israel, that has announced the successful mapping of the canola pan-genome (its entire set of genes). The International Canola Pan-genome Consortium was established in 2019 to advance the canola agricultural industry by capturing the broad genetic diversity of this crop.

SASKATOON – Over 75 per cent of pregnant women take medications for which the risks or benefits are unknown. A new national data platform involving a University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher announced today takes aim at improving health outcomes for women and babies across the country.

SASKATOON – The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has been awarded $6.76 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to help conserve bison and other threatened animal species and address challenges facing the beef cattle industry, including antimicrobial resistance which poses a global threat to animals and humans.

SASKATOON – The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) will invest $3.2 million in a unique biomanufacturing facility at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) that will use cutting-edge “engineering biology” technologies to accelerate agri-food innovation and help address food security needs.

SASKATOON – Dentistry students and staff remain among the few groups on-site nearly daily at universities and colleges across Canada, including those at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Doug Clark is launching a first-of-its-kind research project that will engage citizen volunteers to help advance knowledge about polar bear behaviour by analyzing a decade’s worth of images captured by trail cameras at Wapusk National Park in northern Manitoba.

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.