July 27, 2000
U of S Awarded $8 million from CFI for Scientific Research
Posted July 27, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? July 26, 2000 2000-07-12-OTHER
U of S Awarded $8 million from CFI for Scientific Research
The University of Saskatchewan will receive $8 million towards
infrastructure for research into infectious diseases, earth sciences,
biological molecules, and computer applications in life sciences, the Canada
Foundation for Innovation (CFI) announced today.
"The money will play an important role in strengthening the University?s
position as a major centre for research excellence," said Dr. Michael
Corcoran, University Vice President Research.
The money will provide new or updated facilities and equipment for the
Veterinary Infectious Diseases Organization, and the Departments of
Chemistry, Computer Science, and Geological Sciences.
To receive funding, the University had to demonstrate the excellence and
innovativeness of its projects and how they would benefit Canada.
"It is a highly competitive process," added Dr. Corcoran. "We worked hard to
prepare the proposals and our efforts have paid off. We hope to increase our
success rate in the future."
The University sponsored four of the 190 projects to receive CFI funds in
the Institutional Innovation Fund category that is for projects valued at
more than $350,000. A total of $354.3 million was awarded under this
category and announced today.
The CFI is an independently administered fund set up by the federal
government to modernize research facilities and equipment at Canadian
universities and other research institutions.
For more information, contact:
Michael Corcoran
Vice President Research
University of Saskatchewan
306-966-8514
Visit our Research web site at: www.usask.ca/research
July 25, 2000
"SaskMouse" Research Leads to Promising New Ovarian Cancer Treatment
Posted July 25, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? July 21, 2000 2000-07-10-OTHER
"SaskMouse" Research Leads to Promising New Ovarian Cancer Treatment
With the help of a new animal model called SaskMouse, University of
Saskatchewan researchers have developed a new "suicide gene therapy" for
ovarian cancer that has the potential to increase survival rates by at least
30 per cent.
Their findings were recently published in The American Journal of Obstetrics
and Gynecology.
"We hope to start clinical trials on the potential treatment in 2001," said
Dr. Ayman Al-Hendy who led the eight-member U of S research team that
included researchers in other parts of Canada and in Alabama.
Ovarian cancer is on the increase, with 2,500 new cases reported last year
in Canada alone. Half the annual reported cases result in death. Even when
offered the best treatment protocols available, 80 per cent of women die of
the disease within two to three years after diagnosis.
"Suicide gene therapy" is a promising new treatment for some forms of cancer
but the U of S team is the first to try it with ovarian cancer. The idea is
to insert into cancer cells a gene that encodes for a particular enzyme.
Then when a drug is administered, only the cells that have the gene for the
enzyme will be killed because the enyzme will change the drug into a toxic
product which will kill the cells.
But a stumbling block for researchers wanting to try this therapy for
ovarian cancer has been the lack of an animal model to test gene therapies
because there is no animal that naturally gets ovarian cancer. Even when
experimental animals are injected with ovarian cancer cells, no tumors form.
Al-Hendy?s team modified cells from a Japanese-developed strain of mice that
had developed ovarian cancer after being exposed to radiation. These cells
were then injected in mice to produce the SaskMouse model. SaskMouse
develops tumors similar to human ovarian cancer, and is therefore
potentially useful for testing gene therapies and studying many aspects of
ovarian cancer.
The researchers used SaskMouse to test a type of suicide gene therapy. They
injected the diseased SaskMouse with a non-replicating virus called an
adenovirus that contains an extra gene. In the cancer cells, the extra gene
creates an enzyme called thymidine kinase. Then the mouse is injected with
ganciclovir, a drug that binds with the enzyme, creating a toxin to kill the
cancer cells.
The mice that were given the suicide gene therapy treatment lived an extra
12 days on average -- 30 per cent longer than untreated mice. "When this
therapy is eventually used in humans, we expect much better survival rates
due to the greater compatibility to the human adenovirus," Al-Hendy said.
While the first line of ovarian cancer treatment will always be surgery,
Al-Hendy says the new gene therapy could potentially be used to rescue
patients that fail chemotherapy or as a complement to chemotherapy which
could mean using fewer drug cycles and thereby avoiding adverse side
effects.
SaskMouse has attracted the interest of scientists in other countries.
Researchers in the U.S. and Germany have been sent the cells needed for the
SaskMouse model.
Funding for the research came from U of S College of Medicine Clinical
Teaching and Research grant, a Medical Research Council of Canada grant and
an Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology/Serono resident
research grant given to Al-Hendy.
For more information contact:
Kathryn Warden
U of S Research Communications Officer
Office of the Vice-President Research
(306) 966-2506
Dr. Ayman Al-Hendy
Gynecologist/Obstetrician
Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Saskatchewan
(306) 741-9141
U of S Physicist Elected to Prestigious Royal Society of Canada
Posted July 25, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? July 24, 2000 2000-07-11-OTHER
U of S Physicist Elected to Prestigious
Royal Society of Canada
University of Saskatchewan physicist Akira Hirose has been elected a Fellow
of the Royal Society of Canada, the country?s senior academic accolade to
which scholars and scientists aspire.
Hirose, head of the Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, was
recently elected to the Academy of Science (Mathematical and Physical
Sciences) Fellowship. He is the 16th U of S professor to be honored in this
way and one of 61 new Fellows elected this year across Canada.
"Prof. Hirose has gained international recognition for his prolific
contributions to achieving controlled thermonuclear fusion," said
Vice-President Research Michael Corcoran.
"The fact that he is the third U of S physicist to be elected to this senior
body of distinguished scientists is a testament to the excellent work being
carried out by the U of S department of physics and engineering physics."
Controlled thermonuclear fusion research aims to fulfil the dream of
harnessing fusion energy to provide a new source of electricity, one that
would not produce nuclear waste or radiation hazards and would be a
practically unlimited energy supply.
The Sun?s tremendous energy is produced through nuclear fusion or the
joining of hydrogen atoms. Scientists such as Prof. Hirose are studying how
to harness fusion as an energy source which involves getting energetic
nuclear particles hot enough to fuse and confining them long enough so that
they do fuse.
To do this, Prof. Hirose uses a tokamak, a research machine in which a
magnetic field is used to confine plasma, an extremely hot gas that has all
its electrons stripped off its atoms. Hirose is one of Canada?s leading
researchers in plasma physics. His theoretical and experimental work with
plasma stability, heating and confinement has led to breakthroughs in
international plasma research.
Hirose designed and built the STOR-M (Saskatchewan Torus-Modified) tokamak,
a large plasma confinement system, on the U of S grounds. In 1987, this was
the site of the world?s first demonstration of alternating current in a
tokomak. Household current in North America is alternating current.
Hirose?s work could mean that controlled fusion energy could one day replace
existing power plants and reduce the use of fossil fuels. Fusion energy
would be an abundant fuel supply because hydrogen isotopes could easily be
obtained from the ocean in large supply.
Hirose, who received a U of S Distinguished Researcher Award in 1995, has
published one book and more than 200 papers in refereed physics journals.
Other awards include Fellow of the American Physical Society (1981), Fellow
of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) (1986),
Merit Award from the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society (IEEE-NPSS)
(1993), and the IEEE-NPSS Plasma Science and Applications Award in 1998.
He holds a B.Sc. (1965) and M.Sc. (1967) from Yokohama National University,
Japan, a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee (1969) and a Doctor of
Science from the U of S (1994).
He will be inducted to the Society at a ceremony in Ottawa on Friday,
November 17.
Formed 118 years ago, the Royal Society is a force for the enrichment,
interpretation and strengthening of Canada?s intellectual heritage. Its
mandate is to promote and develop learning and research in the arts and
sciences in Canada.
To become a Fellow, a researcher must be nominated by three persons, two of
whom must be current Fellows. The dossier prepared on the nominee?s
published and academic work is then evaluated by a peer committee of Fellows
from the Academy or Division that chose the nominee. The nominations are
then voted on.
Other University of Saskatchewan faculty members with Royal Society of
Canada Fellowships are:
- Lorne Babiuk, Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization, 1999
- Michael Bancroft, Canadian Light Source, 1979
- Roy Billinton, College of Engineering, 1980
- Alan Boulton, College of Medicine Neuropsychiatry Research Unit, 1993
- Louis Jaques, Department of Physiology, College of Medicine (deceased),
1952
- Leon Katz, Department of Physics, College of Arts and Science, 1952
- Robert Kerrich, Department of Geological Sciences, College of Art and
Science, 1992
- Walter Kupsch, Professor Emeritus, Geological Sciences, 1963
- Ted Llewellyn, Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies, 1994
- James Miller, Department of History, College of Arts and Science, 1998
- Peter Nikiforuk, College of Engineering, 1995
- William Sarjeant, Department of Geological Sciences, College of Arts and
Science, 1995
- David Smith, Department of Political Studies, College of Arts and
Science, 1981
- Taylor Steeves, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Science, 1971
- Curt Wittlin, Department of Languages and Linguistics, College of Arts and
Science, 1988
For more information, contact:
Akira Hirose
Professor/Head
Department of Physics and Engineering Physics
(306) 966-6414
(306) 996-6400
hirose@sask.usask.ca
Kathryn Warden
Communications Officer
Office of the Vice-President Research
(306) 966-2506 Phone
(306) 966-2411 Fax
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
July 24, 2000
Orientation 2000: Taking the Fear out of First Year
Posted July 24, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? July 24, 2000 2000-07-08-OTHER
Orientation 2000: Taking the Fear out of First Year
The University of Saskatchewan?s annual Orientation program will kick-off
Monday, September 4, as upper year students introduce participants and
parents to the many facets of university life.
The two-day event has been engineered to equip freshmen students with the
academic and social survival skills needed to navigate through their first
year and beyond. Orientation 2000 promises to be the biggest and most
comprehensive in the program?s history. The Orientation program is expected
to welcome 2,500 undergraduate and international students and 1,000 parents
to the U of S campus.
"We will need approximately 400 volunteers to run the event," explains Erin
Stang, Volunteer Coordinator. "Upper year students have always been quick
to respond to the calls for program leaders and volunteers. They are proud
of the U of S and we know that they will be there once again."
As an added incentive, volunteers for Orientation will be eligible to win a
$500 credit at the University Bookstore.
"A Volunteer Appreciation Event has also been scheduled for the Fall, which
will be another opportunity to thank our volunteers for their time and
effort," adds Stang.
The Orientation program will be a mix of University and College sessions
aimed at introducing new students to the University. University sessions
have been designed to provide incoming students with an overview of campus
life. The many services offered by the University which include academic
and personal counseling services, money management, and alcohol and drug
awareness will also be emphasized.
"The program has been designed to be a ?one-stop shop? for students and
parents looking for information about the university and campus life,"
explains Jason Aebig, Program Coordinator. "Many past participants point to
the information and resources made available at Orientation as the key to
their academic and personal success."
On the College front, the University?s direct-entry colleges (Arts and
Science, St. Thomas More, Agriculture, Engineering, Kinesiology and
Commerce) will also coordinate various sessions, which will focus on
academic policy, promotion and the importance of extra-curricular
participation.
Campus tours, barbecues, social events and an Information Fair will also
headline the two-day event.
New students will have the opportunity to get their student cards before
classes begin on September 6 by taking advantage of the program?s early
registration on Sunday, September 3.
To accommodate the expected increase in participants and parents, organizers
are counting on current U of S students to volunteer their energy to
guarantee the program?s success. They are hopeful that upper year students
will be as enthusiastic and willing to help as they have been in the past.
Any U of S students interested in volunteering for Orientation 2000 are
asked to contact the program coordinators at (306) 966-5791. Application
forms are available in Room 60, Lower Place Riel Student Centre or via the
program?s website at
www.usask.ca/orientation .
For more information, please contact:
Jason Aebig or Erin Stang
Program Coordinators
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5791
Hort Week
Posted July 24, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 20, 2000 2000-07-09-EXT
Gardeners Congregate in Saskatoon
Gardeners from around the province are flocking to Saskatoon next week to
attend Hort Week (July 23 ? 28) - an annual event coordinated by the
University of Saskatchewan.
Almost 400 registrations have now been received for the 30 classes being
offered.
Classes are either 3 or 6 hours in length, many involve tours of local
yards, many are hands-on, and all are taught by horticulture specialists
from across the prairies, including Sara Williams, editor of The Gardener
for the Prairies.
Classes being offered include: hobby greenhouses, low-cost gardening,
creating a pond, Bonsai, identifying insects in your garden, vertical
gardening, a butterfly garden tour, and Orchids.
All classes will be held at the Agriculture Building on campus.
Pre-registration is required. Half day classes run from 9 am to 12 p.m.,
while full-day classes run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are also various
evening classes from 7 to 10 p.m.
In addition, there will be three special camps for children: Art-isms for
Teens covering artistic techniques, gallery visits, papermaking and
bookbinding; Endangered Species which includes building bird and bat houses
and local field trips; and Summer Camp 2, a music, movement and art camp.
Information about any of the children?s? programs can be obtained by calling
966-5539.
For a complete listing of available classes, or to pre-register, please
contact:
Grant Wood
Extension Division
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5586
July 14, 2000
U of S Crop Development Centre Opens $1.2-M Seed-Cleaning Plant
Posted July 14, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? Friday, July 14, 2000 2000-07-06-AG
U of S Crop Development Centre Opens $1.2-M Seed-Cleaning Plant
About 200 seed growers from across the country attended the official opening
today of Western Canada?s newest seed-cleaning plant, a $1.2-million project
involving the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers and the
Canada-Saskatchewan Agri-Food Innovation Fund (AFIF).
The 10,000-square-foot facility on the U of S Kernen Crop Research Farm east
of Saskatoon will be used to clean the U of S Crop Development Centre?s
breeder seed which is shipped to select growers and seed companies across
Western Canada.
"This state-of-the-art plant will enable us to maintain the highest quality
of seed being shipped out to farmers and seed companies as numbers of crop
varieties and seed volumes increase," said Rick Holm, director of the Crop
Development Centre (CDC).
He explained that to meet standards for seed purity and ensure that seed
lots are not mixed, modern high-tech equipment is needed. As well, pulse
crops such as peas, beans and lentils, which farmers are increasingly
growing, have to be handled more gently than cereal crops to prevent seed
damage.
The U of S paid the $750,000 plant construction cost. The $450,000 cost of
specialized seed-cleaning equipment was shared equally between the
Saskatchewan Pulse Growers and the Canada-Saskatchewan Agri-Food Innovation
Fund (AFIF).
"The generous financial contributions provided by these two organizations
was critical to the establishment of a first-class cleaning facility and we
are very grateful for their support," said Ernie Barber, dean of the U of S
College of Agriculture.
Bernie Sonntag of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, who was on
hand on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lyle Vanclief, said
that the new plant is an example of the type of emerging growth that will
fuel tomorrow?s agricultural economy. "It provides a value-added product to
producers and encourages the development of new niche markets for Canadian
products," he said. "AFIF was designed to support exactly this type of
activity."
Nial Kuyek, director of the Provincial Extension Service who was speaking on
behalf of Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Minister Clay Serby, said, "The
Breeder Seed Cleaning Plant is a fine example of what can be achieved when
public and private organizations pool their efforts and their resources to
stimulate economic growth." Saskatchewan Pulse Growers chair Lyle Minogue
said the new equipment will ensure that all breeder seed shipped from the
CDC will be of the highest quality. "It is absolutely essential to seed
growers and the industry that all of these different seed lots be kept
separate and this is a major challenge when handling this number of seed
lots through one facility," he said, adding "This seed plant will make it
easier to achieve this goal."
This past spring, the CDC shipped 1,100 seed lots -- 26,000 kilograms of
breeder seed ? to select seed growers across Western Canada. Last year, the
CDC produced breeder seed of 65 different varieties representing 12
different crops -- from flax and canary seed to peas and Kabuli chickpeas.
The Breeder Seed Cleaning Plant is one of more than 200 projects the
Canada-Saskatchewan Agri-Food Innovation Fund has supported since its
inception in 1995. The $91-million Fund received two thirds of its money
from the federal government and one third from the province.
The opening of the new facility coincides with the annual meeting of the
Canadian Seed Growers Association.
The CDC is a field crop research organization which seeks to increase the
diversification of crops and their products for the farmers and agriculture
industry of Saskatchewan by improving existing crops, creating new uses for
traditional crops and introducing new crops. For more information, visit the
CDC web site at: http://www.usask.ca/agriculture/plantsci/
For more information, contact:
Rick Holm
Director, Crop Development Centre
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-8195
Dave Benallack
Manager, Breeder Seed Cleaning Plant
Crop Development Centre
(306) 931-9299
Garth Patterson
Executive Director, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers
(306) 668-5556
John Babcock
Canada-Saskatchewan Agri-Food Innovation Fund
Regina, Saskatchewan
(306) 787-9768
Backgrounder
U of S Crop Development Centre Breeder Seed Cleaning Plant
$1.2 M Funding:
$750,000 University of Saskatchewan
$225,000 Saskatchewan Pulse Growers
$225,000 Canada-Saskatchewan Agri-Food Innovation Fund
Key features of plant equipment:
- The 10,000-square-foot plant is designed for quick clean-out and maximum
flexibility due to the large number of seed lots and crop types processed by
the Crop Development Centre.
- The entire plant is designed to handle pulse crops in a manner that does
not damage the seed minimizing losses due to mechanical damage.
- A huetronic color sorter, one of three in Western Canada, can be set to
electronically sort the seed sample by hue, color intensity and color
brightness. Special software also allows the machine operator to select the
size of seed blemishes to accept or reject. This is the first time the
huetronic color sorter has been used in seed cleaning. Typically it?s used
in the food trade for such products as cashews, almond and peanuts, and
seafood such as shrimp.
- A cleaning machine called a Dodder mill removes dirt and splits which
cannot be removed from seed samples by aspiration or gravity table.
- An air exhaust system is designed to remove air from strategic locations
along the cleaning line, remove the dust and recycle the clean air back into
the building.
- The plant is the initial source for seed of all varieties developed at the
CDC. The breeder seed processed in this plant is distributed to select
growers and seed companies across Western Canada.
New Web-Site and Journal to Ensure On-going Discussion on Biosafety
Posted July 14, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 13, 2000 2000-07-07-OTHER
New Web-Site and Journal to Ensure
On-going Discussion on Biosafety
-Biosafety Symposium Wraps Up-
The 6th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified
Organisms wrapped up in Saskatoon with a commitment to ongoing discussion on
the science of biosafety.
Conference Chair Dr. Alan McHughen, who is also a Professor and Senior
Research Scientist with the University of Saskatchewan, announced the
development of a new Journal of Biosafety Research, a peer-reviewed journal
that is devoted solely to scientific discussion of biosafety issues.
Bioscope, a new web-site which has an area devoted to public dialogue will
be accessible in September.
"We literally opened the door to the public," said Dr. McHughen referring to
the public session which opened the Symposium on Sunday, July 9. The need
for on-going dialogue was evident at the public session which was extended
by an hour to allow for additional discussion.
"Scientists have a duty to provide factual information to the public to and
encourage a sensible debate on the real risks and potential benefits on
genetic modification."
A scientific society has been formed to oversee future symposia on the
Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms and to oversee the Journal of
Biosafety Research.
For more information contact:
Krista Broten
6th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified
Organisms
Organizing Committee
C/o Ag-West Biotech Inc.
(306) 975-1939
July 13, 2000
International Herb Conference to be held in Saskatoon
Posted July 13, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? July 13, 2000 2000-07-03-EXT
International Herb Conference
to be held in Saskatoon
Herb enthusiasts are invited to the International Herb Conference from July
18th ? 21st.
The conference is hosted by the Saskatchewan Herb and Spice Association in
partnership with the University of Saskatchewan, Extension Division, the
International Herb Association and the Canadian Herb Society.
More than 50 international experts will speak on a variety of subjects
including the essential oil industry, traditional Chinese medicine,
marketing and cutting-edge research.
One of the highlights of the conference includes two concurrent sessions
open to the general public. These will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon on
Friday, July 21. Topics to be covered include culinary herbs, companion
planting with herbs, seasoning, herbal drug interactions, herbal medicine
for a healthy heart and aromacology.
Grant Wood, Conference Co-ordinator at the U of S Extension Division, said:
"The conference and public sessions are a celebration of the herb and spice
industry. We are proud to host this landmark event and expect a large
turnout."
To register for The International Herb conference or the public sessions,
call (306) 966-5539.
For more information on the conference itself, or to obtain a media pass,
contact
Grant Wood at (306) 966-5586 or visit the
www.extension.usask.ca/conferences/herbconference2000
U of S Announces Herbfest 2000
Posted July 13, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? July 13, 2000 2000-07-04-EXT
U of S Announces Herbfest 2000
The public is invited to Herbfest 2000 - an international herb festival
showcasing herbs and spices in a contemporary, carnival -like atmosphere.
Herbfest is designed with the family in mind and will include activities for
both the young and old.
Running from July 22-23 at the Canada-Saskatchewan Irrigation
Diversification Center in Outlook, visitors will be able to view and
purchase books and other goods at the trade show, participate in workshops,
sample food, tour crops, meet experts and listen to music.
Admission is $5 (payable at the gate) which is inclusive of all activities.
It is expected to be very busy and for convenience, shuttle buses will run
between Saskatoon and Outlook both days.
"The food festival is partnering with tourism, agriculture and entertainment
to heighten awareness of the herb and spice industry," said Grant Wood,
University of Saskatchewan, Extension Division. "Everyone is invited to
bring their family to experience what this expanding industry has to offer."
Herbfest 2000 is hosted by the Saskatchewan Herb and Spice Association in
partnership with the University of Saskatchewan, Extension Division, the
International Herb Association and the Canadian Herb Society.
All media are invited to attend the conference and can obtain passes from
Grant Wood,University of Saskatchewan, Extension Division on (306) 966-5586.
For more information contact:
Connie (306) 694-4622 or Melody (306) 693-2272
or visit our website at www.saskherbspice.org/herbfest2000
