July 29, 2003
U of S Crop Development Centre researcher honored
Posted July 29, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 29TH, 2003 2003-07-06-AG
U of S Crop Development Centre researcher honored
University of Saskatchewan agriculture professor Dr. Gordon Rowland is the
new recipient of the W.J. White Professorship in the Department of Plant
Sciences. He will occupy the chair for a three-year term.
The Professorship will allow Rowland to further his work in developing
improved flax varieties for industrial and edible oil uses, fibre production
and organic production systems. As holder of the chair, he will receive a
research grant of $15,000 per year.
Rick Holm director of the Crop Development Centre said: "Rowland is
well-deserving of the chair. He was selected for his excellent track record
in research, flax variety development and for his contributions to Canadian
and Saskatchewan agriculture."
"It is very gratifying to be named to the chair as the selection was made by
colleagues," said Rowaland. "The award will allow me to pursue research
which I hope will further enhance Saskatchewan's leadership in Canadian and
World flax production"
As a research scientist and professor with the Crop Development Centre since
1972, Rowland has released 15 flax and 4 fababean varieties. Among some of
his releases are Vimy, which continues to act as the standard by which all
other flax varieties are compared. His latest release, CDC Bethune, has
replaced Vimy as the most dominant flax variety in Western Canada.
In addition to his excellence in research, Rowland's administrative and
extension activities have established him as a leader in the Agricultural
community. From 1994 to1999, he was the first internal scientist to act as
Director of the Crop Development Centre. His leadership helped continue to
maintain the Crop Development Centre as a Center of Excellence in plant
breeding and related crop research.
Rowland has been extremely active in technology transfer and his expertise
has resulted in several invitations to speak at international conferences to
present his knowledge of flax breeding.
He has previously been honored with several awards including the
Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists Distinguished Agrologist Award, the
Hewlett-Packared Corporate Higher Education Award, honorary life memberships
in the Saskatchewan Seed Growers Association and the Canadian Seed Growers
Association and the Ag-West Biotech Distinguished Scientist Award.
The W.J. White Professorship was established in 1986 to honor William James
White, former Head of the Department of Field Husbandry (now the Department
of Plant Sciences) and Dean Emeritus of the College of Agriculture. The
Professorship enables the holder to further his or her own studies in plant
sciences. Selection guidelines are based on excellence in research and
contributions to Canadian and Saskatchewan agriculture. Full professors of
the Department of Plant Sciences/Crop Development Centre (CDC) are eligible
for the appointment.
Rowland succeeds Dr. Brian Rossnagel, a non-malting barley and oat breeder,
at the Crop Development Centre.
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For more information, please contact:
Geoff Hughes
Head, Department of Plant Sciences
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-5855
Email: geoff.hughes@usask.ca
Rick Holm
Director, Crop Development Centre
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-5855
Email: rick.holm@usask.ca
Gordon Rowland
Professor, Crop Development Centre
Department of Plant Sciences
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-4977
Email: gordon.rowland@usask.ca
http://www.usask.ca/agriculture/plantsci
July 23, 2003
U of S and City partner in street banner project
Posted July 23, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 21, 2003 2003-07-03-OTHER
U of S and City partner in street banner project
Starting this week, the University of Saskatchewan and the City of Saskatoon
are raising street banners on all street lights along College Drive between
Clarence and Preston Avenues.
The key words on the banners emphasize the university's adherence to
international standards in all it activities - excellence, vision,
leadership, and innovation - and feature well-known U of S buildings: CLS,
Innovation Place, the College Building, and the Thorvaldson Building.
University President Peter MacKinnon said: "These brightly colored banners
will contribute to the nationally recognized beauty of Saskatoon while also
emphasizing the major economic, social and cultural role the University of
Saskatchewan plays in the city."
Mayor Jim Maddin said: "These banners will help to promote the University,
the City of Saskatoon, and the mutually beneficial relationship we have
shared for nearly 100 years."
This partnership between the University and the City will see the banners
changed every year, culminating in 2007, the University's Centennial.
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For further information, contact:
Peter MacKinnon
President
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-6612
Mayor Jim Maddin
City of Saskatoon
Tel: (306) 975-3202
Quaker and Cargill support oat breeding at U of S College of Agriculture
Posted July 23, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 23rd, 2003 2003-07-04-AG
Quaker and Cargill support oat breeding at U of S College of Agriculture
Today University of Saskatchewan received an investment of more than $1.1 M
from QTC Canada Inc. (which operates the Quaker Oats business in Canada) and
Cargill Ltd. in support of its oat research and development program at the
College of Agriculture's Crop Development Centre.
Over the next five years, QTC Canada plans to contribute $850,000 and
Cargill $285,000 for oats research; leading to new knowledge that aims to
improve oat varieties for growers in Saskatchewan and western Canada and the
quality of food ingredients for the consumer.
The investment represents a continuation of almost 30 years of funding
support for the Crop Development Centre from QTC Canada ($2.3m in total) and
over 10 years ($700,000 in total) from Cargill Ltd.
Project co-leader Brian Rossnagel says: "We are very pleased to be
associated with QTC Canada and Cargill Ltd. on this project. Their
investment will strengthen our research efforts into oat disease, milling
quality and field yield as well as mapping the oat genome - all of which are
important components of what has been an extremely successful 30-year
breeding program at the University of Saskatchewan."
Saskatchewan is the largest oat producer in Canada with more than 1.5
million acres annually worth $150 million each year. Saskatchewan oat
acreage and production has tripled since the early 1990s and is now one of
the largest oat producing areas in the world.
Since 1983, the Crop Development Centre has released nine varieties of
milling oat which dominate oat acreage in Saskatchewan and Alberta. The most
recent releases called CDC Dancer and CDC Orrin consistently produce
exceptional yields. A yet-to-be-named variety which will be released at the
end of this year represents a first for the Crop Development Centre in that
it has rust resistance for the eastern prairie oat region. Rust, caused by a
fungus which attacks the leaves, causes widespread crop losses and lowers
the quality of the oat.
Our goal is to consistently deliver high quality oats to our consumers,"
says Grant Morrison, Director - Quality Assurance Services, QTC Canada.
"And, as an industry leader for more than 125 years, it is natural for
Quaker Oats to continue to invest in this premier oat research."
"We are proud to be apart of a team that remains committed to ongoing
investment, research and development into quality food ingredients for the
consumer," said Don Chute, Seed Product Manager with Cargill Ltd. "At
Cargill we are striving to provide opportunities for
western Canadian farmers to differentiate themselves and join with us in
being a global leader in nourishing people. This investment is one of the
steps towards achieving this goal."
The Crop Development Centre is a unit of the U of S College of Agriculture
established in 1971 to increase crop diversification opportunities for
Saskatchewan farmers, to improve the adaptation of existing Saskatchewan
crops and as a centre of excellence for crop research.
QTC Canada is an operating unit of PepsiCo Inc. company that manufactures
and markets a wide variety of grain products including Quaker hot cereals,
cold cereals, rice cakes, snack bars and other grain-based foods.
Cargill Limited is the Canadian subsidiary of Cargill Incorporated, an
international marketer, processor and distributor of agricultural, food,
financial and industrial products and services with some 82,000 employees in
59 countries. In Canada, Cargill employs more than 4,000 people in the
grain, feed, seed, farm supply, fertilizer manufacturing, malting barley,
egg processing, meat, salt, starch, malt, canola and flax fibre processing
businesses.
For more information, please contact:
Brian Rossnagel
Oat Breeder, Crop Development Centre
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-4976
Email: brian.rossnagel@usask.ca
Graham Scoles
Associate Dean of Research and Oat Biotechnologist
College of Agriculture
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-4957
Email: graham.scoles@usask.ca
Steve Shirtliffe
Agronomist, Plant Sciences Department
College of Agriculture
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-4959
Email: steve.shirtliffe@usask.ca
Bruce Roskens
Senior Manager - Agricultural Research and Commodity Development
Quaker Foods and Beverages
Tel: 312-821-2952
Email: bruce_roskens@quakeroats.com
Don Chute
Cargill Limited
Tel: (204) 947-6319
Email: Don_Chute@cargill.com
July 08, 2003
New Canadian Menstrual Cycle Research May Alter Medical Texts
Posted July 08, 2003
THE FOLLOWING NEWS RELEASE WAS ISSUED BY THE CANADIAN INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
RESEARCH.
NEW CANADIAN MENSTRUAL CYCLE RESEARCH MAY ALTER MEDICAL TEXTS
OTTAWA (July 7, 2003) - A Canadian research team funded by the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has uncovered evidence that suggests
the traditionally accepted model of the human menstrual cycle is wrong.
The discovery by University of Saskatchewan researchers may lead to the
design of new, safer and more effective contraception and may improve
success with assisted reproductive technology for women who are having
trouble conceiving.
"This collaborative discovery is an important step forward in understanding
the human menstrual cycle," said Dr. Michael Kramer, Scientific Director of
the Institute of Human Development and Child and Youth Health of the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research. "It provides a new model for ovarian
function during the menstrual cycle which could have profound implications
for infertility diagnoses and treatment in women."
The team's findings were published in the July 6th issue of the prestigious
scientific journal Fertility and Sterility. A companion paper published in
Biology of Reproduction is available on-line.
Previous research has shown that a group of 15 to 20 follicles grew during
the menstrual cycle, and that one follicle from the group was selected to
ovulate while the others died off.
University of Saskatchewan researchers have found that this process occurs
in "waves". In response to hormone surges, women experience two to three
periods of follicular development each month, though only one egg is
selected for ovulation.
"This work is particularly exciting to us because of the impact it will have
on women taking oral contraceptives and undergoing fertility treatment,"
says Dr. Roger Pierson, Director of the Reproductive Biology Research Unit
at the U of S. "It also shows that we have not fully understood the basic
biological processes that occur during menstrual cycles. We are literally
going to have to re-write medical textbooks."
For instance, up to 40 per cent of women may not be able to use natural
family planning methods, he said. That's because for women who experience
two or three waves of dominant follicle growth per month there is no "safe"
time to have intercourse during the cycle -- there may always be a follicle
capable of ovulating.
The study involved 63 women with normal menstrual cycles who underwent
ultrasound every day for a month. "This study is a real tribute to the
altruism of Saskatchewan women," Dr. Pierson said. "As I've gone around the
country talking about this work, people just can't believe the dedication of
our research volunteers."
Dr. Pierson says further research is needed to see if the same number of
waves occurs consistently every month and to determine why a particular egg
is selected to ovulate.
Other team members are Angela Baerwald, the lead author on the article who
just received her Ph.D. in clinical reproductive biology from the U of S,
and veterinarian Dr. Gregg Adams, a professor with the Western College of
Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.
The study was done through an unusual collaboration. In clinical studies,
Dr. Pierson noticed follicular development occurring at a time when the
textbooks said it shouldn't happen. He consulted Dr. Adams, who developed
the follicular wave model in cows with Dr. Pierson at the University of
Wisconsin in the 1980s.
"What Roger was seeing in women seemed very similar to what is happening in
horses and cows that develop follicles in waves," said Dr. Adams. "And
that's exactly what we found -- that humans are not so very different from
other species."
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For further information, contact:
Dr. Roger Pierson
College of Medicine
Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences
University of Saskatchewan
(306)-966-4458
Janet Weichel McKenzie
CIHR Communications
(613) 941-4563
jweichel@cihr.ca
Kathryn Warden
University of Saskatchewan Research Communications
(306) 966-2506
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research
CANADIAN INSTITUTES OF HEALTH RESEARCH (CIHR)
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research is the Government of Canada's
premier agency for health research. Its objective is to excel, according to
internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation
of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians,
more effective health services and products and a strengthened Canadian
health care system. www.cihr.ca
July 02, 2003
U of S unveils building plan for campus
Posted July 02, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Wednesday, July 2nd, 2003 2003-07-01-OTHER
U of S unveils building plan for campus
Today the University of Saskatchewan Board of Governors approved a Core Area
Master Plan for the physical development of the university over the next 25
to 50 years which will guide the expansion of teaching, learning and
research facilities, parking, housing, public spaces and municipal and
utilities infrastructure.
Campus planning and development timelines will be determined by the
University's strategic directions and will follow sustainable development
guidelines balancing social, economic and environmental directives.
The master plan will allow the University to re-establish its original
connections to the South Saskatchewan River and to strengthen connections
between the core campus and outlying areas including the emerging north
campus area and CLS facility, Innovation Place, McEown Park and surrounding
communities.
Board approval comes after two years of extensive consultation with groups
both on and off campus and is in response to a need for a sustainable and
integrated approach to enriching the physical environment of the campus.
"The quality of the physical development of the campus will convey a sense
of place and a sense of space and will reflect the unique attributes and
character of our community," said Associate Vice-President Facilities
Management Paul Becker who is leading the project. "The vision for the
campus places equal weight on the quality of outdoor spaces as it does on
architectural character, with the objective of enriching the physical
environment by creating a safe, active and beautiful campus that projects an
image befitting the University."
"The master plan is designed to support the strategic directions of the
University and its stewardship responsibility to protect and enrich an
amazing public asset."
Highlights of the plan include:
- Strengthening the University's research focus through expanded facilities;
- Strengthening links between Innovation Place, CLS and other research users
and the core campus areas;
- Expansion of Innovation Place;
- New building space accommodating a 35 per cent increase in student
enrolment;
- A First Nations Centre;
- Expanded and renewed athletic and wellness facilities to respond to both
University, community and provincial needs;
- Providing on-campus housing options for international students and
researchers;
- Development of Preston Avenue as a principal gateway to the university and
development of a specialized gateway at the Wiggins/Campus Drive entrance;
- Three new parking garages on the perimeter of campus to help reduce
traffic within the central core of the campus;
- Additional student housing through the creation of a U of S neighbourhood
at McEown Park providing an additional 2,000 beds complemented by supporting
services including daycare, outdoor areas for children and retail
operations.
The Core Area Master Plan initiative was led by the University of
Saskatchewan's Facilities Management Department supported by a team of
in-house and external planners, urban designers, architects, engineers and
landscape architects to develop the plan. The team employed the firm Brook
McIlroy Planning and Urban Design from Ontario.
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For further information, contact:
Colin Tennent
Director and University Architect
Architectural and Engineering Services
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-4537
Bryan Bilokreli
Associate Director Space Planning
Planning and Development
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-4878
Website: www.facilities.usask.ca/masterplan/default.php
