Fall 2018
UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
SHE’S GOT GAME U of G launches fundraising campaign for women’s athletics p.14
Throwaway living Drowning in plastic rain p.20
In praise of neurodiversity Grad runs ADHD, Asperger’s centre p.28
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Contents
COVER PHOTO: ROB O’FLANAGAN ILLUSTRATION: LARISSA ABRAMS-OGG PHOTOS: ROB O’FLANAGAN; MADELEINE DARLING
14 20 26 12 VOICES
SECTIONS
6 Around the ring
4 Leading edge 4 Life improved 5 President’s message 33 Class notes
IN EVERY ISSUE
News and views from around campus
10 Discovery U of G research, innovations and ideas
31 Alumni matters 25 New chapters, sights & sounds 26 Alumni spotlights 36 Passages 37 Time capsule
porticomagazine.ca
Events, updates and class connections
38 FEATURES COVER STORY
14 A level playing field Promoting equity, excellence in women’s sport
20 Plastic pollution U of G is on a mission to combat plastic waste
38 Last look Campus plaza remake honours U of G alumni
Fall 2018 PORTICO | 3
Life improved Fall 2018, Vol. 50, Issue 2 LEADING EDGE
Want to read even more news from your alma mater? Keep an eye on your mailbox. Several U of G colleges will mail out individual college newsletters. Be sure to bookmark the new and improved digital version of Portico, www. porticomagazine.ca. Here you will find stories, photos, videos and more that are not in the print version of the magazine. As well, we’re regularly adding SPRING 2018
UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
OUR NORTHERN LAND
Monitoring human, animal and environmental well-being in Canada’s changing North. p.12
Road trip
Audiobooks may improve your driving. p.9
2018_PORTICO_SPRING_issue_NEW.indd 1
Family fun
U of G grad designs theme parks worldwide. p.28
2018-03-16 9:11 AM
new original content such as stories and snippets about U of G alumni who are making news headlines around the world.
What did you learn in your time at U of G?
PUBLISHER
Daniel Atlin, vice-president (external) EDITOR
Lori Bona Hunt
the gryphon community spirit, along with what we learned in our respective programs, has made us the determined, knowledgeable professionals we are. We have combined our love of sustainability conservation, photography
and film in our new company, Dronemates. Active projects involve agriculture and forestry and solving problems associated with climate change. –Nicole Altobelli, B.Sc. ’17, and Evan Lavine, BA ’18, partners in life and business i am so grateful for the excellent education I received at U of G! I did a double major in psychology and sociology...but never knew what I wanted to do with it – only that I wanted to help people.Years later, while living in Toronto, I found the answer. I am now a psychotherapist registered with the new college (CRPO) and have a private practice plus a position
Connect with Portico portico@uoguelph.ca 4 | PORTICO Fall 2018
porticomagazine.ca
with my psychotherapy school on the counselling clinic for their current students. My education has come full circle, and I couldn’t be happier. –Linda Bond, BA ’89 the university of Guelph diploma program sparked my passion for business. After going on to earn a B. Comm. and a CA designation, I began a career that has spanned several roles and industries. I worked in a global fertilizer company for 18 years, including three years living and working in Argentina as the general manager of an agricultural services company. I am currently vice-president, finance and services, at the University of Calgary. I credit University of Guelph for giving me a solid foundation for my personal and professional growth. –Linda Dalgetty, Dip. ’82
ART DIRECTOR
Janice Van Eck COPY EDITOR
Andrew Vowles CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Deirdre Healey, Hannah James, Rob O’Flanagan, Andrew Vowles CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Rob O’Flanagan Portico is published by Communications and Public Affairs at the University of Guelph. Opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the University. FEEDBACK
Send letters and story ideas to portico@uoguelph.ca or by mail to Communications and Public Affairs, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont., N1G 2W1. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. ADVERTISING
Send advertising inquiries to Lori Bona Hunt at lhunt@uoguelph.ca or 519-824-4120, Ext. 53338. MOVED?
i started a new legal services practice called Lighthouse last July and have surpassed all sales expectations in the first year. I must thank my 2015 MBA cohort for all their support and networking, which helped Lighthouse succeed in its first year. Looking forward to connecting with alumni in 2018-2019. –Brian Morris, MBA ’17
Send address changes to alumnirecords@uoguelph.ca or 519-824-4120, Ext. 56550, or by mail to Records c/o Alumni Affairs and Development, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont., N1G 2W1. ISSN 1714-8731
Printed in Canada Publication Agreement #40064673 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Portico Magazine, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont., N1G 2W1.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Toward a more sustainable future
I
t’s among the most pressing challenges of our time. How to ensure environmental sustainability and mitigate our human impact on this planet? Environmental sustainability is in this institution’s DNA. From our founding colleges to today’s campuses, wise resource stewardship has been a constant in our research and teaching. Experts here study everything from the effects of pesticides on pollinating insects, to use of DNA barcoding to monitor biodiversity worldwide, to sustainable ways to feed this planet’s growing population through our Arrell Food Institute. We’re also genetically hard-wired at U of G to work across disciplines, a necessary trait for meeting this global challenge. Straddling disciplinary borders is a hallmark of our ever-growing Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre, where plant scientists and engineers collaborate to create new, green alternatives to fossil fuel-based products, especially plastics. Across campus, food scientists are designing greener food packaging. You can read more about these and other U of G plastic mitigation projects in this issue of the Portico.
porticomagazine.ca
Beyond environmental issues alone, sustainability extends to other essential aspects of our lives, including food and water, health, community, culture and learning. They’re all elements that sustain us and our way of life, today and tomorrow. And those elements also cut across disciplines here
plastic that are intended to help improve waste management. In a nice example of closing the loop, the company has installed 12 of the bins around Hallman’s alma mater. Through graduating leaders of tomorrow and through leveraging our strengths in research, education and operations,
We’re also genetically hard-wired at U of G to work across disciplines, a necessary trait for meeting this global challenge. at the University, including the College of Business and Economics, whose theme is developing and inspiring leaders for a sustainable world. Under that mantra, we aim to encourage business grads to use their education as a tool to improve life for people and the planet. Take Matt Wittek, who finished his commerce degree here in 2003. He now runs Cupanion, a company whose reusable products are intended to help rid the world of plastic waste. Or consider Dave Hallman, who completed studies across campus in agricultural engineering in 1992. His company, EarthBin Products, makes in-ground waste containers made of durable, recyclable
U of G can build a more sustainable campus and help point the way to a more sustainable future, here and around the world.
Franco Vaccarino President and Vice-Chancellor Fall 2018 PORTICO | 5
Around the ring CAMPUS NEWS AND VIEWS CAMPUS NEWS
U of G gets $25 million for water and energy conservation The University of Guelph has received $25 million from the Ontario government to support its ongoing energy and water conservation efforts. The money comes from the province’s greenhouse gas campus retrofits program within its larger climate change action plan. Plans include upgrading and expanding the heat recovery system, installing real-time energy monitoring meters and a new electric boiler and pursuing other projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The provincial money includes $9.5 million
in grants and $16.8 million in interest-free loans. Buildings to be upgraded will include the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre and Rozanski Hall, the largest classroom facility on campus.
6 | PORTICO Fall 2018
NOTEWORTHY
Alumnus Jordan Nussbaum with Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek
Grad student Michael Griffiths competed on MasterChef Canada.
Alumnus and grad student on Jeopardy!, MasterChef Alex Trebek set ’em up and U of G alumnus Jordan Nussbaum kept knocking them down during his recent one-day reign as champion of the popular television game show Jeopardy! And U of G mathematics graduate student Michael Griffiths showed he had the right formula to excite the sophisticated taste buds of judges on the popular CTV television series MasterChef Canada. Nussbaum, BAS ’12, had a profitable victory in his first Jeopardy! game, banking $15,800. He was on pace for a similar win in his second game, but a big losing gamble in the “Final Jeopardy” round robbed him of the throne. He did take home an additional $2,000. A lawyer practising civil litigation at the Romano Law Office in Toronto, Nussbaum is a self-proclaimed general trivia buff. At U of G, he was part of the Guelph Quiz Bowl team and regularly attended trivia night at the Brass Taps. Being a bachelor of arts and sciences student also helped, he says. “I definitely feel that the broad-based education that I received in the program contributed to my ability to answer questions in a variety of categories, as I was able to take
courses from many faculty members and subject areas.” Griffiths, a master’s student, made the top three on MasterChef Canada, an intensive cooking competition that challenges chefs to be well-rounded and brilliant in the culinary arts and exceptional under pressure. He was chosen from hundreds of cooks from across the country. There is something mathematical about preparing a recipe, Griffiths says. But he adds that eating, especially in a social setting, is a “total experience” involving family, friends, superb craft and surprising tastes. Griffiths credits his time at U of G with helping him excel on the TV show. “It taught me discipline, taught me how to learn. My graduate classes tested me to do some of the hardest things I’ve ever done and pushed me to limits I didn’t even know I could achieve.” While he plans to become a mathematician, he says he’ll keep on cooking. “I don’t see any harm in having more than one love in life.” Read more of their stories online at porticomagazine.ca.
SCHOLARSHIPS
PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; INSTAGRAM
$1-million gift to support water research A new gift to the University of Guelph is meant to help the next generation of researchers protect one of the world’s most vital resources: water. Edward Y. (Ted) Morwick, an honorary U of G graduate and lawyer-turned-businessman, has pledged $1 million for scholarships for graduate students in water resources engineering and aquatic biology. The new funding will support master’s and PhD students in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences and the College of Biological Science. Six $20,000 scholarships will be available in all, with three awards to top students in each subject area in alternate years. A longtime donor, Morwick has pledged and given more than $2.3 million to the University, mostly for student scholarships in the College of Arts. When fully endowed, this latest donation means he will support 25 U of G students each year.
CAMPUS NEWS
PEOPLE
‘Wonder pig’ inspires $650,000 campaign for giant veterinary scanner
Lisa Thompson, BA ’92, was named Ontario’s Minister of Education. An MPP for Huron-Bruce since 2011, she has served as a rural community adviser for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and as vice-chair of Ontario AgriFood Education Inc.
Esther the Wonder Pig, the real-life star of a hit children’s book and one of the most beloved and famous pigs on Earth, is making a very large contribution to the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College (OVC). The porcine celebrity, and Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter, who rescued her as a tiny piglet and run the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary near Campbellville, Ont., are the benefactors behind the Pegaso CT scanner – the first of its kind in Canada – coming to OVC. The story made headlines with features airing on CTV News, CityNews and CBC News. In fall 2017, Esther began experiencing mysterious, potentially life-threatening health complications that resulted in seizures and hyperventilation. A CT scan was recommended to better diagnose the problem, but no machine large enough was available in Canada. With this new flexible CT, OVC will be able to scan not just pigs but also standing horses and other large animals. With more than 1.5 million followers on social media, Esther inspired a campaign that successfully raised $650,000 to equip OVC with the scanner (www. theestherscanner.com/).
Esther the Wonder Pig helped equip OVC with a giant scanner. porticomagazine.ca
Gillian Siddall, BA ’82, MA ’84, has been appointed president and vicechancellor of Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver. Formerly a U of G lecturer, she cofounded the Guelph Jazz Festival and served as vice-president (academic) and provost at the Ontario College of Art and Design University in Toronto. Adeline (McKinney) Misener, B.H.Sc. ’68, was appointed as a senior goodwill ambassador by the Province of New Brunswick. Rich Moccia, B.Sc. ’76, M.Sc. ’79 and a U of G animal biosciences professor, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Aquaculture Canada. Dave Scott-Thomas, B.Sc. ’88, M.Sc. ’91, was inducted into the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame, recognizing his outstanding career as head coach of U of G’s cross-country and track and field teams, his establishment of the Speed River Track and Field Club in Guelph and his service as a national team coach.
Fall 2018 PORTICO | 7
Around the ring CAMPUS NEWS
University of Guelph has $7.2-billion impact
OVC among world’s best in veterinary medicine and agri-food The University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) is seventh worldwide and tops in Canada in the 2018 World University Rankings. The Ontario Agricultural College ranked second in Canada and was in the top 17 in the world among agricultural and forestry schools, seven spots higher than in the 2017 rankings. The annual ranking by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), an international education network, names the world’s best universities in 48 academic subjects. QS looked at some 1,000 universities from 151 countries, the most comprehensive global overview by discipline of higher education. The survey considers such factors as overall research impact and academic and institutional reputation. OVC is ranked fourth among veterinary schools in North America behind the University of California Davis. After U of G, the University of Calgary was the highest ranked Canadian school in veterinary sciences, placing 48th.
8 | PORTICO Fall 2018
CAMPUS NEWS
U of G’s genetic archive now open to the world The University of Guelph is home to a genetic Noah’s ark representing Canadian creatures from mites to whales. Now this massive archive – one of the planet’s largest collections of DNA samples – is available to researchers worldwide. U of G’s Centre for Biodiversity Genomics has joined the Global Genome Biodiversity Network, a grouping of institutions holding DNA and tissue samples from around the world. It’s headed by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Users worldwide may search a new public database for all 1.5 million Canadian extracts held at U of G, and request samples to be delivered from the archive. U of G’s DNA collection covers about two-thirds of the estimated number of species of animals in Canada, including insects and other invertebrates. Those Canadian samples are among more than 5.3 million DNA extracts from creatures collected worldwide as part of U of G’s DNA barcoding project to catalogue life on the planet.
NOTEWORTHY
U of G named Centre of Excellence, nabs award The University of Guelph and the Speed River Track and Field Club have teamed up to become the first-ever High Performance Centre of Excellence for Athletics (HPCoE) Canada. The University and the prestigious track and field club based in Guelph will offer training, facilities and services to top-level athletes. To receive HPCoE status, facilities must have multiple resident coaches across a range of athletics disciplines; training facilities for all supported events; access to sports science and sports medicine services; a focus on high-performance outcomes; and a history of benchmark event success. As well, U of G’s state-of-theart Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre has received a prestigious international honour. The centre, which opened in early 2017, has been recognized with a Facilities of Merit award by Athletic Business. The annual awards honour sporting facilities based on characteristics including plan efficiency, interior and exterior design and optimal use of space.
PHOTOS: OVC; SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; ROB O’FLANAGAN
RANKINGS
The University of Guelph provides $7.2-billion worth of benefits to the Canadian economy, according to a new economic impact study conducted by KPMG. U of G activities inject $1.6 billion into the regional economy annually, including $789 million in direct expenditures. Students alone contribute $370 million each year in living expenses, which sustains more than 5,000 local jobs. Students, faculty and staff are also engaged in community partnerships and volunteer and civic efforts, the study said.
CAMPUS NEWS
PEOPLE
U of G gets wayfinding system for visually impaired
PHOTO: (TOP) RBC
The University of Guelph is the first Canadian post-secondary institution to install a complete electronic wayfinding system to help blind and visually impaired people find their way around campus. Installed in several high-traffic buildings in the core of the U of G campus, BlindSquare is a mobile app whose audio voicing tells users about their immediate surroundings. The system relies on a network of battery-powered, wall-mounted beacons whose low-energy signals are picked up by the user’s device. The app recognizes the beacon and triggers a voice-over. By listening to their Apple iPhone or iPad, BlindSquare app users can navigate corridors, stairways and elevators, and avoid indoor obstacles. The new system meshes with outdoor GPS-based navigation aids to provide information both inside and outside on the U of G campus. The system will be available everywhere on campus within five years.
porticomagazine.ca
Amanda Boulos with her prize-winning painting In the Morning
Wendy Millar, BA ’81, MA ’87, was named to the Canada Deposit Insurance Corp. board of directors by federal Minister of Finance Bill Morneau. Millar serves on U of G’s Board of Trustees and has been twice recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network.
RECOGNITION
U of G grad wins national painting competition A University of Guelph graduate won the coveted RBC Canadian Painting Competition. It is the eighth year in a row that a U of G student or graduate has won or been a finalist for the prestigious award. Amanda Boulos was announced as the winner of the $25,000 prize in September. She was a finalist in 2017, the same year she graduated from U of G’s master of fine art (MFA) program. “We are thrilled with the announcement of yet another College of Arts grad from the School of Fine Art and Music winning the RBC Canadian Painting Competition,” says Samantha Brennan, dean of the College of Arts. “It is a mark of the excellence of our graduate program and the impact our students are having on the world. That the last four of five winners have been from our studio MFA is a credit to the calibre of our students and our faculty.” Boulos is known for depicting the stories of her Palestinian ancestors through her art. Her prizewinning painting is titled In the Morning. Toronto-based Boulos joins previous U of G MFA grads Ambera Wellmann, Patrick Cruz and Titziana La Melia as up-and-coming artists who have won the prestigious prize. Wellmann’s painting Temper Ripened won in 2017. Cruz’s Time allergy took the prize in 2015, and La Melia’s Hanging on to the part won in 2014. U of G students were also finalists in 2009 and 2011. The annual national competition is sponsored by RBC and Canadian Art magazine.
Mary Wells, dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, was named a new Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. Chemistry professor Mario Monteiro was named one of Canada’s most inspirational immigrants, receiving one of RBC’s Top 25 Immigrant Awards. U of G emeritus professor Elizabeth Waterston was named to the Order of Canada, considered the country’s highest honour for lifetime achievement, for her contributions to Canadian literature. An expert on the writings of Lucy Maud Montgomery, Waterston taught literature at U of G for more than two decades. DNA barcoding pioneer Prof. Paul Hebert is the first Canadian to win the prestigious Dr. A.H. Heineken Prize for Environmental Sciences from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. The award, given every two years since 1990, is worth $200,000. Fall 2018 PORTICO | 9
Discovery RESEARCH, INNOVATION, IDEAS FINDINGS
Training for a big race or personal best? Don’t overdo it
Prof. Pat Barclay
People love to hate do-gooders, especially at work Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be a dogooder, according to a new University of Guelph study. Highly cooperative and generous people can attract hatred and social punishment, especially in competitive circumstances, says study author and psychology professor Pat Barclay. “Most of the time we like the cooperators, the good guys. We like it when the bad guys get their comeuppance, and when noncooperators are punished,” he says. “But some of the time, cooperators are the ones that get punished. People will hate on the really good guys. This pattern has been found in every culture in which it has been looked at.” The study, conducted by Barclay and undergraduate student Aleta Pleasant and published in Psychological Science, found that cooperative behaviour attracted 10 | PORTICO Fall 2018
punishment most often in groups whose members compete among themselves. This was the case even when punishing or derogating the do-gooder lessened benefits for the entire group, including the punisher. Without competition, cooperation increased, the study says. Suspicion, jealousy or hostility toward those who seem better or nicer appears to run deep in the psychological makeup of humans, Barclay says, adding that social dynamics may be the cause. “You can imagine within an organization today the attitude, ‘Hey, you’re working too hard and making the rest of us look bad,’” he says. “One potential benefit of this research is that by identifying and raising awareness of this competitive social strategy and what it does, maybe it will be less likely to work.”
Alexandra Coates
PHOTOS: ROB O’FLANAGAN; ALEXANDRA COATES
FINDINGS
Many recreational triathletes and runners often ramp up their training in hopes of getting a personal best or winning a race. But new research from the University of Guelph demonstrates that more isn’t always better. Overload training may alter firing in the body’s sympathetic nerve fibres, which could hinder performance. “The theory behind overload training is that you train to the point of complete exhaustion, so that when you rest and recover, you will be able to perform at a higher level than before,” says Alexandra Coates, a PhD student in human health and nutritional science and lead author of the study. But the study, which involved recreational triathletes and cyclists, revealed that muscle sympathetic nerve activity, which constricts the muscle’s blood vessels and indicates stress in the body, increased in overtrained athletes. “Athletes who followed a consistent training regime and didn’t have the same overload stress demonstrated improvements in their overall fitness and other markers of cardiovascular health,” says Coates, a triathlete.
PHOTOS: ROB O’FLANAGAN
FINDINGS
FINDINGS
Size does not matter – in bird brains
Real-time monitoring could reduce First Nations water advisories
Bigger does not mean better in the bird world. “Bird brains are small, but they have the same number of neurons as the average primate,” says Prof. Ryan Gregory, Department of Integrative Biology. “Contrary to the idea of ‘bird brains,’ they’re pretty bright.” In a recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Zoology, he found that birds with smaller genomes have more neurons crammed into the same brain mass than those with larger genomes. Pack neurons more densely, and you promote more neuronal connections, a key factor in intelligence. “At the cell level, that tells us about how complex brains evolve,” Gregory says.
University of Guelph researchers have found that the majority of drinking water advisories in First Nations communities across Canada are precautionary, and that installing real-time monitoring systems could reduce the number of these advisories by more than one-third. Drinking water advisories are issued because of equipment malfunction, inadequate disinfection and high microbial counts, says School of Engineering professor Ed McBean, lead author of the study. Between 2004 and 2014, 64 per cent of First Nations in Canada experienced at least one drinking water advisory; as of last fall, 144 advisories were in effect in 98 First Nations communities. “While many of the drinking water advisories are in place for long periods of time, they do not necessarily indicate unacceptable water quality,” says McBean, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Water Supply Security. The study analyzed extensive data on drinking water advisories in First Nations communities across Canada. The researchers also interviewed many community members and First Nations organizations in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
Prof. Ed McBean
“Installing real-time monitoring systems would allow operators to identify issues and possibly make corrections or repairs very quickly, thereby reducing the number of precautionary-based drinking water advisories as well as the frequency and duration of all drinking water advisories,” McBean says. The federal government has committed to eliminating drinking water advisories on First Nations within five years.
porticomagazine.ca
FINDINGS
Study authors PhD candidate Chris GuinnNilas and Prof. Robin Milhausen
Sex problems among middle-aged Canadians common
At least one-third of middle-aged Canadians experience sexual problems, according to a new U of G study. Researchers found nearly 40 per cent of women and almost 30 per cent of men between the ages of 40 and 59 face challenges in their sex lives. “Sexual problems among middle-aged Canadians are relatively common,” says Chris QuinnNilas, a PhD candidate in family relations and human development and co-author of the study. “This is significant given this demographic is among the largest in Canada at the moment and research has shown that sexual problems can hinder a person’s overall well-being.” Published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, the study is based on a national survey of 2,400 people who were asked about their sexual health, happiness and pleasure. Nearly 40 per cent of women reported their sexual desire was lower than they would have liked over the preceding six months, and between 15 and 30 percent reported experiencing pain and other sexual problems. About one-third of men reported low sexual desire, and about one-quarter reported sexual performance issues. One of the factors influencing sexual desire is relationship status, says co-author Prof. Robin Milhausen, Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition. Both men and women who are married or living with their partner are more likely to experience lower desire than people who are single, separated, divorced or widowed. “There is a feeling of predictability and over-familiarity that comes with long-term relationships that can hinder a person’s level of sexual satisfaction over time,” says Milhausen. Fall 2018 PORTICO | 11
Discovery
FINDINGS
North American diets require more land than we have
12 | PORTICO Fall 2018
FINDINGS
Pet owners aren’t adequately socializing their puppies A significant number of pet owners fail to adequately socialize their puppies, putting their dogs at risk of developing behavioural problems down the road, say U of G researchers. Ontario Veterinary College professors Jason Coe and Lee Niel and post-doc Janet Cutler found that one-third of pet owners failed to expose their puppies to enough social stimuli, including people and animals, during the first few months of the dogs’ lives. “This is concerning because it means a significant proportion of pet owners are missing the small window between two and 14 weeks where socialization is such a crucial piece in the behavioural development of
dogs,” says Coe. “It’s a limited opportunity where pet owners can have such an influence on a puppy’s life and increase the likelihood of preventing the behaviours that can result in these animals being returned to shelters.” As well, 51 per cent of pet owners failed to attend puppy classes. The researchers found significant differences in puppy behaviour and owners’ disciplinary techniques between those who attended classes and those who didn’t. Puppies that didn’t attend classes were more likely to be fearful of noise, such as vacuum cleaners and thunder, and to react fearfully to crate training. Pet owners who didn’t attend
classes were more likely to use punishment-based discipline such as yelling or holding their puppy on its back, the study says. “This speaks to how puppy classes aren’t just about obedience,” says Coe. “They are about exposing your pet to other people and animals as well as educating pet owners.” Properly socialized puppies are less likely to be hyperactive or fearful, engage in unwanted chewing or show aggression toward people or other pets, Cutler adds. “These problem behaviours in dogs are the leading cause of breakdown in the human-dog relationship and are associated with relinquishment,” she says. For more information on how to prepare for pet ownership: www.beforeyougetapet.com.
PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; MADELEINE DARLING
If the global population adopted recommended North American dietary guidelines, there wouldn’t be enough land to provide the food required, according to a new study co-authored by University of Guelph researchers. Global adherence to United States Department of Agriculture guidelines would require one giga-hectare of additional land— roughly the size of Canada—under current farming practice. “It is unsustainable,” says Prof. Madhur Anand, a professor in U of G’s School of Environmental Sciences and director of the Global Ecological Change and Sustainability lab. “We need to look at diet not just as an individual health issue but as an ecosystem health issue.”
FINDINGS
NOTEWORTHY
Cannabis may help chemo patients
Free-ranging animals ingesting neonics
A compound from cannabis could be developed into promising anti-nausea treatments for cancer patients on chemotherapy, suggests a new research paper by University of Guelph scientists. The study is the first to show the specific trigger for nausea – a common symptom of many diseases and a distressing side effect of chemotherapy that is not effectively treated by current drugs – and its suppression by cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive compound in cannabis.
“This work may lead to a host of potential therapeutic benefits,” says Linda Parker, a U of G psychology professor who has studied the pharmacological properties of cannabinoids on brain behaviours for almost two decades. This includes better anti-nausea therapies using cannabis as well as a novel drug that elevates a natural cannabinoid (2-AG) in the brain region responsible for the sensation of nausea. The study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
NOTEWORTHY
RESEARCH BRIEF
PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Want to reduce blood Prof investigating glucose levels? Eat lentils global impact of Replacing potatoes or rice with pulses can lower your blood glucose levels by more than 20 per cent, according to a first-ever University of Guelph study. Prof. Alison Duncan, Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, and Dan Ramdath of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, found that swapping out half of a portion of these starchy side dishes for lentils can significantly improve your body’s response to the carbohydrates. Replacing half a serving of rice with lentils caused blood glucose to drop by up to 20 per cent. Replacing potatoes with lentils led to a 35-per-cent drop. “Pulses are extremely nutrient-dense food that have the potential to reduce chronic diseases associated with mismanaged glucose levels,” says Duncan. Yet very few Canadians eat lentils, she adds. “Canada has a huge production of lentils, but we export most of it, and only 13 per cent of Canadians eat them on any given day,” she says.
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#MeToo movement University of Guelph Prof. Candace Johnson is investigating various forms taken by the #MeToo movement, each with its own message pertinent to local issues facing women around the globe. “It has begun to measure and therefore make visible women’s experiences of harassment and abuse, and it has inspired action around the globe to respond to the growing evidence of gender injustice,” Johnson says. Germany, Italy, France and Denmark are among countries that have taken up the global #MeToo movement. Others, such as Argentina, have started their own movements. Johnson and researcher Ana María Méndez Dardón are comparing the #NiUnaMenos movement begun in Argentina with #MeToo. “The #MeToo movement, as well as the other movements that have grown from it, is a cultural reckoning that will hopefully result in significant changes,” Johnson says.
Health impacts of neonicotinoids may go well beyond bees, according to a new University of Guelph study. Residues of the insecticides were found in the livers of wild turkeys, providing evidence that this common agrochemical is being ingested by free-ranging animals. The researchers from the Ontario Veterinary College are among the first to study the broader effects of neonics on wildlife. Published in Environmental Science and Pollution Research, the study found that wild turkey carcasses had detectable levels of neonicotinoids in their livers. Two types of the insecticide were found in some birds. The researchers also found corn and soybean seeds coated with the insecticide in the digestive system of some birds. Studying exposure levels in larger wildlife species is critical to understanding wider impacts on migratory behaviour, reproduction and mortality, says Claire Jardine, study author and a U of G pathobiology professor.
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SHOOTING FOR THE STARS SHE’S GOT GAME AIMS TO PROVIDE NEW SCHOLARSHIPS, OPPORTUNITIES, ROLE MODELS STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROB O’FLANAGAN
Nyasha Mombeshora is a secondyear guard on the Gryphon women’s basketball team.
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O
n the basketball court, Quincy Sickles-Jarvis is k n ow n f o r fighting for rebounds, boxing in opponents and, as she puts it,“pushing the big girls around.” She’s got game. “It’s about opening the floor up for other players to do their thing – about taking charge and doing the dirty work,” says Sickles-Jarvis, who played three seasons for the Gryphons and is now serving in team management. Her role as a basketball player in some way parallels what the University of Guelph is trying to do for female athletes in general: Do the hard work, clear a path and open the doors of opportunity so female athletes can be at their best.
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The Department of Athletics’ She’s Got Game campaign, with its $2.5-million fundraising goal, focuses on ensuring that female “EQUAL SCHOLARSHIP athletes have access to better MONIES scholarships, optimal training, and FOR WOMEN equal opportunities and recogni- AND MEN ATHLETES tion as their male counterparts. SIGNAL The seed of She’s Got Game TO THE was planted during a fundraising ATHLETES THAT event one February evening just GENDER IS over three years ago. That initial NO BARRIER event inspired a much broader TO OUR RECOGNITION movement toward equity in OF EXCELU of G athletics – a movement LENCE.” incorporating awareness and engagement, policy renewal and fundraising. Quincy SicklesFebruary is now designated as Jarvis played the month to mark She’s Got three seasons Game on the University campus, of Gryphons including an annual gala. The basketball and now next event will take place Feb. serves in team management. 16, 2019.
Like an athlete taking her game up a notch, the University is making strides toward giving women greater prospects to succeed – in school, in competition and in life. Charlotte Yates, provost and vice-president (academic), says the University has made a major commitment toward ensuring gender equity is front and centre in its processes and practices. Equity is fundamental to building a diverse, inclusive and vibrant community, she says. Equal scholarship support for male and female athletes must be an integral part of the process. “She’s Got Game is important to female athletes because it elevates our recognition of their contribution to the University’s success in athletic pursuits and excellence,” says Yates.
High jumper Gabrielle Marton
“Equal scholarship monies for women and men athletes signal to the athletes that gender is no barrier to our recognition of excellence. It also signals to the world that U of G values equally the contributions of women and men.” In three seasons with the Gryphons, Sickles-Jarvis earned a reputation as a player able to hold her own against opponents who often towered over her. She also learned invaluable life lessons and gained strength of character and collaborative skills that she believes will serve her throughout her life. “It has been a grind, for sure,” says Sickles-Jarvis, who is of Iroquoian ancestry as a descendant of the Oneida Nation of the Thames. Like her female Gryphon counterparts, she has held down a part-time job while being a full-time student and a full-time athlete. She says she has grown immeasurably as a person despite the enormity of the task. “You learn to love every single minute of it,” says the psychology student. “Because you’re in it with the people you love, people who have like minds and are all doing the exact same thing. You’re there for each other. “It’s about much more than sport. It teaches you so much – teamwork, accountability, leadership. It is those types of things that you can apply in your life after university.” Nyasha Mombeshora, a porticomagazine.ca
second-year guard with the basketball team, is a strong supporter of the University’s drive for gender equity in sports. “This is a very important issue for me because I believe female athletes in the past and present have not benefited from com- “IT INVOLVES peting at a varsity or pro level of EQUITY sports to the same degree that AROUND DEVELOPmales have,” says Mombeshora, a MENT OPPORTUNITY biomedical science student. “Sports are a great outlet for OF OUR COACHES youth, and accessibility to train- AND EQUITY ing should be available to every- IN HIRING.” one no matter a person’s gender, race or ability. I feel that not having as many opportunities for female athletes could steer them towards activities that may not benefit them in the same way that organized sports may.” She says girls are told there are limits to what they can achieve, and that She’s Got Game could Scott counter those defeatist attitudes McRoberts, director of and lessons. athletics “Providing young female athletes with scholarships, for example, will help lift off a financial burden that many female athletes must overcome when facing the realities of university.” She says it is unfortunate that male sports receive more accolades and sponsorship opportunities than female sports. She hopes She’s Got Game will shine a bigger and brighter spotlight on female athletics. In recent years, U of G has greatly expanded its athletic facilities, ensuring comparable
infrastructure for male and female athletes on campus. Additional change rooms, fitness facilities, gyms and equipment are intended to promote athletic excellence and gender equality, says Scott McRoberts, director of athletics. U of G’s new athletics centre now offers more female varsity dressing rooms than male dressing rooms, he says, adding that the upgrades have “helped to combat some inequities. The athletics centre is an equal opportunity facility in terms of both male and female teams having access to it.” The goal of ensuring equity is pervasive in U of G athletics and is integral to the department’s policy, says McRoberts. And while equity in competitive opportunity and support for athletic services is an essential element, the policy includes much more. “It involves equity around development opportunity of our coaches and equity in hiring,” McRobert says. “It includes equity in broadcasting, promotion and coverage of our teams.” Chris Moulton, senior development manager for U of G athletics and student affairs, says athletic facilities have improved hugely since 2005, when he graduated from U of G. “Virtually every facility on this campus has been improved in some way or another.” Female athletes’ prowess enhances U of G’s reputation and brings national attention to the University’s outstanding athletics program, says McRoberts. In 2017-18, every women’s team at Guelph qualified for the playoffs.The track and field team dominated the U Sports nationals. The women’s cross-country team has won 12 straight nationFall 2018 PORTICO | 17
al titles – the most in any U of G varsity sport, male or female. University alumnae include Olympians and world record holders. Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first female astronaut, played basketball at U of G. Sue Scherer, Sylvia Ruegger and Cassie Campbell are great names in Canadian sport. Campbell says the success of women’s sports at U of G reflects “the leadership of the University. You look at a lot of their female teams, they’ve done so well over the years and that’s because they’ve been paid attention to.” One of the most recognizable female hockey players in the world, Campbell is the only Canadian hockey player, male or female, to captain a national team to two Olympic gold medals – in Turin, Italy, and in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her team also won an Olympic silver medal in Nagano, and she was captain of the national women’s team from 2001 until her retirement in 2006. A longtime University supporter, she often talks about the lasting friendships she made on campus and how U of G gave her independence and taught her discipline. Her most memorable coach was Gryphon hockey coach Sue Scherer. Coaching for women’s sports, says Campbell, should be a priority, notably “highly paid, good-quality coaching, paid positions that allow female coaches, or male coaches who coach the female game, just the allowance and the monies to focus on their sport full-time.” A 1997 sociology and nutrition graduate, Campbell played Gryphon hockey from 1992 to 1996 and racked up a long list of “firsts.” In her final year, she received the W.F. Mitchell Award 18 | PORTICO Fall 2018
Tessa Hamilton trains for track and field.
U of G alumna and superstar hockey player Cassie Campbell is a strong supporter of the University and a champion of strong coaching for women’s sports.
for outstanding talent and exceptional leadership and involvement in athletics. Things have changed since her university years, she says, but not enough. “We’re still not where we want to be, but I think back to when I grew up and you’d go to a hockey school and you’d be the only girl there. Now, there are a ton of all-female hockey schools and so many young girls playing. They have access to better ice time and better coaching. There are still things that we can push for. “When you’re talking about athletics, it’s not just male athletics anymore, it’s female athletics, and they need to be talked about on the same platform with the same agendas. The end goal in mind is winning and being the best that they can be in producing great leaders.” Wherever athletic training happens on the University of Guelph campus, Tessa Hamilton can be found. She knows what it takes to be a superb athlete. “Competing and winning is the best feeling in the world,” says Hamilton, an arts and sciences student. This past spring, she won silver in the 300-metre race at the U Sports national track and field championships. Whether sprinting the track at Alumni Stadium, working on her reflexes in the stadium’s infield, or
building muscle, flexibility and reflexes in U of G’s Gryphon Performance Centre, the sprinter and pole vaulter is a fixture in the University’s athletic circles. “Athletics is a great motivator,” says Hamilton. “It’s excellent for your mental health and helps you get your stresses out. I always feel that my spirits are lifted when I’m out working hard. I’m out here about six times a week training.” Gryphon rugby player Brodie Schmidt takes full advantage of the Health and Performance Centre. “I like being strong and muscular,” says the environmental governance student as she loads a bar with 100 pounds, preparing for a series of squats. “It’s maybe not the ideal social body for a woman, and there’s definitely a stigma attached to it. But it’s amazing the things you can do when you’re strong physically. When you have more strength, you’re more successful in sports and more confident on and off the field. You feel better when you’re strong.” The University’s female athletes are role models for about 4,000 children and youth in the Junior Gryphons program, McRoberts says. They are just as competitive as their male counterparts, and they work and sacrifice as much. Through the She’s Got Game campaign, U of G aims to pro-
vide more opportunities and set an example for other universities in achieving gender equality. “The equity around sport hasn’t always been there between the genders,” he says. “I think we know that.We want to be recognized as a program that supports our women athletes the best – the best in developing them, supporting them, graduating them and making them better citizens.” A main goal of She’s Got Game is to remedy a gender disparity in named scholarships. Currently, female varsity athletes at the University receive $1 in named donor support for athletic scholarships for every $3 donated for named male athletic scholarships. An immediate $250,000 funding boost by the University as part of She’s Got Game will help close that gap, says McRoberts. “We identified a need to grow our women’s scholarship support,” adds Moulton. “And that was the initial idea of the She’s
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A MAIN GOAL OF SHE’S GOT GAME IS TO REMEDY A GENDER DISPARITY IN NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS.
Rugby player Brodie Schmidt trains at the Health and Performance Centre.
Got Game concept. It was to fundraise. We started out with this target of $2.5 million, to try to raise those women’s awards up to a comparable level to the male awards.”Funds raised for women’s athletic scholarships currently stand at about $750,000. The money is an expression of a larger principle, says Yates. The campaign allows U of G to position itself as a leader in Canadian university athletics, systematically striving for equitable awards for male and female athletes while fostering a larger presence for women in coaching and equal promotion of male and female athletes and teams. “U of G can, through this initiative, lead the way in building respect for the achievements of female athletes,” Yates says. She adds that, as She’s Got Game has gained more national recognition, many other schools are showing interest in supporting similar initiatives.
“U of G should feel proud to be at the forefront of such an equity initiative at a time when society is concerned about equity issues and is looking for innovative solutions.” For Sickles-Jarvis, supporting She’s Got Game comes down to a simple truth: “People should care about female athletics. “In the world today, women are our future.There used to be such a big difference between women and men, but now things are rising, and we are right on par. We need to recognize that, and we need to empower women properly. We need those role models that girls can look up to. When a girl has someone to look up to who is a woman, then it makes it easier to shoot for the stars.” Visit www.shesgotgame.ca for more information on the initiative and to learn how you can pledge your support to Gryphon women’s athletics.
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SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS HOW U OF G IS HELPING RID THE WORLD OF PLASTIC STORY BY ANDREW VOWLES ILLUSTRATION BY LARISSA ABRAMS-OGG 20 | PORTICO Fall 2018
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hrowaway Living”: That was the headline on a 1955 Life magazine story celebrating the plastics revolution. In a photograph, smiling family members stand with upraised arms to welcome a rain of bowls, cups, straws, trays and other items. Jump to 2018, and you get a different picture. Reprinted this past summer in a story called “Planet or Plastic?” in National Geographic, that decades-old
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celebratory photo jars against more sobering shots: waste dumps, plastic recycling facilities, bottles choking a Madrid fountain during an art installation about the environmental impact of disposable plastics. In less than the average human lifetime, we’ve gone from singing in the plastic rain to drowning in it. Some nine billion tons of plastic have accumulated on Earth mostly since the 1950s, with nearly seven billion tons’ worth ending up as waste. Today’s production adds almost 450 million tons a year, 40 per cent of it in single-use items, especially packaging. Much of that material will take centuries to break down.
Meantime, it’s accumulating on land and in our rivers, lakes and oceans. Plastic pollution – the theme of this year’s Earth Day – poses a hazard to living things of all kinds, including a now-iconic sea turtle found three years ago with a straw stuck in its nose. After a marine biologist’s video went viral, the creature’s plight spurred companies and governments to ban plastic straws. At the University of Guelph, PJ’s Restaurant was ahead of the game. In 2011, the student-run campus dining room stopped providing plastic straws, just one of many environmental initiatives that earned the establishment both third-party LEAF certificaFall 2018 PORTICO | 21
tion and inclusion on a list of Canada’s Greenest Restaurants for 2012. Prof. Bruce McAdams, School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management, displays a “Straws Suck” T-shirt designed by students in his restaurant operations course in 2011 whose life-cycle analysis of PJ’s included the environmental impact of the enterprise. Referring to PJ’s plastic straw ban – and a continued focus on plastics as part of his University of Guelph Sustainable Restaurant Project – McAdams says, “It’s all part of our move to become more sustainable.” That’s the wider goal of research, teaching and institutional projects at U of G aimed at reducing or eliminating the use of fossil fuel-based plastics and finding alternatives to those materials for numerous applications on campus and off. Various players from researchers to campus administrators aim to help curb plastic pollution and reduce reliance on petroleum-derived products that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. In what is arguably the University’s signature project in this area, plant biologists, chemists and engineers in the Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre (BDDC) are exploring plantbased alternatives to petroleumderived plastics for numerous applications.The group designed the world’s first fully compostable, single-serve coffee pod in 2015 as an alternative to millions of pods made with conventional plastics that end up in landfills. Now marketed by Toronto’s Club Coffee in North America, South America and Europe, the pod is made from compostable coffee chaff, formerly a waste by-product from roasting beans. 22 | PORTICO Fall 2018
“ WHAT WE’RE DOING TODAY IS EMBEDDING THE AGRI-FOOD PRODUCTION CYCLE WELL WITHIN THE BIO-ECONOMY.”
Prof. Bruce McAdams
Prof. Amar Mohanty
BDDC director Prof.Amar Mohanty – who is cross-appointed between the Department of Plant Agriculture and the School of Engineering – says, “This innovative coffee pod not only addresses issues of environmental sustainability but also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels.” The group is also looking at renewable car parts, packaging and a range of products that incorporate bio-based polymers as composites. During a visit this past summer by Catherine McKenna, federal minister of environment and climate change, University officials discussed the coffee pods as well as products from drinking straws to mulch films to tomato rings for the greenhouse industry, all made from bio-composites. Digging up plant-based bioproducts makes sense for a university whose roots lie in agriculture, says Malcolm Campbell, vice-president (research). “We have always been involved in mobilizing knowledge out of the academy and into the real world,” he says. “What we’re doing today is embedding the agri-food production cycle well within the bio-economy, looking at capturing agricultural resources and using them in novel ways.” Now 10 years old, the BDDC completed a $7-million expansion this year, bringing the facility to about 14,000 square feet in size. Researchers use a range of equipment to create composites and test their properties for potential applications. At an international conference
held by the centre this past summer in Guelph, experts discussed bioplastics and bio-composites and the so-called circular economy intended to reduce waste and ensure environmental sustainability – what U of G president Franco Vaccarino calls “one of the most pressing issues of our time.” Unlike the “take-makedispose” model of the current linear economy, says Mohanty, “the circular economy is a system where nothing is wasted, and valuable materials destined for the landfill are put back into the economy without negative effects on people and the environment.” (Along with other local groups, U of G is supporting a proposal to designate Guelph-Wellington as Canada’s first circular food economy, intended to increase access to affordable, nutritious food, create new businesses and jobs, and turn food waste into new products.) Also based at the BDDC is a new project led by Prof. Manju Misra to develop and commercialize sustainable plastic packaging from recycled and renewable plastics as well as industrial and food waste. Earlier this year, U of G received $3.8 million from the provincial government for the project.“Our innovative, sustainable packaging research is intended to reduce landfill burden, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions,” says Misra, who is also cross-appointed between Engineering and Plant Agriculture. That project includes industry and government partners as well as other U of G faculty members. One is Evan Fraser, a professor in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, who plans to look at consumer attitudes toward alternative ma-
terials, specifically biodegradable, food-grade plastics used in packaging. Those alternatives currently carry undesirable traits – brittle, opaque – inimical to use on grocery store shelves.They can also be costly. Disposable plastics are both convenient and cheap, says Fraser: “So much of our economy is predicated on not paying the full environmental cost of fossil fuels. We need ways of ensuring that we pay the full, long-term environmental cost of our lifestyles.” He heads U of G’s Arrell Food Institute (AFI), which was launched in 2017 and brings together campus researchers working to ensure sustainable global food production. He adds: “The challenge with food packaging is that, despite being polluting, it helps keep food safe to eat for longer. In some ways, there’s a trade-off between environmental sustainability and food safety. The thing that gets me excited is the potential to address that tradeoff. Can we develop food-grade plastics that use biodegradable materials and keep food safe that consumers will accept?” Helping to answer that question is partly the point of research by Prof. Maria Corradini, who will join U of G’s Department of Food Science this fall as one of three newly appointed Arrell Food Chairs. Formerly at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, she studies the use of edible coatings and biodegradable plastics for food packaging. Along with a Spanish colleague, she’s assessing the sensitivity of molecular sensors to changes in the integrity of packaging materials, from increasing brittleness to higher water content. By indicating whether biodegradable packaging may be losing integrity, these probes may help prevent porticomagazine.ca
“BAGASSE IS ALL IMPORTED TO CANADA. HOW ABOUT A MADE-IN-CANADA PRODUCT?” contamination or spoilage. She’s also interested in real-time ways to convey that information to consumers. Imagine retrieving information on packaging integrity and food quality from those sensors using your mobile phone in the grocery store or in your pantry at home. “Effectively determining the remaining shelf life of a product through real-time monitoring will have a huge impact on waste and safety,” says Corradini. Food science professor LoongTak Lim, who is director of the Guelph Food Innovation Centre, also hopes to make food packaging greener. He’s working with a Brampton, Ont., company that currently uses bagasse, the pulpy residue from sugar cane grown abroad, to make bowls, cups and takeaway containers used in restaurants and food
Prof. Maria Corradini
Prof. Loong-Tak Lim
service. Referring to wheat straw, or stalks left on Canadian farmers’ fields after crop harvesting, he says, “Bagasse is all imported to Canada. How about a made-in-Canada product?” Now he and School of Engineering professor Manickavasagan Annamalai aim to help the company test its production processes for using wheat straw in its products. This fall, they obtained a project grant from a sustainable engineering research fund established in early 2018 as part of a $5-million gift to U of G from the Barrett Family Foundation. Announced early this year on campus, that gift will also support a new Barrett Family Chair in Sustainable Food Engineering, Canada’s first academic chair in the topic. Based in the School of Engineering and connected to the AFI, the chair is intended to find innovative ways to improve food processing, including better packaging and green technologies that will help prolong shelf life and reduce food waste. Besides conducting research projects intended to reduce plastics use, U of G is holding up a mirror to its own institutional practices.When students returned for the fall semester, they found a campus nearly free of plastic straws and bags. In a move that drew national media attention this past spring, U of G’s Hospitality Services announced plans to remove the single-use products from its in-house retail and restaurant outlets. Ed Townsley, executive director of the department, estimates that the University will effectively divert 155,000 plastic bags and 175,000 plastic straws from landfills every year – what he calls “a small but important change with a huge impact.” Fall 2018 PORTICO | 23
Procurement manager Mark Kenny says on-campus franchises such as Starbucks and Booster Juice follow their own corporate policies and are exempt from the change, but “we’re working with them to pull out straws.” Widening the scope, Kenny says end consumers and point-of-sale outlets on campus account for only part of the plastic generated through his department. A much larger component is what he calls “back of house.” Food ingredients and products destined for preparation in dining halls and residence kitchens arrive on campus in plastic packaging for shipping convenience, increased shelf life and food safety. Besides encouraging reuse of plastic containers within campus food services, Kenny works with suppliers to look for improvements. This summer, he was assessing a clamshell takeout container made by a Canadian supplier from bagasse for campus dining halls and food trucks. “Sustainability is top of mind in sourcing,” he says.“When I source products, I ask how they are packaged, and I source in bulk as much as I can.” Sustainable improvements in food services and other U of G departments are part of the wider campus waste-handling system involving Physical Resources (PR) and municipal waste services. Brandon Raco, sustainability coordinator in the Sustainability Office and a 2015 U of G graduate in environmental governance, says it’s tough to know how much plastic arrives on campus and how much ends up in recycling programs. He says administrators in pertinent departments have discussed the need for a comprehensive institutional infrastructure and systems for reducing or eliminating 24 | PORTICO Fall 2018
“ CAN WE DEVELOP FOODGRADE PLASTICS THAT USE BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS AND KEEP FOOD SAFE THAT CONSUMERS WILL ACCEPT?” all forms of waste, including plastics, across campus. Last year, his department started a composting program that collects food scraps from Creelman Hall’s back of house – as well as manure and animal bedding from the OntarioVeterinary College (OVC) – and turns them into compost for use by campus grounds and the Guelph Centre for Urban Organic Farming. PR plans to expand the program to kitchens in the University Centre, OVC and South Residences. Raco wants to add post-consumer food waste, too, but that raises a challenge: educating customers to keep single-use disposable plastic out of the composting stream. That points to a wider question that goes well beyond
campus alone to involve the waste management systems in Guelph. The City of Guelph is developing a solid waste management master plan and is investigating the possibility of banning single-use plastic bags, prompted this year by the advocacy group Plastic Free Guelph. Besides ensuring that consumers do what’s right, says Raco, we need to ensure that those systems can deal appropriately with various waste materials, including plastic. Referring to those systems – whether on campus, in Guelph or further afield – he says three elements are needed: a sound waste-handling infrastructure, clear policies and procedures, and appropriate behaviours. “Dealing with plastic is a structural challenge,” he says. “Plastics have been ingrained for so long.” Will that change? Bruce McAdams hopes new generations will continue to push for improvements. That includes his two children, aged 11 and 16. “When my son and I walk the dog, we take a bag to pick up plastic bottles for recycling. It’s part of our commitment,” he says. That’s echoed by Alexia D’Angelo, a fourth-year psychology student who worked with McAdams this past summer. Her discussion paper on single-use plastic, appearing this fall on the website of the Sustainable Restaurant Project, includes findings about millennials, born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s. “My generation is becoming more aware and interested and motivated to reduce single-use items,” she says. “They’re looking for more environmentally friendly options.”
New chapters, sights & sounds
The latest books, art and exhibitions by U of G faculty and alumni LINDA MAHOOD
Thumbing a Ride: Hitchhikers, Hostels and Counterculture in Canada Prof. Linda Mahood in U of G’s Department of History knows hitchhiking – not just from her research but also from her own teenaged experience. This past summer, her book Thumbing a Ride: Hitchhikers, Hostels and Counterculture in Canada was published by UBC Press and explores the rise and fall of hitchhiking in Canada. ROBERT CRAM
PHOTO: (BOTTOM LEFT) ROB O’FLANAGAN; (TOP RIGHT) GROUNDS FOR SCUPTURE
The Hand-Off A Robert Cram sculpture titled The Hand-Off has been installed on Lang Way in front of Alumni Stadium and the new Pavilion on the U of G campus. The metal sculpture depicting a quarterback handing off a football was
commissioned by Stu Lang, a former Edmonton Eskimo in the CFL who coached the Guelph Gryphons football team for six years. Lang and his wife, Kim, funded the new Pavilion at Alumni Stadium through their Angel Gabriel Foundation. KIM ANDERSON
Keetsahnak: Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters Métis writer Kim Anderson is one of three editors of Keetsahnak: Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters. The book’s 36 contributors examine the root causes of violence against women in an effort to create a new model of anti-violence. JAMES CARL
oof Giant egg cartons covering a 24-metre-long wall are not such an unusual undertaking
for visual artist James Carl. He’s the same artist who created a 635-kilogram replica of a rubber band. Carl’s grand-scale installation oof occupies a grandiose space in Hamilton, New Jersey’s Grounds for Sculpture until the end of 2018. A professor of studio art in U of G’s School of Fine Art and Music, Carl is known internationally for replicating mundane objects using materials like cardboard or marble.
excellence in Canadian independent publishing. Her volume follows the challenges of a 15-year-old girl after the accidental death of her father. Hogg, who lives in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., graduated with a BA in 2003. JENNIFER CARVALHO
Night Thoughts Jennifer Carvalho’s summer exhibition Night Thoughts at Toronto’s Georgia Scherman Projects received international press coverage. Moody and evocative depictions of forest
EMMA HOGG
Winona Rising Author Emma L.R. Hogg was nominated for the Whistler Independent Book Awards for her new book, Winona Rising. The awards recognize interiors, Night Thoughts was written about in BLOUIN ARTINFO International, an art magazine and website based in New York City. Carvalho received her MFA in studio art at U of G in 2013. porticomagazine.ca
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Spotlight
From OAC student to international banker, Bill Brock traces path to success
BROCK’S EXPERIENCE AND INSIGHT HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE FOR THE UNIVERSITY AND FOR ITS MEMBERS.
“A day for a celebration”: That’s what Bill Brock calls the day in 1958 when he graduated from the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), one of the founding colleges of the University of Guelph. He was among the first in his family to attend high school, let alone university. His parents – and their parents’ siblings and spouses – had all left school after eighth grade. “Going to university was a bit of a dream, as my family did not have the resources to help fund my education, and there were no student loan programs,” says Brock. He put himself through OAC with various jobs during summers and the school year. “It changed my life,” he says. “Besides learning in the classroom, I learned how to progressively build my self-confidence – a very important factor given that I was younger than most of my classmates.”
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PHOTO: (TOP) ROB O’FLANAGAN
Coming full circle
Bill and
After finishing the fourth year Anne Brock; Bill’s of his agricultural engineering (below) graduation option, Brock completed his ac- photo, OAC ’58. credited mechanical engineering degree at the University of Toronto. Having begun work with a major oil company, he soon realized that he needed a business education to keep up with his peers. He earned an MBA from Western University. After joining the Toronto-Dominion Bank, Brock spent the next 37 years at home and abroad, including 13 years in London, Hong Kong and Singapore. He spent the last 20 years of his career with the executive team at the bank’s Canadian head office. After returning to Canada in the mid1980s, he decided to make one major volunteer commitment – to the University of Guelph. For nearly 25 years, he volunteered in various roles, including serving as a member and ultimately chair of the Board of Governors. During his five-year term as chair, U of G and other institutions confronted a major challenge. “The world changed for all universities in Ontario,” he says. “The Ontario government slashed
its funding in the early nineties, and it became clear that this would not change and that universities would now have to fundraise on a major scale.” Besides relying on student fees and government transfers, the University needed to secure revenue through fundraising campaigns and other means. Two campaigns in the late 1980s and the early 2000s raised more than $100 million in total for the University. Brock served as vice-chair and lead volunteer for the first campaign and was the largest volunteer fundraiser for the second. For the latter campaign, Bill and his wife, Anne, donated funds to establish an endowment for the Brock Doctoral Scholarships, one of the top awards of its kind in Canada. A recent donation from the couple brings the total endowment to $2.5 million and will allow future scholarships to increase to $150,000 from the current $120,000. U of G president FrancoVaccarino says providing one of the largest awards for a PhD student in Canada – particularly with the recent endowment increase – means that “the University of Guelph can offer a scholarship that attracts the best who can become the foundation of tomorrow’s faculty.” More than 10 PhD students have received the awards. Jesse Stewart, a professor in Carleton University’s music department since 2008, was the inaugural recipient at U of G. He says the award opened the door to his academic career. Before receiving the award, he had taken a “soul-crushing” job to make ends meet. Says Stewart, “I had a brand-new baby at home and had been trying to make a living by playing music, which was spotty at best.” Hoping to return to university, he applied for the Brock scholarship. Receiving the funding was “like winning the lottery. I couldn’t believe it. Everything I’ve done since, including getting the professorship at Carleton, is because of the Brock scholarship.” Calling the Brocks “tremendously generous and wonderfully kind people,” Stewart says they are “a wonderful example of giving back and working to benefit others as they’ve benefited.” Brock also spearheaded the creation of the Heritage Trust in porticomagazine.ca
TWO CAMPAIGNS IN THE LATE 1980S AND THE EARLY 2000S RAISED MORE THAN $100 MILLION IN TOTAL FOR THE UNIVERSITY.
Jesse Stewart, now a Carleton University professor, was the first recipient of the Brock scholarship.
the early 1990s to develop surplus real estate owned by the University on and off campus and leased to third parties. He chaired the trust for about 10 years.The Heritage Trust has generated more than $133 million and now provides about $10 million a year to the University. Acting on behalf of the University, Brock negotiated the purchase of the Cutten Club, the golf club adjacent to campus. Now called Cutten Fields, the club was leased to its members for 40 years; after that term ends, U of G will determine the future for this large tract of land. “I recognized some 35 years ago that my successful struggle to go to university had resulted in an outstanding career,” says Brock.“I will be forever indebted to the University of Guelph for the change and opportunity it brought to my life.” The U of G president says Brock’s experience and insight have been invaluable for the University and for its members. “We are deeply indebted to Bill and the deep connection he has to the University,” says Vaccarino. “His support and leadership have been integral to the success of this institution and its national and international reputation for excellence.”
Fall 2018 PORTICO | 27
Spotlight
Alina’s superpowers Grad draws on personal experience to run Guelph counselling centre
Bees do math? Cool. That’s what Alina Kislenko ness that no one had pinpointed her condition thought when she took a first-ever course on earlier, tempered with relief at finally having inforhuman-insect interactions as an elective during her mation she could work with. Not only that, but French and drama studies as a university student. the news suggested a way to harness her interests “It was my first good grade ever,” she says. From and insights as a counsellor. their geometric hives to their navigational skills, Hanging out a counsellor’s shingle was hardly bees fascinated her – so much so that she decided what she envisioned when she arrived in Guelph to change her program to pursue entomology. in 2006. She was born in Ukraine and moved to And not just her program: Then in second year, Toronto as a preschooler.Although she was bright, Kislenko decided to change schools. That’s how she endured bullying and ostracism at school and she ended up leaving York University and felt misunderstood at home. starting her third year in environmental “ WHEN YOU At university, she had difficulties with sciences at the University of Guelph in HAVE ADHD, time management, organization, dealing 2006. It didn’t take long to figure out that YOU HAVE TO with peers and study skills. Even though WORK TWO she didn’t like the new program after all. TIMES AS she was fascinated by psychology, she She switched to geography, but that still HARD TO GET initially earned poor marks in the subject. wasn’t right. “It took me longer to read the textbooks, HALF THE It was a boyfriend at the time who RETURN AS it was hard to interpret the teachers’ insteered her toward her ultimate course: OTHERS.” structions,” she says. “I didn’t understand “He said: ‘All you talk about is psycholwhat they wanted.When you have ADHD, ogy.’” About a decade later, the U of G alumna is you have to work two times as hard to get half the still talking psychology as the head of the ADHD return as others.” and Asperger’s Centre, a counselling service in Getting on track involved a lot of experimenting. downtown Guelph. Not surprisingly for a psych major, she leaned on It turned out that Kislenko’s fascination lay less Skinner’s reinforcement model – “fining” herself in human-insect interactions and more in inter- whenever she failed to complete homework or actions involving humans – both “Aspies,” her pet other assignments and rewarding herself for stickterm for people with Asperger’s, and “neurotyp- ing with a task. icals.” That interest also lay in her own experience. Along with a few friends, she created a selfIt was at U of G that she was diagnosed with improvement group. Joining the mature students attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Three years association – even though, at 21, she was among the later, she was also diagnosed with Asperger’s. That youngest members – also helped. She practised syndrome was removed from the diagnostic manu- radical transparency with her roommates. al of mental disorders in 2013 and folded into the And she turned to the Centre for Students with high-functioning end of autism spectrum disorder Disabilities (CSD), where she got accommodations (ASD), although it still has common parlance among and services. To improve notetaking in class, she practitioners and clients. Typically, people with the obtained a Livescribe “smartpen”(“so magical,” she disorder have difficulty with social interactions and says) and learned to listen for context and relationshow limited interests or repetitive behaviours. ships among concepts and ideas. She obtained Kislenko says she’s learned to manage her Asper- textbooks in audio form and arranged to write gian traits through withholding judgment about exams at her own pace at the CSD. others, listening closely and checking assumptions Recalling Kislenko from one of his classes, or explaining her condition upfront to new acquaint- psychology professor Karl Hennig says: “From the ances – what she calls “radical transparency” – rather outset, she struck me as a very curious individual than risk misunderstanding. with a great deal of infectious enthusiasm.” As a Her own diagnosis sparked mixed feelings: sad- member of his lab group, she developed curriculum 28 | PORTICO Fall 2018
Alina Kislenko is head of the ADHD and Asperger’s Centre, a counselling service in downtown Guelph.
PHOTO: MATHEW MCCARTHY, GRAND MAGAZINE
materials for a dating violence and sexuality program intended for high schools. Says Hennig:“She had a lot of creative ideas and put together some great material.” Having finally been diagnosed with Asperger’s and perceiving a lack of local counselling services for Aspies and ADHD-ers, she launched the centre in Guelph in 2010. There, counsellors and therapists – all themselves with ADHD or ASD – offer diagnostic and counselling services to clients from Guelph and nearby cities. As a registered psychotherapist and coach, Kislenko has seen many of those clients herself. She also worked at widening public understanding porticomagazine.ca
of ADHD and Asperger’s, including hosting a former show called “Strange Brains” on U of G’s campus radio station. Her main message – also contained in her Asperger’s handbook – is that people with ADHD and Asperger’s are not problems needing fixing but instances of neurodiversity. If anything, she says, the conditions confer “superpowers” such as hyper-focus, curiosity, innovativeness and humour – not to mention higher-than-average IQ. “We’re huge limit-breakers,” she says. “We’re visionaries. The rest of the world says,‘This is how it is,’ and we respond: ‘But can it be better?’” She now oversees the operations of the Guelph centre, leaving more of the hands-on counselling to staffers, including her husband, Matt Goetz. Goetz, also a psychotherapist with the centre, has ADHD and Asperger’s as well.They met while taking an online master’s program in counselling psychology through Athabasca University. In 2014, Kislenko received the Mayor’s Award for empowering women and people with disabilities. She was named in 2017 among the Guelph Y’s Women of Distinction. Says Hennig: “Her motivation for wanting to help others was single-minded so many years ago. It is a great delight to see that she has become such a great force in our community.” Besides running entrepreneurial groups in Guelph, Kislenko has worked abroad. In 2017, she launched the Women Trailblazing Fellowship intended to help women in developing countries to acquire entrepreneurial skills.That project took her to Bali for two months early this year to teach business and mentoring skills to women in poverty.
HER MAIN MESSAGE IS THAT PEOPLE WITH ADHD AND ASPERGER’S ARE NOT PROBLEMS NEEDING FIXING BUT INSTANCES OF NEURODIVERSITY.
Have an idea for an alumni spotlight? Send us a note at porticomagazine @uoguelph.ca.
Fall 2018 PORTICO | 29
The University of Guelph Alumni Association announces its
Tim Lambert
Robin-Lee Norris
Esther Rhee
B.Sc. 1983
BA 1980
BA 2005
Alumnus of Honour Award
Alumni Volunteer Award
Young Alumni Award
Tim Lambert came to the University of Guelph with a great Canadian dream. Quick and strong on a pair of skates and tough in the corners, he wanted to be a hockey player. Schools across the country courted him, but he chose U of G because of his passion for agricultural science. It was that latter interest that took him places and helped him change the world for the better. Lambert, the chief executive officer of Egg Farmers of Canada (EFC) in Ottawa, never got to play hockey for the Gryphons due to a knee injury, a disappointment that proved to be an opportunity in disguise, he says. After graduating, he worked for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. He has led EFC since 2003. His proudest accomplishment was helping create an egg operation on the Project Canaan orphanage in Swaziland, Africa. In that country, 250,000 children have been orphaned by the HIV-AIDS pandemic. “I think that providing food to people is one of the most honourable professions that one could be in, so I have always been proud to be a part of that.”
The secret is out. Robin-Lee Norris, respected former Guelph lawyer, furtively painted Old Jeremiah, the University of Guelph’s iconic cannon, one night in the late 1970s. “I will not forget that night,” says Norris, now the owner of a dispute resolution and business succession planning business. “I’m admitting to it now because I believe the statute of limitations is over,” she adds with a laugh. At that time, Norris was speeding through an undergraduate degree in sociology, which she completed in two years – six straight semesters without a break. But Norris always had time for volunteering at U of G, from working as a campus tour guide, to serving on the Board of Governors and Board of Trustees, to fundraising for Alumni House and the Arboretum. “The University of Guelph had a huge impact on my career and life choices,” she says. “What I learned here wasn’t just what I learned in class. It was a lot about the importance of getting along with people, the importance of being able to communicate with people in all different sorts of programs and from all parts of world.”
What can you do with a philosophy degree? Well, you can use it to make a big shift in the way you think, and change the course of your life, says Esther Rhee. Now the national program director of Autism Speaks Canada, Rhee says her studies at U of G changed her perspective, changed her mind and changed her life. “I had taken a bunch of philosophy classes and loved them,” she says. “I didn’t actually know where it was going to lead me, but I really wanted to do what I enjoyed. Something inside of me said this was an opportunity for me to grow.” Esther is recognized nationally for her leadership in promoting mental health and raising awareness of autism. She pioneered a community collaborative model that changed the way families impacted by autism are supported in Canada. Philosophy, she says, helped her to reflect deeply, not so much on what she wanted to do with her life but on how she wanted to be in life. “I’ve carried that with me all the way through, and that’s how I found my career.”
Visit portico.ca to read the full stories.
PHOTOS: ROB O’FLANAGAN
2018 Awards of Excellence winners
Alumni matters COMING EVENTS
Nov. 2, 2018 Ottawa Student and Alumni Reception Lowertown Brewery, Ottawa ALUMNI NEWS
U of G alumni improve life, here’s how
A
t the University of Guelph, our shared mission among students, staff, faculty and alumni is to Improve Life.We see examples of alumni improving life daily – in the news, in our communities and around the world: • Matt Wittek, B.Comm. ’03, is on a mission to rid the world of plastic waste by developing reusable products for consumers. • Yvonne Su, BA ’11, first encouraged students to vote by orchestrating a Vote Mob. She co-founded Vote Savvy, an organization that partners with Elections Canada to provide resources to students on how to vote. • Paloma Nuñez, BA ’02, spreading laughter through her writing, acting, improv and teaching. • Drew Cumpson, B.Comm.’16, advises restaurants, hotels and airlines on improving access-
ibility, while coaching people with disabilities in everything from travel planning to obtaining post-secondary education to maintaining a healthy attitude. The list goes on! That’s why, later this year, we will launch an Improve Life initiative. It’s a chance for us to showcase alumni and all the great work you are doing, both close to home and around the world. We’ll curate examples of many ways U of G alumni contribute to improving life, and we’ll feature alumni stories on our website and in social media.You deserve to be in the spotlight. Be sure to read our Awards of Excellence winner profiles in this issue for more Improve Life inspiration. Whether you work in research, finance, hospitality, agriculture or the arts – whatever your profession, we want to hear from you! And please, this is no time to be modest. Reach out to us at alumni.uoguelph.ca.
Nov. 6 College of Biological Science Speaker Night The Fifth (Grad Lounge), Main Campus, U of G Nov. 8 School of Engineering Honours and Awards Main Campus, U of G Jan. 19, 2019 VMX Orlando, Florida Jan. 24 Frosty Mug 2019 Sleeman Centre, Guelph *tickets at gryphons.ca Jan. 30 Ontario Veterinary Medical Association Alumni Reception Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto Feb. 6 Florida Alumni Excursion Babcock Ranch Eco-Tours, Punta Gorda, Florida
Feb. 23 She’s Got Game Gala Main Campus, U of G March 2 Engineering Alumni Association Bonspiel Guelph Curling Club, Guelph March 6 Florida Alumni Picnic Maple Leaf Golf and Country Club, Port Charlotte, Florida March 18 OAC Alumni Association Bonspiel Guelph Curling Club, Guelph March 21 School of Computer Science Honours and Awards Main Campus, U of G March 27 Shenkman Lecture Art Gallery of Guelph, Guelph April 12-13 OVC Alumni Association Hockey Tournament Gryphon Centre Arena, Guelph
For details and a full event list, see www.alumni. uoguelph.ca/events. GRAD PERKS
Richard Horne President, UGAA, and proud donor to U of G porticomagazine.ca
Jason Moreton Associate Vice-President, Advancement, and proud donor to U of G
For details, visit www.alumni.uoguelph.ca/ promotions. You may need to show your alumni card to receive discounts. Request your card at www.alumni.uoguelph.ca/alumnicard. Fall 2018 PORTICO | 31
Alumni matters
More than 115 alumni attended the 40th reunion of the OAC Class of 1978 at the Bullring.
Members of the FACS Class of 1978 attended the President’s Milestone Lunch to celebrate their 40th class anniversary.
FEATURED EVENT
Alumni weekend
The craft beer tasting at the Brass Taps on Saturday afternoon attracted more than 100 grads. 32 | PORTICO Fall 2018
The international student reunion welcomed alumni from Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Almost 1,000 grads returned to campus to celebrate Alumni Weekend on June 9-10. More than 40 events included tours of historic campus buildings, a visit to the Honey Bee Research Centre and craft beer tasting. The President’s Milestone Lunch celebrated the 50th anniversary class of 1968 among 25 class reunions. Mark your calendars for next year and plan to celebrate on campus June 21-23, 2019.
Are you interested in organizing a reunion in 2019? We can help. Please contact us at alumni@uoguelph.ca.
ALUMNI EVENTS
Alumni Awards of Excellence
Alumni Night at the Jays
The UGAA recognized three exceptional alumni for their outstanding achievements and commitment to excellence June 22 at the Awards of Excellence Gala. This year’s winners are Tim Lambert, B.Sc. ’83, Alumni of Honour Award; Robin-Lee Norris, BA ’80, Alumni Volunteer Award; and Esther Rhee, BA ’05, Young Alumni Award. Nominations will open soon for 2019. Visit www.alumni.uoguelph.ca/awardsofexcellence for details.
Almost 450 alumni attended Alumni Night at the Blue Jays game in Toronto on July 22. The Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-4. Alumni enjoyed a pre-game reception and U of G swag during the game.
PHOTOS: (TOP AND BOTTOM) WILLIAM BABISH PHOTOGRAPHY
From left: U of G president Franco Vaccarino, Robin-Lee Norris, Esther Rhee, Tim Lambert and U of G chancellor Martha Billes.
Gryphons on Bay Street: More than 100 alumni attended the Gryphons on Bay Street reception on May 9 held at the Steelcase WorkLife Centre on King Street in Toronto. The event was hosted by the College of Business and Economics. porticomagazine.ca
Fall 2018 PORTICO | 33
Alumni matters CLASS NOTES
1940s
Ivan Stinson, BSA ’49, recipient of Landscape Legacy Award, Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award, Sovereign’s Medal, TIANS Crystal Award, Research Institute for Aging Innovation Champion.
1970s
Leanne Thompson, BA ’72, participated in Miami University’s Earth Expeditions global field course in Guyana. Roger Courtenay, BLA ’76, is the landscape architect for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial designed by Frank Gehry, under construction adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., opening June 6, 2020.
1980s
Michael Bedford, M.Sc. ’84, PhD ’89, received a poultry science research
Since 1974, U of G alumni and retired professors have met at a cottage on Ontario’s Lake Rosseau in early June for a long weekend of tennis, beer, and food and wine pairings by wannabe chefs. Participants, including former economics professors Bruce Forster (BA ’70), John Benson, Robert Ankli, Douglas Auld and Ken Grant, come from all over Canada and the United States and even from as far as Kuwait. Celebrating the 44th annual gathering this year were: front row (l to r) Douglas Auld; John Auld, MA ’72 and former consumer studies professor; Grant; Dale Lockie, BA ’70 and U of G’s former executive manager of pension investments; and the late Roger Bic, former tennis court owner. Back row (l to r): Ankli; Jack Skinner, chair of the former Department of Economics (1964-70) and first dean of the former College of Social Sciences (CSS); Benson; Robert Williston, BA ’72, M.Sc. ’73 and former academic assistant to the CSS dean; and Forster. Lockie says today “the group drinks less beer, plays less tennis, but tells more lies…. and takes lots of naps.” award from the American Feed Industry Association for improving animal performance through nutrition. Bedford is the research director for AB Vista in Marlborough, Wiltshire, U.K. He has led the development of a feed additive that combats the anti-nutrient properties of phytate, enabling livestock to extract more phosphorus, protein and energy from feed.
22 years and heads its centre for integrated pest management. Lindsay Hofford, BA ’88, was named assistant general manager-director of scouting by the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League. Previously, Hofford was an amateur scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs and a consultant and coach for the London Knights and Lethbridge Hurricanes. More than 100 current or former NHL players have played or trained with him.
1980s
Roger Russell, B.Sc. (Agr.) ’81, has been appointed dean of professional programs at Crandall University in Moncton, N.B., and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in organizational management. He says hello to all his OAC ’81 classmates and can be reached at roger.russell@crandallu.ca. Michael Bedford (pictured with Janet Remus of DuPont) received the AFIAPoultry Science Association (PSA) Nutrition Research Award.
Sam Coats
Sales Representative
Mobile: (519) 994-0823 Office: (226) 780-0502 ext 120 Email: scoats@homegrouprealty.ca homegrouprealty.ca
34 | PORTICO Fall 2018
Frank Louws, BSAG ’85, M.Sc. ’88, has been named head of the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He has taught at the university for
Ingrid Wypkema, B.Sc. (Agr.) ’83, is the new garden manager for the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens. See www.bbfg.org.
1990s
Janice Barnes, MA ’93, was named to the board of directors for the 2019 Labrador Winter Games, which are held every three years. Barnes is executive director of the Labrador Affairs Secretariat and is the former mayor of the Town of Labrador City. She was the first woman to serve as deputy mayor for the municipality, a position she held until she was elected mayor in 2009. Robert Noble, B.Sc. (Agr.) ’96, has been promoted to a secondary Principal at Jean Vanier C.S.S. Katie Whelpton-Gross, BA ’92, has been named as the dean of students at Brandon University. Previously, she served as director of recruitment and retention, and executive officer to the president and board of governors.
Scott Gilbert, BA ’10, was sworn in as chief of police in Peterborough, Ont., on June 27.
Lori McKee, B.A.Sc. ’96, recently completed her PhD in educational studies at Western University and was appointed an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Sandra Stewart-Fearnside, B.Comm. ’98, joined the new Courtyard by Marriott in Burlington, Ont., as general manager and director of hotel operations.
2000s
Scott Gilbert, BA ’10, has been named the ninth chief of police in Peterborough, Ont. He was the first unanimous choice for chief in the history of the city’s police service. Gilbert worked for 38 years for the Toronto Police Service, most recently as superintendent at 42 Division in downtown Toronto. Raj Tut, B.Comm. ’13, started the property management company Gateway Multifamily Group, which was recently named to the Inc. 5000 listing of America’s fastestgrowing companies. Matt Wittek, B.Comm. ’03, founded and directs the Cupanion company. He is on a mission to rid the world of plastic waste by developing reusable products for consumers.
Aesees Kaur Bakhshi, B.Sc. ’12 (left), and Nick Presta, B. Comp. ’12 (right), made Canada’s 2018 Developer 30 Under 30 list, which recognizes the best coders, technical architects and masterminds of Canadian companies.
Cheryl Blackman, MBA ’10, has been named director of the City of Toronto Museums and Heritage Services. Timothy Oliveira, B.Sc. ’07 and M.Sc. ’08, finished 13 years of post-secondary schooling and medical training and now works as a staff anesthesiologist. Julia Woodhall-Melnik, BA ’07 and MA ’09, accepted a tenure-track position as an assistant professor in sociology at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John. Devon Fernandes, BA ’15, co-founded the KW Library of Things, a space where community members may borrow infrequently used items such as tools and camping equipment. Proceeds support individuals with disabilities who work in the library.
Do you have news to share with your alumni family? Send us a note: alumni@uoguelph.ca. porticomagazine.ca
ANDERSON-COATS PHOTOGRAPHY
www.guelphgradphotos.ca Images available from 2004–2018
Fall 2018 PORTICO | 35 COATES PHOTO_AD_1_6_Fall2018.indd 1
2018-09-24 1:48 PM
Alumni matters
Jessica Marie Hamather A hospice that acts as a home away from home for those near the end of life, Jessica’s House in Exeter, Ont., is named after University of Guelph alumna Jessica Marie Hamather (B.Sc. ’15). The 22-year-old died in late 2015 from a rare form of cancer. Intended as a place of compassion, dignity and respect that would honour Hamather’s memory, Jessica’s House opened this
past June as a three-bedroom residential hospice to provide palliative care. Health-care officials recognized a longstanding need for residential hospice beds in Huron County, where Jessica was born and raised. A two-year fundraising campaign collected $3 million for the building. Construction on the South Huron Hospital Foundation project began in summer 2017, and the facility opened a year later on land in south Exeter donated by a local family. Jessica’s mother, Maria Hamather, co-chaired the steering
Passages 1930s Helen Quinn, BSA ’35, Feb. 11, 2018 1940s Russel (Lloyd) Mitton, BSA ’42, March 26, 2018 Thomas (Tom) Hawke, DVM ’45, Aug. 29, 2018 Russell McDonald, DVM ’45, June 9, 2018 Allan (Al) Aitken, BSA ’47, Dec. 11, 2017 Cosimo (Cutts) Ferraro, DVM ’47, May 4, 2018 Benjamin (Ben) Levinter, BSA ’47, July 19, 2018 Winfred (Win) Benedict, BSA ’49, Feb. 28, 2018 Ellis (Kelly) Cameron, Dip. ’49, Aug. 14, 2018 Norma Chamberlain, Dip H.E. ’49, May 26, 2017 Robert (Bob) Lindabury, BSA ’49, March 29, 2018 1950s David (Dave) Gaunt, DVM ’50, June 18, 2018 Barbara Luckham, Dip H.E. ’50, Dec. 21, 2017 Edward (Ed) Booth, DVM ’51, July 21, 2018 Thomas (Tom) Green, BSA ’51, March 23, 2018 Clarence McTaggart, BSA ’51, April 12, 2018 Stanley (Stan) Raymond, BSA ’51, March 12, 2018 John Wiebe, BSA ’51, May 31, 2018 Betty Lambert, Dip ’52, BA ’74, Aug. 23, 2018 Jean Norry, B.H.Sc. ’52, May 23, 2018 Murray Hawkins, BSA ’53, July 18, 2018 Ronald (Ron) Duncan, Dip. ’54, March 26, 2016 John (Jack) Lanthier, BSA ’54, June 21, 2018 36 | PORTICO Fall 2018
committee for the project. She said as the project took shape that her daughter “would have loved this wonderful and peaceful place.” The Hamather family donated more than $500,000 to Jessica’s House, and several businesses and families each donated more than $100,000. Jessica graduated with distinction in 2015, receiving
Marvin Little, Dip. ’54, Dec. 8, 2015 Bertram (Bert) Stewart, Dip. ’54, Feb. 12, 2018 Mildred (Anne) Gray, B.H.Sc. ’55, June 28, 2018 James (Jim) Runions, BSA ’55, Oct. 19, 2017 Jane Clifford, B.H.Sc. ’56, Oct. 23, 2017 Warren French, BSA ’56, M.Sc. (Agr.) ’57, May 16, 2018 Donald Russell, Dip. ’56, Feb. 1, 2018 Carl Aitken, Dip. ’57, March 14, 2016 Howard Marks, Dip. ’57, Oct. 24, 2016 John Phelps, Dip. ’57, Jan. 20, 2018 Russell (Russ) Willoughby, DVM ’57, April 17, 2018 Francis (Frank) Brown, BSA ’58, Dec. 26, 2017 Kenneth (Ken) Jessop, Dip. ’58, March 16, 2018 Marian Macdonald, B.H.Sc. ’58, March 21, 2018 James (Jim) Macey, BSA ’58, July 29, 2016 Myrna Macey, B.H.Sc. ’58, March 31, 2018 Donald (Don) Murray, Dip. ’58, Aug. 19, 2018 Harry Erwin, BSA ’59, May 20, 2017 Andrew (Andy) MacKenzie, BSA ’59, Nov. 23, 2017 Archie Miller, DVM ’59, Feb. 15, 2018 Robert (Jim) Steffens, DVM ’59, Aug. 3, 2018 1960s James (Jim) Browne, DVM ’60, Jan. 30, 2018 Walter (Walt) Stirling, Dip. ’60, May 28, 2017 Joseph (Joe) Bray, BSA ’61, July 16, 2016 Clarence Duquette, Dip. ’61, Sept. 13, 2017 Kenneth Ryan, Dip. ’61, Jan. 11, 2017 Harry Seymour, BSA ’61, June 8, 2018 Robert (Jim) Darlington, BSA ’62, M.Sc. ’72, March 23, 2018 Arthur (Art) Gill, Dip. ’62, Dec. 31, 2017 Walter (Don) Hill, BSA ’62, June 13, 2018
an honours bachelor of science degree. She had planned to continue studies at U of G’s Ontario Veterinary College. Maria and Jessica’s father, Timothy, established the annual Jessica Marie Hamather Memorial Scholarship at U of G. The $1,000 award is available to a student in a biomedical science program with demonstrated financial need.
Carolyn (Carol) McCausland, Dip. H.E. ’62, Oct. 8, 2015 Kenneth (Ken) Richards, Dip. ’62, May 25, 2018 Patrick (Bev) Coveny, Dip. ’63, Sept. 9, 2017 Bruce Downey, DVM ’63, April 4, 2018 George Jensen, BSA ’63, Feb. 6, 2017 Bernard (Bernie) Murray, BSA ’63, Oct. 31, 2016 Deanna Perschbacher, B.H.Sc. ’63, June 6, 2018 Barbara (Barb) Pettit, B.H.Sc. ’63, Aug. 6, 2018 Cornelius (Cor) Van Ginkel, Dip. ’63, Nov. 17, 2015 Daniel Hambly, Dip. ’64, Sept. 22, 2016 James (Jim) Magee, Dip. ’64, June 24, 2017 Daniel (Dan) Pope, Dip. ’64, June 27, 2016 Rudolf (Rudi) Schubert, Dip. ’64, Dec. 10, 2017 Gerald Webb, Dip. ’64, July 26, 2015 William (Bill) Hurst, B.Sc. (Agr.) ’66, Dec. 24, 2016 Garnet Jack, Dip. ’66, Nov. 17, 2015 Johan (John) Schulte-Nordholt, DVM ’66, Dip. ’74, Jan. 15, 2018 Michael Demaiter, Dip. ’67, March 23, 2016 William (Bill) Dunnell, Dip. ’67, Oct. 19, 2015 Sam Fasullo, Dip. ’67, June 2, 2018 Janet Hossack, B.H.Sc. ’67, March 2, 2018 David (Dave) Lore, DVM ’67, March 28, 2016 Teresa Bates, B.Sc. ’68, March 30, 2018 Russel (Eric) Bray, B.Sc. (Agr.) ’68, Jan. 21, 2018 Ronald (Ron) Christie, Dip. ’68, Nov. 5, 2016 A complete listing of Passages may be found online.
To honour alumni who have passed away, the University of Guelph Alumni Association makes an annual donation to the Alumni Legacy Scholarship.
PHOTOS: HAMATHER FAMILY
LIVES THAT IMPROVED LIFE
Time capsule
THE YEAR
PHOTO: U OF G ARCHIVES
1903 Today it’s a nondescript, grassed-over stretch between Massey Hall (pictured above in 1910) and Winegard Walk. But for the first half of the 1900s, the campus water reservoir attracted passersby, and even swimmers and skaters. Measuring 100 by 60 feet and about 10 feet deep, the pool was installed in 1897 for a practical reason. The year before, a fire had razed the former chemistry building that stood directly south of Johnston Hall. Administrators decided to install the reservoir as extra fire protection. Surrounded by a black wrought-iron fence about three feet high, the pool also became a decorative feature, particularly when tea roses planted around it were in bloom (hence its name as the Rose Bowl). Besides its practical and aesthetic qualities, the Rose Bowl served as a makeshift recreational pool. The reservoir was used for its intended purpose more than once, including helping extinguish a blaze in the Creelman dining hall. But the pool also presented a hazard; two drownings occured: a child in 1916 and a student in 1930. By 1956, the campus no longer needed the Rose Bowl, and it was filled in.
What’s your recollection or story about this bit of buried history on campus? Send a note to porticomagazine@uoguelph.ca and let us know! porticomagazine.ca
ON CAMPUS
OFF CAMPUS
+ Supported by a gift from philanthropist Sir William Macdonald, Macdonald Institute opens to offer courses in home economics, nature study and manual training. + Massey Hall library opens with just over 10,000 volumes. Built the same year, the Judging Pavilion would become known as the Bullring. + Two years earlier, Charles Zavitz, Ontario Agricultural College grad and ultimately OAC president, releases the robust Early Yellow soybean for on-farm evaluation. By 1903, he is confident that soybeans can thrive in Ontario.
+ Crayola crayons are introduced with eight colours packaged in the same yellow and green box as today. + Orville Wright makes the first documented and successful powered flight. + Due to a severe drought, the American side of Niagara Falls runs dry, leaving only a trickle of water. + Winners of hockey’s Stanley Cup, the Ottawa Silver Seven team members receive silver nuggets instead of money to preserve their amateur status.
Fall 2018 PORTICO | 37
Last look
Midsummer, 2018 OUTSIDE WAR MEMORIAL HALL
Call it a labour of love, a respect for history or simply a proud U of G graduate wanting to do something special to honour U of G alumni. The result is a meticulously designed alumni “wall of fame” outside of War Memorial Hall. Unveiled during Alumni Weekend, it pays homage to alumni of all ages and backgrounds who have helped improve life and U of G, while respecting the heritage of the
38 | PORTICO Fall 2018
historical building. Low stone and concrete walls – the materials and design carefully chosen to match War Mem — frame the space. They also provide a base for plaques inscribed with the names of honoured alumni. Maurice Nelischer, MLA ’78 and a retired U of G landscape architecture professor, designed and constructed the space, donating all of his time and labour, with some help from U of G landscape
architecture graduate students. Nelischer came up with the idea of relocating the alumni tribute space from Alumni House to War Memorial Hall. The new prominent location gives alumni the recognition they deserve, Nelischer says, now and in the future. “I left enough room to add names to the plaques every year for the next 80 years.”
PHOTOS: ROB O’FLANAGAN
The new alumni “wall of fame”
Sustainably Feeding a Growing Population Ensuring enough food for the planet’s rapidly increasing population is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity _ and Canada’s food university is leading efforts to find solutions.
Sara Bonham Master of Applied Science in Engineering, Class of 2011 Entrepreneur Silicon Valley start-up Follow Sara's story at uoguel.ph/sara
porticomagazine.ca
Fall 2018 PORTICO | 39
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2018-09-11 11:47 AM