July 26, 1999
World Renowned Mathematician to Lecture at U of S
Posted July 26, 1999
JULY 26, 1999
99-07-07-AR
World Renowned Mathematician To Lecture on
U of S Campus
Dr. Paulo Ribenboim, Professor Emeritus at Queen's University in
Kingston, will give a public lecture entitled ?These Marvelous Prime
Numbers? at the University of Saskatchewan, Friday, July 30th, 1999
at 7:30 p.m. in Physics, Room 107.
Ribenboim, one of the most renowned Canadian mathematicians, is a
fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Doctor ?Honoris Causa? of the
University of Caen, and has won the prize for Excellence in Research
from Queen's University.
Recently, the Canadian Number Theory Association established a
?Ribenboim Prize? to recognize distinguished research in Number
Theory. Ribenboim is a world specialist in number theory.
Number Theory is known as the mathematical subject that is the
most appealing to non-mathematicians and amateur mathematicians.
The extreme simplicity with which one can formulate its deepest
problems to practically anybody has lured many amateurs and
professionals to try to solve them. This has not changed to the
present day.
Ribenboim, who has authored 13 books and 120 articles, has lectured
in approximately 30 countries of the world, and in all major Canadian
cities, although he has never spoken in Saskatoon prior to this
engagement.
At the time of Ribenboim's visit, an International Conference and
Workshop on Valuation Theory will be held on the U of S campus,
which is dedicated to Professor Ribenboim on the occasion of his 70th
Birthday.
For more information, contact:
Dr. S. Kuhlmann
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-6129
July 23, 1999
Know the agricultural hazards threatening your lungs - and "Breathe Easy"
Posted July 23, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - JULY 26, 1999
99-07-06-AG
Know the agricultural hazards threatening your lungs - and "Breathe Easy"
"Breathe Easy" - a 22-minute video and the only one of its kind in Canada,
has been released by the University of Saskatchewan's Centre for
Agricultural Medicine. The video was produced to show farmers how to reduce
their risk of developing occupational lung diseases.
Agricultural respiratory hazards discussed in the program include grain
dust, chemical and animal confinement gases, welding fumes and diseases
transmitted from animals to humans. Six new respiratory hazard fact sheets
on these topics are also available to the public and single copies can be
obtained at no charge from the Centre for Agricultural Medicine.
"Breathe Easy" was developed with support from the Canadian Agriculture
Safety Program administered by the Canadian Coalition for Agricultural
Safety and Rural Health. The video is available on loan in Saskatchewan
from all Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Rural Service Centres or it may
be purchased by anyone for $10.00 from the Centre for Agricultural
Medicine.
For more information or to order, please call:
Lori Lockinger
Program Coordinator
Rural Health Extension Program
Centre for Agricultural Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 966-6643
OR
Julie Bidwell
Communications and Resource Development
Rural Health Extension Program
Centre for Agricultural Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 966-6647
July 21, 1999
Gardeners Congregate in Saskatoon
Posted July 21, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 21, 1999
99-07-05-EX
Gardeners Congregate in Saskatoon
Gardeners from around the province are flocking to Saskatoon next
week to attend Hort Week - an annual event coordinated by the
University of Saskatchewan. Almost 550 registrations have now
been received for the 24 classes being offered. Classes are either 3
or 6 hours in length, many involving tours of local yards, many being
hands-on, and all being taught by horticulture specialists from across
the prairies.
Several classes are full, but there is still time to register for others.
Sold out classes include: Walkways, planters & borders; Create a
pond in your yard; European hand ties; Bonsai; Designing your yard
from scratch; Gardening on the shady side; and Low maintenance
landscaping.
For a complete listing of available classes, and for information on
which classes have space available, please contact the Registration
Office, Extension Division, University of Saskatchewan at (306) 966-
5539.
For information about the classes themselves, please contact
Grant Wood
Extension Specialist
Extension Division
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5586 phone
(306) 966-5567 fax
E-mail Grant.Wood@usask.ca
July 15, 1999
Meetings held to address farm stress
Posted July 15, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 15, 1999
99-07-04-AG
Centre for Ag. Medicine, Sask.
Agriculture and Food hold meeting to
address increasing levels of farm
stress
The Centre for Agricultural Medicine at the U of S, in
cooperation with the Farm Stress Line of Saskatchewan
Agriculture and Food, recently hosted a Stakeholders
Meeting to address the increasing levels of farm stress
due to the current economic situation.
Held on July 8, 1999, the meeting was attended by 22
organizational representatives from the Farm Health
and Safety Council, Saskatchewan Women's Institute,
Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, Agriculture, Development and
Diversification Boards, Sask. Health, Saskatchewan
Associations of Health Organizations, Saskatchewan
Agriculture and Food, Saskatchewan Women's
Agricultural Network and other groups.
Topics discussed were the frustrations faced by
producers and the subsequent negative impact on
Saskatchewan farming communities.
As a result, a small working group is being formed to
develop a model with immediate and long term
strategies to address the issue of farm stress. Current
strategies include crisis workshops, local support
groups, and the Farm Stress Line with use of their
Human Services Directory.
For more information, contact:
Lori Lockinger
Program Coordinator
Rural Health Extension Program
Centre for Ag. Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966 6643
or
Ken Imhoff, Manager
Farm Stress Unit, Sask. Ag. and Food
(306) 787-5196
July 14, 1999
U of S Receives 1 Million Dollars for new Joint Research Chair
Posted July 14, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? July 13, 1999
99-07-02-AG
U of S Gets $1 Million for New Joint Research Chair in Ag Economics and
Commerce
The University of Saskatchewan will receive $500,000 from federal granting
councils over the next five years and a matching amount from industry for a
new research chair that will establish the U of S as a centre of expertise
in the management of technological change in agriculture.
A key goal of the research will be to assist the agri-food industry to grow
more rapidly and commercialize more products successfully.
Speaking on behalf of Mr. John Manley (Minister of Industry), Mr. Ralph
Goodale (Minister of Natural Resources) said: "Our ability to innovate in
the future will depend as much on our creativity in the research lab as in
our ability to develop a cadre of experts who know how to manage the
innovation process efficiently and effectively."
Federal funding comes from a program that aims to promote research into the
management of technological change. NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering
Research Council) contributes two thirds of the federal investment, while
SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) provides the
remainder.
?In the coming years, the U of S has a unique opportunity to contribute to
and lead global research into the management of technological change in
agriculture,? said Dr. Peter Phillips, who assumes responsibility this month
for the new NSERC-SSHRC Chair in Managing Knowledge-Based Agri-Food
Development.
?Saskatoon is an ideal centre for this as it has a strong base of academic
research in related disciplines, and all the major agricultural
biotechnology companies are currently undertaking research in Saskatoon or
have links to the local research community," added Phillips who is currently
Van Vliet Chair Professor at the U of S and a former assistant deputy
minister for Saskatchewan Economic Development.
Private sector funding will come from producer funds obtained from an
endowment ($400,000), as well as from Ag-West Biotech Inc., a not-for-profit
company facilitating biotechnology initiatives in Saskatchewan ($100,000).
In addition, the U of S will contribute $90,000 in in-kind and financial
support over the five years of the program.
Phillips will examine intellectual property rights related to agri-food
research and commercialization, as well as marketing of new biotechnology
products and ways of gaining access to international markets.
He will also work with provincial and federal departments to identify
issues, disseminate research results, and provide policy advice.
?The newness of the technologies has raised concerns about long-term
environmental, health and safety issues,? Phillips said. ?The goal will be
to develop a better understanding of how firms, industry and governments,
alone or jointly, can resolve these concerns and establish a climate that
supports growth.?
The new Chair will be part of the Centre for the Study of Agriculture, Law
and the Environment (CSALE) on campus. The Chair is a joint appointment
between the College of Agriculture?s department of agricultural economics
and the College of Commerce?s department of management and marketing.
?I?m delighted that Dr. Phillips, who currently occupies the prestigious Van
Vliet Chair in agricultural economics, has agreed to be appointed to the new
chair,? said recently retired Agriculture Dean John Stewart.
?It is important that this industry be developed in an atmosphere where
ethical and social issues associated with this new technology are debated
and understood. The ideal place for this debate is at the university.?
With close links to the U of S?s new virtual college of biotechnology,
Phillips will develop and teach a new class in managing technological change
in the agri-food industry. He will also supervise graduate students, develop
courses for company executives, and provide advice and analysis to the
industry on issues related to technological change.
Phillips will be assisted by a research associate and an advisory committee
of academic and industry researchers. It?s anticipated that at least five
students will undertake and complete research during the five years of the
program.
Succeeding Phillips in the Van Vliet Chair for the period July 1, 1999 to
June 30, 2002 will be University of Calgary economics professor Bill Kerr.
Dr. Kerr has studied and published in many areas of agricultural trade and
agricultural trade policy.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Peter Phillips
Chair in Managing Knowledge-Based Agri-Food Development
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-4021
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
Office of the Vice-President Research
(306) 966-2506
Visit our U of S Research web site: www.usask.ca/research
Six U of S Researchers Awarded $1.4 M from Medical Research Council
Posted July 14, 1999
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? July 13, 1999
99-07-02-AG
Six U of S Researchers Awarded $1.4 M from Medical Research Council
Six University of Saskatchewan researchers have been awarded a total of $1.4
million in the latest round of medical research grants announced today by
the Medical Research Council (MRC).
The six awards include projects that could help prevent farm accidents, lead
to more effective leukemia treatment, and shed light on what happens to
brain cells following an injury.
Of the 14 U of S funding applications, six were approved. That is a
43-per-cent success rate, one of the highest in the country. The national
success rate for new applications is 30 per cent.
?Our success rate in this competition is our highest in a decade,? said Dr.
Louis Delbaere, a U of S biochemist and MRC Regional Director for
Saskatchewan.
?This underscores the high quality of these research projects and the
benefits of bridge funding provided by the MRC and the Saskatchewan
government after the last competition.?
He noted two of the researchers awarded grants today had received bridge
funding from the MRC and the Saskatchewan government a few months ago. This
allowed the researchers to carry out projects that were highly rated but not
funded in last fall?s 1998 MRC grant competition.
?Today?a awards are proof that bridge funding really does work. It keeps
researchers active and able to compete with the rest of the country,?
Delbaere said.
The six U of S award winners are:
John DeCoteau, $69,481 per year for three years
This study aims to discover why acute leukemia cells become resistant to a
naturally occurring hormone in the body that limits cell growth. Acute
leukemias are often-fatal cancers of the blood-forming cells that develop
when genetic changes occur and cause a disruption of normal growth. A
greater understanding of how abnormal growth occurs is expected to lead to
the development of biological markers which then can be used to identify
which patients will respond best to conventional drug therapy and which will
require more aggressive treatment such as a bone marrow transplant.
James Dosman, $134,705 per year for three years
He will conduct a case-control study of 600 people in Saskatchewan, Alberta
and Manitoba who are older than 16 and have been involved in a farm
accident. Equipment, farm practices and other factors will be investigated
to determine why some people are involved in accidents. The results could
help farmers, the agricultural machinery industry and health professionals
develop strategies to reduce the number of farm injuries.
Edward Hawes, $54,687 per year for three years, plus a one-time $9,628
equipment grant.
Most drugs administered to humans are attacked by naturally occurring
enzymes to form metabolites, some of which may be active therapeutically or
may be toxic. This research project is concerned with understanding the
behavior of a newly discovered type of drug metabolite called N+-
glucuronides and the extent to which the formation of these metabolites
impacts on the clinical use of drugs. This knowledge may be particularly
useful with regard to antidepressant drugs and antihistamines.
Rajendra Sharma, $44,100 per year for three years
Cellular events are often regulated by the modification of a specific
protein. This research will study how one such enzyme,
N-myristoyl-transferase, modifies cellular activity. The enzyme is of
particular interest since it is implicated in the development of certain
types of cancer.
Wolfgang Walz, $46,200 per year for three years
He will study the movement of chloride between cells in the brain, research
that could help explain the swelling in the brain that occurs after an
injury. He will also examine the properties of brain scar tissue and why
formation of this scar tissue might interfere with regeneration of nerve
cells after an injury.
Bruce Waygood, $91,575 per year for three years, plus a one-time $50,000
equipment grant
He will study interactions between proteins involved in the metabolism of
bacteria, some of which cause disease. He will also investigate the
molecular details of interactions between antibodies and their protein
targets. This basic research will aid in understanding how to better design
protein-engineered antibodies that could prove useful in drug therapies.
MRC is the major federal agency responsible for the funding of health
research and training in Canada.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Louis Delbaere
MRC Regional Director
University of Saskatchewan
Department of Biochemistry
(306) 966-4360
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
Office of the Vice-President Research
(306) 966-2506
