University of Saskatchewan Research - Discovery @ U of S: Research Communications

Research That’s Making a Difference

Interviews with leading U of S Researchers courtesy CJWW Radio

Saskatoon’s CJWW 600 Action News recently presented a series of reports on the University of Saskatchewan as it marks its Centennial. As journalist Jim Mattern reports, the U of S has focused since 1997 on building on its research strengths and attracting the best and brightest researchers in the world to its campus. Because of that focus, the U of S is attracting top faculty, particularly as Canada Research Chairs, and is one of the leading research universities in the country.

Listen to President MacKinnon (Runs: 0:16)

Best and the Brightest Feature - Listen (Runs: 4:12)

In this news feature, Mattern presents an overview of how four Canada Research Chairs and the leader of a major U of S research centre are making a difference in areas as diverse as environmental toxicology, water resources research, brain science, infectious disease research and community health.

	Tracking Toxins in the Environment - January 7/2008 Listen (Runs: 0:20) World-renowned toxicologist John Giesy was recruited from Michigan 18 months ago. He says support from the U of S and the Saskatchewan government all played a role in his decision. His team of researchers at the U of S Toxicology Centre is developing techniques to deal with a variety of issues, ranging from extracting oil from tar sands without using water, to a new bio assay to test for chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system. He says in the future, his team will continue to look for novel chemicals affecting the environment, and find solutions to such problems before they become headline news. Giesy says if he can achieve that, he will have done his job, and in the process, make the planet a safer place for people and wildlife.
	Improving Flood, Drought and Water Supply Predictions - January 8/2008 Listen (Runs: 1:26) John Pomeroy, Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change, was recruited from Wales in 2003. He leads the U of S Centre for Hydrology which conducts research aimed at better management and prediction of water resources in Canada and around the world. The Centre is the largest university-based hydrology lab in Canada and it’s attracting graduate students from far afield.
	Empowering Communities to Improve Health - January 9/2008 Listen (Runs: 1:11) Sylvia Abonyi, Canada Research Chair in Aboriginal Health, is working to improve the health of First Nations people. As part of her work with the Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit (SPHERU), she has led development of a health tool kit that measures 165 community factors that affect health. This kit, which can be applied to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, enables communities to track and better understand their own health services. It is now being used across Canada.
	Advancing Treatment for Depression - January 10/2008 Listen (Runs: 1:13) Lisa Kalynchuk, Canada Research Chair in Behavioral Neuroscience, leads a research group that is working to find ways to prevent and treat depression and other forms of mental illness and brain disease. This work is attracting some of the country’s top graduate students.
	Fighting Infectious Diseases in Animals and Humans - January 11/2008 Listen (Runs: 1:21) Dr. Andrew Potter, director of VIDO/InterVac, discusses how the convergence of animal and human health research is creating exciting opportunities for the U of S Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) and the planned International Vaccine Centre (InterVac) which will be built on the U of S campus by 2011.