staff.matters
the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences staff newsletter
August 4, 2004
Message from Michael Trevan, Dean
As I sit here and pen this missive, the English summer has ended (it was about a week long this year). The sun, and temperatures in the high 20s, have been a welcome relief from the rain and gloom of this year so far - we have managed just 3 BBQs, and a stark contrast to the glorious summer we experienced last year. And now thunder is reverberating around and London is chaotic because of the heavy rainfall.
Preparations for "the Move" are advancing, although my present attempts to engage web-based services for the sale of our cars here are proving to be frustrated by the fragility of the Web and Microsoft. So I have decided to devote my present energies to more rewarding and important tasks such as this communication.
I have been delighted and encouraged to receive all of the news of the Faculty and your activities. It is helping me to get to know you all from a distance: I am looking forward to getting to know you all "close-up"! It is invidious of me to pick out any one individual, but I am going to do so anyway. Please, the rest of you don't take offence, but if I do not comment now on some of the things I am learning about you all, tomorrow other events may overtake us.
I was particularly struck by the article that Danny Mann had published in the Farmer's Independent Weekly on the technologies of berry picking. It might sound obscure at first sight, but it is exactly the kind of news of practical, useful work that can help keep the Faculty in the public eye. The Farmer's Independent Weekly's article by Kevin Baron and Robert Hill of Plant Science, entitled "Hemoglobins help plants grow.and 'swim'!" is another example of spreading the news. Yes (and I am sure you have thought of this already) of course it would have even more impact if it were also published in the less technical press. Anyway, thanks Danny, Kevin and Robert, and if this comment elicits a whole pile of emails from everyone else about the work that they have disseminated to the wider public, then I will be delighted!
May I add my congratulations to Florence Uruakpa, Food Science Ph.D. candidate, who has been awarded an NSERC-Industrial Research Fellowship and to Susan D. Arntfield, who is supervising Florence's continuing studies.
Congratulations also to the Glenlea Research Station for winning the Slo-Pitch Baseball tournament. I am not sure I understand the implications of slo-pitch baseball, but a slow pitch cricket match would have the bowlers in torment and the batsmen having a field day! I have already suggested to Diane that next year maybe we could try a Faculty cricket match. It seems to my inexpert eye that there are many parallels between baseball and cricket: both are a family event; they are played on a dedicated "green" pitch, usually out of town; players do not have to be elite athletes; the rules are complex and incomprehensible to the uninitiated; when played properly nobody cares who wins; rain can stop play, but only when it is a tropical downpour!
Finally, as I have indicated before, one of my first tasks after arrival is to arrange to talk to you all individually: am I interested to know what you like about the Faculty, what you do not like about the Faculty, and what you would change if you could.
Enjoy the rest of the summer.
Regards
Michael(Dr. Trevan is expected to arrive in the Dean's Office on Monday, August 23)
Soil Science Thesis Defense - M.Sc. student Jeffrey Mark Enns will present his thesis entitled "The Effect of Liquid Hog Manure and Commercial Fertilizer on NO3-N Leaching Losses Using Large Soil Core Lysimeters" on Friday, August 6 at 9:30 am in Room 342 Ellis Building.
Food Science Thesis Defense - R. Elena Gomez-Haro A. will defend her M.Sc. thesis entitled "Rheology and NMR spectroscopy studies of commercial wheat gluten doughs" on Friday, August 13 at 1:00 pm in Room 130 Agriculture Building. Everyone is most welcome.
National Ag Awareness Conference 2004 - is set in Winnipeg at the Delta Hotel September 14 - 18. The annual conference attracts educators from universities, schools, governments and industry as well as private citizens concerned about strengthening the farm to plate connection. Check out the NAAC website.
Animal Science's Bill Guenter and M.Sc. student Katherine Hebert (co-supervised by Jim House) attended the 2004 Joint Annual Meeting of the American Dairy Science Association, American Society of Animal Science and the Poultry Science Association on July 24-29. Bill was in part responsible for the half day informal nutrition conference entitled, "Digestive Physiology: Metabolic Challenges and Nutritional Opportunities." Katherine presented a poster entitled "Efficiency of Folate Deposition in Eggs Throughout the Production Cycle of Hyline W98 and W36 Laying Hens" for which she won first prize in the graduate student poster competition.
Neil Holliday, Entomology, recently returned from a visit to the CABI Bioscience Centre, Delemont, Switzerland, where he has a research collaboration that currently involves two M.Sc.students working on biological control of root maggots in canola. During his stay in Switzerland, he worked with his collaborators on a manuscript and paper for presentation, reviewed the students' research progress and plans, and participated in a 10 person maggot hunt that netted over 1200 maggot puparia in an afternoon. The collaboration between CABI and the Department of Entomology has so far resulted in two M.Sc. and one Ph.D. graduates in biological control, in addition to the two students currently in the program.
Neil and Pat MacKay, senior scholar in Entomology, along with three adjunct professors in the Department will be attending the International Congress of Entomology in Brisbane, Australia, in August.
Terry Galloway, Entomology will be at the University of Christchurch, New Zealand, for the month of August where he will be working on a collaborative publication with Dr. R. Pilgrim on flea taxonomy.
Rob Roughley, Entomology, will be co-teaching a field course on Arctic Entomology given at Churchill, MB, during the first two weeks of August.
Arnie Hydamaka, Food Science, received a cheque in the amount of $16,000 from Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council Inc. for his project entitled "Process Optimization of Smoked Cheese".
STUDENT NEWS
Great Plains Cropping Systems Tour - From July 25 to 28, eight graduate students and one faculty member from the Plant and Soil Science Departments hopped in a couple vehicles and traveled across the Northern Great Plains on a Cropping Systems Tour. Over four hectic days they toured numerous research institutions, actual farms and ag-related businesses spread throughout North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. View the newsletter they've prepared with some of the highlights from the tour. The Plant and Soil Science graduate students would like to send a big THANK-YOU to the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Science Endowment Fund Committee for supporting the 2004 Plant and Soil Science Graduate Students U.S. Northern Great Plains Cropping Systems Tour.Once again the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Pre-vet Program has been successful in placing a substantial number of students into the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. Seven of the 12 Manitoba places were filled by students from the Animal Systems program. Other successful students represented the sciences faculties of the University of Winnipeg, Brandon University, and the University of Manitoba. Congratulations and good luck to our students!
Martin Scanlon, Food Science, reports that Department research on understanding the blanching operation that occurs during potato processing has been highlighted in the latest edition of Potato Business World in an article entitled "Texture Sensation". Latest research from Holland indicates that the blanching operation can be used to alter the glycaemic index of potatoes in addition to the product quality manipulation functions that we have been investigating.
Books on extended loans due August 16 - This is a reminder that all extended loans are due August 16, 2004 and must be renewed in person on or before this date. Please note that your card will be blocked as of August 17, 2004 if you have ten or more overdue books. All books on extended loan may now be renewed until December 15, 2004, with the exception of items with holds. Books signed out on extended loan are subject to recall. If a book is recalled, a new due date is calculated and you will be notified by e-mail.
Class of '84 Reunion - Watch for a large group to visit the Faculty on the afternoon of this Friday, August 6. The grads of 1984 are coming back to see their alma mater! About 75 adults and children will be touring the grain storage facility, the Agriculture Building, and the Animal Science and Entomology departments.
Crop Research Tour and Dedication a Success! About 150 people were on hand for the 2004 Crop Research Tour at the Carman Research Station on July 28. Peter McVetty of Plant Science emceed the opening ceremonies as well as the dedication to H.C. (Carl) McGregor whose generous bequest resulted in the purchase of a quarter section of land and the creation of the H.C. (Carl) McGregor Research Fields. Dr. Richard Lobdell, University of Manitoba Vice Provost attended, as well as the Mayor and other local dignitaries from Carman. Mary and Bob Hoare, relatives of Carl McGregor attended, as well as Kim Heubner, the first recipient of an agricultural scholarship established by Carl McGregor. After the opening and dedication, the actual field tour began. Stops were made at a number of research plots with project explanations and demonstrations provided by the researchers. Lunch was provided at the research station and then it was on to a fun afternoon of golf at the Elm Creek golf course. Teams for the Texas Scramble were a mix of experienced and novice golfers. The top foursome was Peter McVetty, Alex McVetty, Mark Belmonte and Caroline van der Steen. Honourable mention goes to the team of Wilf Mutcher, Arvel Lawson, Micael Vessey and Lindsey Cowling for "most inventive score" of 28 and a half!
Volunteers Needed for Amazing Agriculture Adventure - Agriculture in the Classroom Manitoba extends an invitation to those interested in becoming a volunteer for the fifth Amazing Agriculture Adventure (formerly Amazing Grains) this September 14-16 at Red River Ex Park. Over 1300 rural and urban students plan to attend and approximately 100 volunteers are needed to help with the event. The Adventure allows Grade 4-6 student to take part in four interactive stations (Amazing Animals, Amazing Crops, Amazing Insects and Amazing Soils). If you have any questions or wish to volunteer please email Wendy Bulloch at wendy@aitc.mb.ca or call 727-1852 before August 30.
Glenlea Thanked for Tours - The Faculty recently received a letter of thanks from the Manitoba Canola Growers for providing tours of the Glenlea Research Station. Ten schools and 367 students and staff visited the station as part of a joint tour with the Canola Learning Centre (located at Kelburn Farm). A set of letters from students was also passed along to the Glenlea Station tour guides.
Traffic Flow Changes - In anticipation of traffic and pedestrian flow challenges created by the resumption of Fall classes and construction activity in the area of Dafoe Road, Gillson Street and 'N' parking lot the following steps will be taken:
- Effective Monday, August 16, MacLean Crescent will permanently become a southbound one-way street. Appropriate signage will be posted along Dafoe Road, MacLean Crescent and Freedman Crescent.
- From August 16 through Friday, October 8 the right hand lane of MacLean Crescent in front of Arthur Mauro Residence will become a 15 minute drop-off zone Monday-Friday 7:30AM-4:30PM.
- From Tuesday, September 7 through October 8 'N' parking lot traffic flow will be restricted to 'N' parking lot passholders, emergency, construction and courier vehicles only.
Crime Reports on Campus - University of Manitoba Security Services is warning people about two recent incidents. The first has involved the theft of wallets and purses from offices on the Fort Garry and Bannatyne campuses. The culprit is entering offices undetected, opening desk drawers and stealing the wallet, usually from a purse. Security Services request that personnel secure their property in a locked drawer or have a secure area, preferably away from the front entrance. They are also asking you to be alert for anyone that appears suspicious - immediately call Security Services at 474-9312 or #555 and a member will attend. The second report involves a recent rash of vehicle crimes at the Fort Garry and Bannatyne campuses. Five vehicles have been stolen and numerous vehicles damaged by smashing side windows or forcing locks, some which have had items stolen from them. Again, Security Services request that you contact them at 474-9312, #555 if and when any one suspicious is observed. DO NOT APPROACH. Officers will attend immediately.
Introducing the Greenie Awards! The Waste Prevention Office wants to reward students, staff and faculty who demonstrate a commitment to making our campus a model of environmental sustainability. The Greenie Awards intend to do just that... Students, staff and faculty are encouraged to nominate co-workers, colleagues or even themselves for the award, explaining how their undertaking, activity or project has contributed to greenifying the campus. Nothing complicated - just a simple explanation of the project and how it fosters campus sustainability. There will be a winner every month and winners will receive a $50 gift certificate to Mountain Equipment Co-op or a vermi-compost bin as well as a pound of fair trade coffee or a package of fair trade tea. So don't be shy - download a nomination form today, and get them in to the Waste Prevention Office. Nominations must be in by 25th of each month.
This section of staff.matters will appear whenever staff/faculty job openings in the Faculty are posted on the University of Manitoba Employment Opportunities site. This week:
- Agricultural Attendant 3, Department of Food Science - deadline August 11, 2004
staff.matters is e-mailed weekly on Wednesday afternoon to members and friends of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Manitoba. The weekly news deadline is Tuesday at 4:00 pm. Email Crystal Jorgenson with your news or get in touch with your department staff.matters rep:
- Agribusiness: Judy Powell 9259
- Animal Science and Entomology: Claire Hutchinson 6125
- Biosystems Engineering: Connie Wenzoski 6033
- Food Science: Yvonne Halden 9621
- Plant Science: Bev Godard 8225
- Soil Science: Terry Ramm 8153