It’s no secret that the internet and social media fuel rampant spread of misinformation in many areas of life. A collective of researchers, including Catherine Scott, Postdoctoral Fellow in McGill University’s Lyman Lab, have explored this phenomenon as it applies to news about spiders. The verdict? Don’t blindly trust anything you read online about these eight-legged arthropods—or anything else for that matter—and always consider the source.
Stéphanie Chevalier, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director in the School of Human Nutrition, directed the team of researchers who have revealed an association between low muscle mass and accelerated cognitive decline in older adults.
Food security is one of the fundamental challenges to sustainability of the 20th century, with approximately 11.7 percent of the global population experiencing extreme food insecurity, according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022 (SOFI).
Sylvie Lapointe, a constant advocate and a champion for Macdonald students, has been named an Unsung Hero as part of the #McGill200 Bicentennial Celebrations! Sylvie recently retired from the role of Operations Manager in Macdonald Student Services. Bravo Sylvie!
Killer whale populations are invading the Arctic, creating major disruptions to an ecosystem already severely impacted by climate change.
Lost Hammer Spring, in Nunavut in Canada’s High Arctic, is one of the coldest and saltiest terrestrial springs discovered to date. The water which travels up through 600 metres of permafrost to the surface is extremely salty (~24% salinity), perennially at sub-zero temperatures (~−5 °C) and contains almost no oxygen (<1ppm dissolved oxygen). The very high salt concentrations keep the Lost Hammer spring from freezing, thus maintaining a liquid water habitat even at sub-zero temperatures.
Anikka Swaby, BSc(NutrSc)'18, MSc (Human Nutrition)'22 is the recipient of the Let's Talk Science National Volunteer Award!
This award recognizes an exceptional volunteer who has shown outstanding innovation, communication and a commitment to STEM education and outreach.
Anikka leveraged her knowledge and expertise as a registered dietician to develop the Good Gut Bacteria kit which has been added to the McGill Let’s Talk Science kit library and has been adapted for multiple symposiums and homeschool workshops.
McGill’s Spring 2022 Convocation began on an overcast day on May 26th, with graduating Health Sciences students accepting their degrees under the Convocation Tent downtown. The 2022 festivities came to a close June 3rd, a glorious sunny day, at the Centennial Centre on Macdonald Campus with two ceremonies for students graduating from the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
These were McGill’s first in-person Spring Convocation ceremonies since 2019.
On Friday, June 3rd, Joe Harrel accepted his Farm Management and Technology (FMT) diploma during Spring 2022 Convocation ceremonies for the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Unlike many members of the Class of 2022, however, Harrel will not be seeking employment upon graduation. Truth of the matter is, he is already gainfully employed.
“I own the Speedy Auto Service and the Novus Glass in Kirkland with my partner Andy Arbuckle, and I own and operate Optimum Business Brokers as well,” says Harrel, who was also selected valedictorian by his classmates.
Two-hundred years ago, a young man frequented swamps, stream banks and thickets, collecting wild plants across what would become the urban core of the city of Montreal. He had recently returned home from Edinburgh, where he had gone to be receive medical training, learning there also techniques of drying and preserving plant specimens, botany and medicine then being sister-subjects.
Although it may seem obvious that teaching and learning are at the core of the McGill experience, it’s worth noting that these activities aren’t strictly happening in classrooms and labs, nor are they reserved for faculty and students. Rather, McGill staff can also be counted among this group of teachers and learners, many of whom have spent their careers acquiring knowledge, honing skills, and eventually imparting what they’ve learned on to those who will succeed them.
Lachlan, FMT‘22, Ross, FMT’23 and Gavin McDonald, FMT’24, have a long family history with Macdonald. The brothers grew up on Kerrydale Farms established by their ancestor Donald McGillis, an immigrant from the Scottish Highlands, who arrived by canoe on the banks of the Raisin River in Williamstown, Ontario in 1784. Over the next two centuries, the McGillis family grew Kerrydale Farms into a successful operation that is now in the hands of brothers William “Bill” McDonald, FMT’97, and Thomas “Tom,” DipAgr’93 – father to Lachlan, Ross and Gavin.
Celeste Longhurst joined the Macdonald University Advancement Team early in the new year. In this position, she leads the AES fundraising campaign and manages the Faculty’s University Advancement team whose activities also include alumni relations. Celeste hails from Toronto and has worked in philanthropy throughout her career, with a focus on fundraising for environmental organizations. She joined us from the National Wildlife Centre, where she was Director of Development, and has a Bachelor in Environmental Science from Queens University.
How can we help societies achieve more resilient agriculture in the face of geopolitical disturbances and climate change? Why do we continue to propose agricultural systems based on globalized commodity markets as the only way to feed ourselves? Why continue to subsidize models that destroy soil fertility, ecosystems and put our health at risk?
Eugene Donefer
Professor Emeritus in Animal Science
Passed away on June 10th.