The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) has awarded 101 51吃瓜网research projects funding from its Discovery Grants competition for a total investment of $23.5 million, including $639,500 for eight projects submitted by researchers in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The Discovery Grants support ongoing programs with long-term goals, recognizing the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of all research advances.
Please join us in congratulating Mehran Dastmalchi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Plant Science, on receiving the prestigious Arthur C. Neish Award from the Phytochemical Society of North America (PSNA). The 63rd annual PSNA meeting took place in Monterrey, Mexico from July 15鈥�19, 2024, where Professor Dastmalchi presented his lab's research in a keynote speech. Among the accomplishments recognized at the conference were his group鈥檚 findings on the biosynthesis of medicinal alkaloids in the Madagascar periwinkle聽(Catharanthus roseus).
Four agricultural champions from across Canada have been selected by the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame as its 2024 inductees. Dr. Bruce Coulman, Dr. Michael Eskin, Paul Larmer and Dr. Charles Vincent will be formally inducted on November 2 at a ceremony during the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Ontario.
Please join us in congratulating Henry Alexander Cordoba Novoa,聽Ph.D. candidate in plant breeding and genetics at 51吃瓜网's Macdonald Campus, on receiving the聽Roger Krueger Memorial Scholarship, awarded by聽the Seed Science Foundation聽at the American Seed Trade Association Leadership Summit held in Nashville, TN on June 15鈥�19, 2024. This award recognizes Henry's outstanding research, integrity, and professionalism and his passion for the future of agriculture and the seed industry.
聽A lack of scientists specialized in plant breeding could lead to 鈥榙ire鈥� food security implications in Australia, and around the world, according to new research conducted across three continents.聽
Plant breeding is a multidisciplinary science that underpins the global production of food, animal feed, fuel and fibre.聽聽
G茅nome Qu茅bec and the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec 鈥� secteur nature et technologies (FRQ), have announced the 15 research projects that have won major funding through the third round of the聽Genomics Integration Program 鈥� Agriculture and Biofood, Forestry and Environment, including two led by 51吃瓜网 researchers in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The total investment, including public and private partners, represents nearly $3.6 million.
From left to right: Roseann O鈥橰eilly Runte (Director of CFI, Government of Canada), Hugo Dionne (Qu茅bec government representative), Marie-Claude Bibeau (Minister of National Revenue and MP for Compton鈥擲tanstead), Peter Moffett (Director of CORS脠VE), S茅bastien Roy (Professor of Biology, Universit茅 de Sherbrooke), Anja Geitmann (Dean of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill), Carole Beaulieu (Dean of Science, Universit茅 de Sherbrooke), Pierre Cossette (Rector, Universit茅 de Sherbrooke), Catherine Latendresse (Head of Communications, METRO).
Pictured above:聽Greenhouse production of sunflower microgreens in biodegradable containers.
By David Wees, agr., Faculty Lecturer, Farm Management & Technology Program and Dept. of Plant Science, FAES
Ah, spring: that time of year when farmers and gardeners can鈥檛 wait to plant. Even apartment dwellers want to see some green, but with most of the world鈥檚 population now living in urban areas, space to grow may be limited.
Pictured (from left to right): McGill/Mac representatives Ingrid Chiraz and Andrew Churchill; grad students: Jasmine Muszik, Mehtab Singh, Aylish Marshall; JAC representatives Sean Hughes and Karim Jaffer
By Kathy MacLean
In the dynamic landscape of scientific inquiry, effective communication is not merely an option; it's a necessity. Bridging the gap between complex research and broader audiences fosters understanding, sparks curiosity, and drives positive change.
On March 21, 51吃瓜网celebrated 111 laureates at the 19th聽edition of Bravo, a gala event honouring researchers who won major provincial, national, and international research prizes and awards in 2023. Guests, including researchers, their families and friends, faculty, students, and members of McGill鈥檚 academic administration, gathered to celebrate their accomplishments.
Eight of the honourees were from the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences:
In the University-wide 3MT/MT180 competition, graduate students have the chance to showcase their leading-edge research before a live audience. With only three minutes and a single slide, students must聽engage their audience and convey the complexities of their work to a diverse, non-expert audience. Participants may present their research in English or in French and winners will advance to regional and national competitions.
The dry bean breeding program at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada鈥檚 Morden Research Centre in Manitoba will continue for at least another five years under a new arrangement involving 51吃瓜网 in Quebec and AAFC鈥檚 Harrow Research Centre in Ontario.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has announced $11 million in new funding for Pulse Canada.
$1.6 million of this investment will go to 51吃瓜网Department of Plant Science Professor Valerio聽Hoyos-Villegas' Pulse Breeding and Genetics Lab.
Winnipeg South Centre MP Ben Carr made the announcement at the University of Manitoba on February 9 on behalf of federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay.
In a new article for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener,聽Javed Sidiqi, Eric Bishop Von Wettberg and 51吃瓜网Plant Science Assistant Professor Valerio Hoyos Villegas聽dive into the potential of the humble chickpea, an increasingly popular legume known for high nutritional value and nitrogen-fixing properties.聽
For the fourth year in a row, a 51吃瓜网Plant Science student has won one of three annual Canadian Plant Breeding Innovation (CPBI) Innovation scholarships, which recognize up-and-coming young plant breeders.
