Guelph Alumnus Magazine, Fall 2000

FALL 2000

U of G researchers are key players . . zn a growzng international effort to divert humanity from a collision course with the planet's biological limits

Guelph alumnus Summer 2000 • VOLUME 32 ISSUE 3

Named "Best University Magazi11e" by the Canadian Cou11cil for the Advancement of Education Editor Mary Dickieson

Director Darlene Frampton

Art Direction Peter Enneson Design Inc.

Contributors Gayle Anderson, BA '92 Barbara Chance, BA '74 Lori Bona Hunt Andrew Vowles, B.Sc. '84 Alexander Wooley

Advertising Inquiries Brian Downey 519-824-4120, Ext. 6665 E-mail bdowney@exec.admin. uoguelph.ca Direct all other correspondence to: Communications and Public Affairs University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario N 1G 2W 1

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the University and its alumni and friends and

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promote pride and commitment within the University community. All material is copyright 2000. Ideas and opinions expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of the University or the editors.

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UNIVERSITY

g;-GUELPH

the <Way CWe CWere

36

3 message from the

FALL 2000

6 in and around the University

alumni Matters

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HR EE distinguished alumni were hon oured by the University of Guelph Alumni Association during Alumni Weekend. The Gryphon Club prepares to recogni ze former athletes during Homecoming in October, Mac-FACS alumni plan special events for 2003, and the University announces its first distinguished service medal.

U

G provost and vice-president (academic) lain Campbell returns to teaching and OAC dean Rob McLaughlin takes on a new role in alumni affairs and development, while the University celebrates a funding quintet that recognizes research achievements across campus. A highlight is a federal allocation from the Canada Research Chairs Program that wi ll support 38 new faculty positions.

OF

RESEARCH CAN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE SAVE THE EARTH? This feature offers a sampling of research and teach ing efforts at U of G that explore science- in the broadest sense of the word- to help save dying ecosystems and co ntribute to the preservation of the Earth's resources.

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Letters

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ON THE COVER PROF. RoBIN Davidson-Arnott uses a wave tank located in the Department of Geog raphy to calibrate instruments that will later measure flow rates and sediment levels in Canada's Cumberland Basin.

Photo by Dean Palmer/The Scenario

research 'Notes 11

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Fall 2000 1

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

message from the President MORDECHAI ROZANSKI

W

HEN THE PH 0 N E RINGS in the University's backbone of many key Canadian industries, and greatly enhance the quality of our lives. As such, the Canada media relations office, more often than not it's a Foundation for Innovation (CFI), whose mandate is to call from a science writer or a reporter who needs experinvest in research infrastructure in Canadian universitise on an issue related to the environment. Canada's media ties, has awarded Guelph researchers $17.5 million to call the University of Guelph because they know that govdate. The University has also received another $6 milernment ministries, industries, municipalities and development agencies are also calling on Guelph researchers lion from the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund (ORDCF). With matching to solve myriad environmental probprovincial and industry support, this lems that affect our daily lives and, in CFI and ORDCF funding will translate many cases, shape our future. into some $83 million over the next few This issue of the Guelph Alumnus years. Perhaps most important- and focuses on U of G research and teaching initiatives that deal with environmaybe surprising to some- is that in mental problems and issues. No other terms of expenditures as a percentage of operating budget, the University of area of human concern is so widely Guelph is now the second-most investigated or so deeply ingrained in research-intensive university in the the roots of this university. From suscountry. In 1999/2000 alone, the Unitainable agriculture and wildlife health versity received in excess of $90 million to climatic change and marine ecosysin research funding from all sources. tems to the basic quality of air, water Because academic inquiry is and soil, Guelph has a long histhe impetus for new knowledge, tory of expertise that provides we offer an environment where a solid foundation for today's THE UNIVERSITY OF GuELPH new generation of researchers faculty and student scholars IS NOW THE SECOND-MOST share in the process of discovwho are covering the globe in ery. Indeed, in keeping up with a mammoth effort to improve RESEARCH-INTENSIVE our mission of being a learnerand protect the Earth's biodiUNIVERSITY IN THE COUNTRY centred, research-intensive university and resources. versity, we strive to give our Our historical concern for environmental well-being is undergraduate students every opportunity to obtain hands-on research experience. It actually one of seven essential ways the University is is this strong commitment to our students that has conendeavouring, through its research, to anticipate and tributed to U of G's standing as Canada's best compremeet the needs of today's society and future generations. hensive university and is one of the reasons we remain We are also focusing on our strengths in food systems analysis and management; biotechnology, including a first choice for so many secondary school students.

In so many ways, U of G research touches the lives bioinformatics and structural biology; advanced analyof Canadians and shapes our understanding and the sis such as biocomputing and mathematical modelling; culture and society, including the impact of new techquality of our future. Climatic change, biodiversity, nology; communities and families, including intenlaspecies extinction and other environmental issues are tional development and public policy; and health, both certainly among the most significant. It will take breadth human and animal. and depth of knowledge to solve the environmental Increasingly, governments are recognizing that our problems facing this generation, and you can be sure that University of Guelph faculty, students and alumni very distinct research foci produce all manner of new will add immeasurably to the solution. ideas and technologies, create employment, form the

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Fall 2000 3

HIRE AGUELPH CO-OP STUDENT Physical Sciences • • • • • • •

Applied Math & Statistics Biochemistry Biophysics Chemical Physics Chemistry Computing & Information Science Physics

Commerce • Management Economics in Industry & Finance • Hotel & Food Administration • Housing & Real Estate Management • Agricultural Business • Marketing Management

B.Sc. (Technology) • Pharmaceutical Chemistry • Physics and Technology

Biological Sciences • • • •

Biomedical Technology Environmental Toxicology Food Science Microbiology

Engineering Sciences • • • •

Biological Engineering Systems & Computing Environmental \XIater Resources

Social Sciences • • • • •

Child Studies Economics Family & Social Relations Gerontology Psychology

Environmental Sciences MA Economics

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

Congratulations!

I sINcERELY wIsH to extend my warm felicitations on your winning a gold medal for our magazine. Brilliant.

AMREEK SINGH, PHD ' 71 CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.l.

GE Concerns I'M WRITING IN RESPONSE tO the Spring 2000 issue of the Guelph Ailtnutu5.

What disturbs me, what I find quite offensive, is contained in the cover subhead: "Helping Consumers Understand Biotechnology," mainly because of the typical kind of scientific arrogance inherent in this statement. It presupposes that science knows what the implications of biotechnology, of geneticall y engineered organisms in food production, arc.

Unfortunately, the track record of science has not been the greatest and does not insti l confidence in the eyes of the general public. One simple example is the encouraged use of environmentally hazardous pesticides (from which my grandmother unknow ingly inherited a skin disease) in the previous century. Or what about the overuse of antibiotics in both humans and animals and the now apparent consequences of having done so?

We all know these two examples fail to even scratch the surface of the problems created since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Why is it, then, that scientists are incapable of learning from the past, of realizing the need to take precautionary, tender steps?

Doub lespeak doesn't help us either. I assume that when Prof. Doug Powell drives home h is point by saying today's numberone hea lth risk from food is posed not by genetic engineering but by overeating, he has somehow forgotten about the majority, the Third World. Or is he saying that the indicator of adverse effects of G E is best measured in the First World, in rich countries where food poses a risk because of abundance, and not in the Third World because they simply have no food to cat?

Yet, the forgotten majority suddenly becomes important when, later on, we read that one of the benefits of GE, cost savings, is best used "in poorer countries," where "those costs are enormously important." It's quite obvious how even greater abundance will benefit the poor primarily, just as we all know how much abundance in the First World has already helped them.

And let's not forget what's written immediately following, that these projects "arc designed to improve our health, the environment and the economic well-being of farmers." Although no one can dispute that our health has improved, I'm not sure we would agree that applied technologies have helped improve the environment. And as for improving the economic well-being of

with caution, the house of cards may one day come crashing down. I think members of the general public, consumers, know this and are well aware of our shortcomings.

Again, given the track record of science, it is perfectly understandable that we shou ld be skeptical, that we should fear, because in this case, there is a great deal that is unknown about GE. To think otherwise is sheer ignorance! joHN BoRos, BA '88 AND MA '91 NIAGARA FALLS, ONT.

Scottish Praise IN juNE I received an e-mail from my nephew Don Edwards about an article he had read in the Guelph Ahtlll/1115 describing the Scottish records available in the Uni-

farmers, well, we all certainly know how much technology and the production of

versity of Guelph archives.

I am 25-per-ccnt Scottish- my father's

abundant crops has helped them in the past' The fact is that GE is cutting-edge, it's relatively new and we really don't know what its consequences arc or will be. It's one thing to test in laboratories; it's another when these things are introduced into the environment. Prof. Ann Oaks is very wise and very prudent when she says: "Genetic engineering is cutting-edge science that we don't fully understand. We need to do much more basic research and move more slowly in the commercialization of GE products.

It's easier to solve problems that arise during testing than to correct health problems that may occur in the general population after products have been in the marketplace for several years." Bravo!

Over the past 200 years, we've become

father, james, was born in Scotland and came to Ontario in his late teens- and I have known about Guelph's Scottish Co llection for several years. I have referred to it on at least two or three occasions in newsletters that I produce for an audience interested in genealogy. The article by Mary Dickicson, with photos by Dean Palmer, is a fine introduction to the collection.

I was happy to sec Stanford Reid mentioned in the article. As head of the history department when the University of Guelph was newly established, he strengthened ties with the City of Guelph, which was founded by a Scotsman, john Galt. I remember

increasingly dependent on technologies of our own making that have given us greater power and control over our environment.

In life, however, nothing is gained without

Stanford as a member of the Guelph Wellington Men's Club.

You might be interested to know that the july/ August 2000 issue of the Fnmily Chronicle has an article on Scottish genealogy by Beth Gay that contains almost a full column devoted to "Scottish genealogical treasures"

cost, and our so-called progress has created all kinds of environmental and social problems.

We have become dependent on technology in ways that most of us don't realize. If we're not wise, if we don't proceed

in Guelph. In her opening paragraph, she says: "Guelph's Scottish Collection is one of the finest in the world and is the very best on the North American continent."

GEORGE TAYLOR GUELPH

Fal l 2000 5

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CAMPBELL RETURNS TO TEAC H ING AFTER FIVE YEARS asUof G provost and vice-president (academic), Prof. lain Campbell has shed his administrative cap and returned to teaching and research in the Department of Physics, where he began his Guelph career more than 30 years ago.

"I suppose in some ways I look back ruefully at my time as provost;' he says. "I became provost in I 995, and the start of my appointment coincided with the worst funding period for universities in Ontario's history:' Despite the fiscal restraint that has continued to this day, Campbell takes pride in U of G's ongoing achievements, including those that took place under his leadership, which actually began with a

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short stint as acting vice-president (academic) in 1993/94.

"I think of the great strides we have made in distance education and open learning, our co-op programs, the many departmental mergers and the creation of the College of

Social and Applied Human Sciences. I'm also very proud of the training course for chairs that we instituted to assist faculty new to their leadership positions. And I am incredibly impressed with the quality of the young faculty we

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38 chairs awarded to U of G HE FEDERAL govern ment ' s Canada Research Chairs Program has allocated 38 chairs to U of G. Guelph will receive more than $35 million to fund the chairs, 10 of which will be established in 2000/200 I. The program- in the past also called the 21st-Century or Millennium Chairs- is designed to enable Canadian universities to become world -class centres of research excellence by providing new resources to retain and recruit world-class faculty. Last year's fed eral budget committed $900 mil-

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6

GUELPH ALUMNUS

lion to support the establishment of 2,000 new research chairs in Canadian universities by 2005.

The Can.1da Research Chair; Program will support two type> of chairs: faculty positions used to retain or attract experienced individuals acknowledged by their peers as international lead ers in their research field s, and positions designed to retain or attract future research "stars," those acknowledged as having the potential to lead their research fields.

The chairs have been allo -

cated by the federal granting council s, and each of the three councils - Canadian Institutes of Health Research (C: II-IR ), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Counci l (SSHRC)must review and approve the chair nominees. Guelph received three chairs under CIHR, 30 under NSERC and five under SSHRC. In terms of share of chairs al located, U of G placed second in Ontario among non medical universities.

are bringing in. They are very, very good, which makes me optimistic about the future of this place."

President Mordechai Rozanski says Campbell has been "an extraordinary chief academic officer. In my mind, the bases of lain's success are his personal vi1tues. The core of his character and of his success is his unassailable integrity:' Born and educated in Scotland, Campbell completed undergraduate and graduate work at Glasgow University before coming to Canada.

He served as director of the Guelph- Waterloo Program for Graduate Work in Physics from 1984 to 1987 and was dean of the College of Physical and Engineering Science from 1987 to 1995.

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PEOPLE IN THE NEWS • CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS • UNIVERSITY NOTES

CFI FUNDING BOOSTS ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH A third award of more than $570,000 to Prof. lain Campbell, Physics, will help purchase a state-of-the-art accelerator to provide a proton beam for P IXE, a precise analytical and

PROF. Glen Van Der Kraak, Zoology, heads one of three U of G research projects to receive support in the latest round of Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) funding, and he says it's a vote of confidence in Guelph's broad expertise in aquatic sciences.

"What's really exciting is that this is a project that reaches across disciplines throughout the entire breadth of the University;' he says. The project involves more than 25 researchers from Guelph, Environment Canada and the University of Waterloo.

The $2.2-million CFl award will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure to support joint research initiatives at U of G and New Brunswick's Huntsman Marine Science Centre in the areas of aquaculture biotechnology, metabolic research of aquacultured species, fish health management and fish stock assessment and management.

"This support will ensure that we continue to be leaders in the aquatic sciences not on ly in terms of freshwater systems but also in seawater, through our expanded partnerships with Huntsman," VanDer Kraak says.

CFI also awarded $I .2 million to Prof. Nigel Bunce, Chemistry and Biochemistry, to support the establ ishment of a centre for the development of electrochemical technologies. It will include I 0 researchers from U of G's departments of Chem-

imaging technique developed over recent decades by Campbell 's group and several others around the world.

Campbell's team uses PIXE to investigate atmospheric Prof. Glen Van Der Kraak studies the impact of toxicants on equat· ic ecosystems.

istry and Biochemistry and Physics, as well as colleagues at McGill and Waterloo.

aerosols and minerals and to take a closer look at the anatomy of fish in a way that contributes to our understanding of how much fishing can be undertaken without detriment to the health of the population.

It may also be possible to study a range of fish species to determine contamination patterns in the environment.

With these new awards, CFI funding alone to U of G to date totals some $17.5 million.

Matched with provincial and industry support, the figure could total $46.25 million.

In addition, U of G is sharing in a $6.6-million award to create an academic research computing network involving five universities and two colleges. The interdisciplinary institute will lead to supercon1puter levels of memory and power to address a range of problems.

Interim VP appointed n August , OAC dean Rob Mclaughlin,

I

B.Sc.(Agr.) '69 and PhD '77 , began a new

role as interim vice-president (alum ni affairs and development).

President Mordecha i Ro zanski sa ys Mclaughlin "will provide the University with the leadership necess ary to maintain and advance its achievements in alumni affairs and development while the search for a new vi ce-president continues."

Mclaughlin will work closely with the president on planning for the University's next fund -ra ising campaign and will direct the ongoing work of the Alumni House team.

He is currently in the fin al year of his

its successful co nclusion, Prof. To m Michaels

term as de an of OAC , and the decanal

will move from associa t e dea n t o acti ng

search pro ce ss is already under way. Until

dean of OAC.

Fall 2000 7

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in and around the University B of G approves sale of Cruickston BOARD OF Governors has approved the sale of the Cruickston property to jan Chaplin and Mark Fretwurst, who purchased the historical manor house and 53 acres of the estate property from U of Gin 1996.

The 966-acre estate was gifted to the University in 1968. Chaplin and Fretwurst have now purchased the complete holdings, located near Cambridge, and say they plan to place most of the land in a charitable trust to preserve its unique qualities.

The decision respects the gift of the Matthew Wilks Keefer family, which was intended to promote agricultural teaching and research and environmental stewardship, says Board of Governors chair Simon Cooper.

"We are delighted with the outcome," he says. "The offer allows the University continued access to the property for teaching and research, while enabling us to fulfil our fiduciary responsibility to the University community and the board."

Proceeds from the sale will create a Keefer endowment at U of G. Proposed uses for the endowment income include faculty development activities that link teaching and research; public workshops; student internships, work/study, experiential education and co-op education programs; visiting speakers and professors in areas related to agrifood education; and financial assistance for students.

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GuELPH ALUMNUS

Honourees share advice with grads

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too much TV and don't

Canadian soil scientist Gerard Bolt. Also hon-

believe everything you read on the Inter-

oured were three former Guelph faculty

net. Those were two bits of advice shared

members: plant science professor George

by honorary degree recipients at summer

Jones, potato breeder Gary Johnston and

convocation in June when 1,900 U of G

renowned chi ldren's author Robert Munsch.

versity of California veterinary scientist Fred-

University professor emeritus, and Prof. Tom

erick Murphy, Queen's University historian

Funk, Agricultural Economics and Business,

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Donald Akenson, University of Vi rginia psy-

received the John Bell Award for excellence

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chology professor Mavis Hetherington and

in teaching and curriculum design.

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degrees and diplomas were awarded.

Honorary degrees were presented to Uni-

In addition, retired clinical science professor Geoffrey Sumner-Smith was named

PREA awards to two wo U OF G professors recently received funding through the Premier's Research Excellence Awards (PREA), bringing to seven the number of U of G faculty who have received support from the program. Each will receive $100,000 from the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technolo-

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gy and $50,000 in matching funds from U of G. The new recipients are Prof.

Brian Husband, Botany, whose research is expanding our understanding of evolution and the origins of biological diversity in plants and animals, and Prof. Elisabeth Nichol, Physics, whose research on supercon-

IN FACT...

Canada's Student Affairs and Services Association has cited U of G's supported learning groups for first-year students as most innovative program of the year.

ductivity may lead to new materials and new insights into fundamental science.

The PREA program was established in 1997 by the provincial government to boost investment in innovative research. It is designed to help gifted young researchers increase the pace of their work by attracting graduate students, post -doctoral fellows or research associates to specific programs.

Previous PREA recipients at Guelph are Profs. john Dutcher, Physics; john Gibson, Animal and Poultry Science; Qi Li, Economics; Alejandro Marangoni, Food Science; and Patricia Wright, Zoology.

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OVC Learning Commons funded KNOWLEDGE-BASED virtual community spearheaded by OVC has received a $ ! million grant from the CANARIE Learning Program.

The Virtual Veterinary Medicine Learning Commons will connect three of Canada's four veterinary colleges: OVC, Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island and Faculte de medecine veterinaire at St.

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~ Hyacinthe in Montreal.

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The project was one of I 0

tiS selected to receive funding ~ through the CANAR IE 1999 ~ competition. CANAR IE was >~ established by Industry Canada 13 in 1993 to encourage businessit es and learning institutions to z

develop collaborative projects that use advanced Internet technologies and address structural barriers to online learning. With matching funds from the universities and industry partners, the total project amount is close to $2 million.

The three universities, along with Lifelearn Inc., an industry partner, will use CANARIE's national optical research and development Internet to develop and share interactive multimedia educational modules.

"This unique confederation will allow our students to learn in ways never before possible;' says OVC dean Alan Meek. "In the past, the universities' ability to share resources has been limited by technology. The virtual learning commons will enable students to use and share videorich multimedia learning tools and collaborate on projects with other veterinary students and faculty across the country."

Centre to evaluate baby program

U OF G's CENTRE FOR Families,Workand Well-Being will share $4.4 million in funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and LongTerm Care to evaluate the province's "Healthy Babies, Healthy Children" program. Prof. Bruce Ryan will serve as principal investigator, with Profs. Kathy Brophy and Donna Lero as co-investigators. All are members of the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition. Their partner in the research will be Applied Research Consultants (ARC) of Toronto.

The program, which is administered province-wide by Ontario's 37 public health

Earn a diploma with the click of a mouse The first e-diploma in horticulture, launched this summer at U of G, gives parttime adult learners a new educational opportunity using the World Wide Web. "The University of Guelph's e-diploma is unique in North America, if not the world," says Bill Culp, director of Independent Study!@access. "The international opportunities will be astounding, especially in the United States, where the market is 'Web- ready' for e-learning."

The first e-diploma with a major in ornamental horticulture features courses on woody plants, garden design and plant protection. Culp anticipates others will soon follow, especially in turf management. Golf courses are big business worldwide, and U of G already offers extensive training in turf management. He says putting the courses on the Web is the next step in the evolution from correspondence education to distributed learning.

units, is designed to help new mothers and babies afte r they've been discharged from hospital. All new mothers receive an in-home visit and a phone call from a public health nurse, as well as access to screening and referral services.

The researchers will have two years to evaluate the program's performance and to look at potential new parenting and support programs that could be offered. They especially want to see how the services are working to improve the health of children and whether they are reaching the full diversity of Ontario's youngest children and their parents.

Fall2000 9

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SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY â&#x20AC;˘ SCHOLARSHIP â&#x20AC;˘ SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTS

NEW TOMATO HAS LONGER SHELF LIFE MovE OVER, Flav'r Sav'r tomatoes. Tastier, firmer field tomatoes with a longer shelf life, better quality and improved chill-

Prof. Gopi Paliyath, left, Reena Pinhero and Kurt Almquist.

ing tolerance are being developed

by U of G researchers using genetic engineering techniques.

Prof. Gopi Paliyath, Food Science, and research associate Kurt Alquist predict that these tomatoes could have double or triple the normal shelf life.

Potentially, they could ripen on the vine for a long period and tolerate refrigeration before processing, without compromising "' nutritional value or quality. ~

\rVith Ontario's short grow-

;;: ing season for field tomatoes, ~ in1proving these characteristics ~ is in1portant, says Paliyath.

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::; Tomatoes are highly sensitive to co cold temperatures, and expo~I sure to cold stress triggers the u Vl activity of phospholipase D, an z ~ enzyme that initiates cell mem<l: ~ brane breakdown. >~ The researchers are trying to 2a inhibit the activity of phosphoii: lipase D to prevent or slow

down the degradation of the cell membrane. They plan to remove the gene that codes for phospholipase, copy it and then re-insert it into the tomato in reverse, a method known as anti-sense technology. This could turn off the action of phospholipase D, resulting in a tomato with features that make it suitable for long-term storage.

In the future, Paliyath hopes to use this method to improve shelf life, quality and chilling tolerance in other fruits and vegetables, including peaches, plums, cherries, peppers, potatoes and leafy vegetables. Postdoctoral fellow Reena Pinhero and plant agriculture graduate student Vasantha Rupasinghe are studying some of these aspects.

TEMPERAMENT LINKED TO ALZHEIMER'S CARE PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR Mary Konstantareas and graduate student Valerie Temple are studying a potential link between natural temperament and behaviour problems in Alzheimer's patients.

They want to know if tem-

IN FACT...

Behaviour problems associated with Alzheimer's may be linked to the patient's natural temperament before onset of the disease.

perament can be used to predict behaviour problems such as aggression in people with Alzheimer's, a degenerative disease characterized by dementia.

"The behavioural aspects of Alzheimer's patients cause the most distress to caregivers and loved ones;' says Temple. "If we can help them anticipate certain behaviours, they can better prepare themselves and their surroundings."

Temple believes that patients with moderate activity levels and more adaptable temperaments may display relatively infrequent problem behaviour, compared with those who have more difficult dispositions. She's looking for specific patterns of temperament characteristics that lead to a higher or lower incidence of behaviour disturbances.

The sample population for the study includes patients and caregivers from a Toronto facility for individuals with developmental disabilities, local associations for community living and adult dementia day programs.

THEATRICAL PASSION GUIDES RESEARCH PROF. STEPHANIE Nutting, School of Languages and Literatures, is making a career out of her passion for French-Canadian and Quebecois Theatre. Her book, Le tmgique rlnns le tlu!iitre qtu!becois et cnnnrlien-frnm,:nis, was published this summer.

It is the first full-length scholarly work to examine tragedy in Quebec and French-

Canadian repertoires and to analyse how it has adapted to post-modern problems. The book focuses on six plays from the 1950s to the late 1980s.

"There are not a lot of monographs on Quebec theatre, yet it is very widely studied," says Nutting.

The book examines specific manifestations of each tragedy, first as a philosophical phenomenon and then in terms of

\

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Stephanie Nutting

how the tragedies are both linked to and distinct from European and Greek tragedy.

Nutting's next project is an annotated bibliography of works by female francophone playwrights from Quebec and French Canada. She recently received a new-faculty grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to help fund her research.

Part of the work involves teaming up with Universite de Montreal scholars who are researching the critical reception of works by female playwrights. "Female playwrights in French Canada and Quebec are typically in the shadow of male

Fall 2000

11

playwrights, and we are trying to figure out why;' she says.

RESEARCH AIMED AT ANTIBIOTICS A U OF G PROFESSOR IS working in a fledgling field of carbohydrate chemistry that might lead to the development of more potent antibiotics.

Prof. Marcel Schlaf, C hemistry and Biochemistry, has received a grant from the Ca nada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to buy equipment for his studies of a specialized group of cata lysts, substances that speed up chemical reactions.

His work brings together carbohydrate chemistry and transition metal catalysis to make "functionalized sugars:' He says his synthetic method of combining sugars such as glucose with transition metal catalysts- compounds containing certain metals - offers an easier, faster and cheaper alternative

to conventional methods of producin g complex compounds.

His "molecular machines" mim ic the action of enzymes during quick, clean reactions without the waste of conventional processes, he says.

Ca rbohyd rates have an important function in the immune system and immune response, Schlaf says, explaining their role in designin g drugs.

Sugars on cell surfaces recognize other cells as friend or foe, the first step in determining whether the body will mount an immune response to an invader.

Pharmace utical companies might apply his work in devel oping new antibiotics with unusually modified sugars to get around the pathogen's defences.

CAN HUMANS GROW NEW BODY PARTS? H UMANS MA Y onedaybeabJe to regrow severed fingers and limbs through medical applica-

tions of knowledge learned from deer antler research being conducted by U of G zoology professor George Bubenik.

He is studying how scientists ca n use th e embryon ic stem cells that induce antler regrowth in white-tailed deer to treat

is one of the wonders of nature, and it has great potential for use in medicine," says Bubenik, a medical doctor who taught medicine in Switzerland and was a neuroendocrinologist at Toronto's Clarke Institu te of Psych iatry before joining U ofG in 1977.

All deer shed their antlers each year, and the presence of embryonic stem cells in the antlers allows for regrowth of antlers, differentiating into skin, blood vesse ls, cartilage and bone-strikingly similar to human limbs. The key to humans regrowing severed limbs or fingers may simply be a matter of understanding the formation and the function of the embryonic stem cells that occur in antler regrowth, says Bubenik.

George Bubenik

hum an ailments. Human app lications could include the eventual regrowth of fingers and limbs, as we ll as treatments for arthritis, immune disorders and d ege nerative d iseases such as osteoporosis.

"The growth of deer antlers

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al communities are coping with restructuring and government funding cuts.

Prof. John FitzGibbon, director of Guelph's School of Rural Planning and Deve lopment, and doctora l student Robert Summers conducted a province-wide survey of 548 rural municipal council heads.

"Rural communities face challenges," says FitzGibbon.

"They are learning to cope with downloading of services, they are trying to retain existing

IN FACT...

Public input into municipal restructuring increases voters' satisfaction with the outcome.

development and attract new development, and they are working to enhance the voice of rural communities in a province increasingly urban in nature."

How amalgamation is handled is almost as important as the amalgamation itself, the researchers found. Where public input in the restructuring process was high, municipalities tended to be satisfied with the outcome of restructuring, whereas communities where there was no public input seemed to be less satisfied. And despite the reluctance of some rura l voters, 80 per cent of sur-

Prof. John FitzGibbon with grad· uate student Mansoorali Lalani.

vey respondents said the outcome of restructuring had been satisfactory to date or it was too soon to tell.

EARLY DIAGNOSIS BUYS TIME FOR DOGS OVC RESEARCHERS are working to increase the rate of early detection of a deadly heart disease in dogs.

Prof. Michael O'Grady, Clinical Studies, and research assistant Rhonie Horne are tracing the history and progression of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM ), a genetic disease that causes dilation in the heart's chambers, leading to cardiac dysfunction and death. Although DCM is found in many breeds, Doberman pinschers are the hardest hit, with about 50 per cent of all Dobermans being affected by the disease. In about one-third of affected dogs, the first and only sign of the condition is sudden death.

The researchers are working with owners to find methods to detect DCM earlier, treat it more effectively and buy more time for the dogs.

The two began the work ll years ago when they started

Prof. Michael O'Grady, right, and research assistant Rhonie Horne. studying the hearts of Dobermans with ultrasound and electrocardiograms, trying to find crucial heart differences. They detected sudden clues that allow them to diagnose the condition earlier on in its progression.

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Fall 2000 13

A new generation of environmental

of biological processes, using advance impact of human civilization at glob I

HE SALT MARSHES, mudflats and waters of the Cumberland Basin at the head of the Bay of Fundy are a living laboratory for U of G geography professor Robin Davidson-Arnot!. For the past five years, he and his colleagues have spent summers dodging the bay's famous tides in an effort to find out why one of Canada's most valued ecosystems is shrinking.

That's the first step in developing an environmental plan to prevent marsh erosion in the basin and, more important, in deciding whether or not we should interfere in the present marsh ecosystem.

Too bad these issues weren't considered a century ago before the area was settled, highways constructed and a series of dikes set up to control flooding on land claimed from the sea to be used for agriculture.

The concept of environmental protection was still a fringe philosophy in the industrialized world until the I960s when both local and global ecosystems began to show unmistakable signs of the impact of human activity. The predecessors of Davidson-Arnot!

T

began to draw public attention to the telltale signs of environmental distress- smog, desertification, dead fish- and scientists slowly gained some media and government recognition that our planet needs help.

Today, a new wave of scientists is exploring both intimate and global ecosystems with new technologies not available even 20 years ago. The instrumentation and data collection software Davidson-Arnott uses are two examples, but many others are in the hands of researchers at the University of Guelph, where the environment is a key priority.

Literally hundreds of Guelph faculty and thousands of students and graduates have the environment as a primary focus of their professional lives. This community is at the forefront of a growing international effort to understand and improve the ecosystem that sustains our planet.

That's not surprising, given the University's long history of expertise in the biological sciences and its commitment to a global focus on sustainab le food production and environmental education.

In 1992, the University created a new Faculty of Environmental Sciences to consolidate teaching and research strengths from across the campus. "Courses in our degree come from almost every college in the University;' says associate dean Michael Moss, "a nd 70 to 80 per cent of all U of G research initiatives have an environmental application." With this broad perspective, the program has already achieved a higher enrolment than environmental programs at other Canadian universities.

At Guelph, the environmental sciences cover the fuU spectrum of science expertise in the broadest sense of the word, i.e., scholarly endeavour that seeks understanding of the physical, biological, economic, cultural and social phenomena that govern the way we humans interact with other species on Earth.

These scholarly activities come together at U of G in the excitement of discovery and have far-reaching impact on the resolution of environmental concerns at global, national and local levels.

In the pages that follow, we focus our

Our knowledge of global ecosystems has increased dramatic 14 GUELPH ALUMNUS

/ -..

Stories by U of G Staff Writers

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entists is building on our knowledge echnologies and evaluating the

tational and local levels ...

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editorial microscope on some of the researchers, educators and students who contribute to Guelph's reputation as an environmental leader. These are a representative few who are building the knowledge we may ned to save the Earth.

>-

Digging at the roots of erosion

AT R 1 G H T is

an aerial view of salt marshes along the shoreline of the Cumberland Basin and a closer look at the mud flats where Guelph graduate students Danika van Proosdij, B.Sc. '95, left, and jaimie Dawson are installing instruments to measure water flow and sediment levels during high tide. They're working with U of G geographer Robin Davidson-Arnott to find out why the salt marshes are eroding and to weigh the responsibility between encroaching civilization and natural cycles in the basin.

The research is critical because these marshes are an important stop on the

n

migratory flyway for numerous species of wading birds. The birds come to stock up on corophium, a tiny shrimp living in the basin's waters that feeds on organic material supplied by the marshes.

The shrimp are also food for small fry that swim inland during high tide and the larger fish and whales that feed on the fry.

"The result is that these marshes are the organic source, the fuel for the basin and the creatures who use it;' says Davidson-Arnott.

The project receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and was recently boosted by a $2.1million Canada Foundation for Innovation award to Mount Allison University in Halifax for the construction of an indoor research facility.

Guelph has strong ties to universities in the Maritimes. Davidson-Arnott's research colleagues in the Cumberland Basin include his former PhD student Jeff Oller head, B.Sc. '87 and PhD '93, who is now chair of geography at Mount Allison; and van Proosdij, who also teaches at St. Mary's Univers ity.

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ut it has not kept pace with humanity's ability to alter them.

Fall 2000 15

the

Honeybees are vital to crop pollination, but are being threatened worldwide by a parasitic mite that can kill an entire colony in two years. Prof. Gard Otis, Environmental Biology, is looking for a genetic solution by breeding wild bees from France with Ontario honeybees to try to develop a bee with natural resistance.

~

Amazon villagers join clean water effort

I

N A v 1 LLAG E in the Amazonian basin of eastern Peru, Prof. David WaltnerToews, PhD '85, Population Medicine, and his former graduate student Tamsyn Murray, who is now a research fellow at the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia, are investigating why people from the Ucayali region of Peru suffer from malnutrition and disease and how to help stabilize food supplies. ~

Their research involves local indigenous

g people in a project that is aimed at enhanc5 ing the overall health and sustainability of the ~ ecosystem, and it has already led to improve<>=

~

ments in water quality and sanitation.

They set up a microscope and invited i:; village children and women to look at the ~ parasites found in their own stool samples.

8 As a result, the villagers started controlling ~ defecation along stream banks and reduc5: ing contamination of wells.

~

Food supplies are linked to seasonal flooding in the area, which affects migratory patterns of fish and wild animals, agricultural production cycles and availability of forest foods. Flooding also increases the risk of disease outbreaks.

Waltner-Toews and CIAT are funded by the International Development Research Centre to analyse the complex relationship between the ecosystem and human health.

Murray has put together a team of Peruvian agronomists, nutritionists, forestry experts, fisheries experts and health workers to apply these tools in fie ld research in the eight villages under study.

Guelph is becoming a global leader in this field. In 1998, Waltner-Toews was part of a Canadian project in agroecosystem health that established a diagnostic protocol that is now being implemented by other researchers in Peru, Kenya, Honduras, Ethiopia, Nepal and Uganda.

~

I

How do we perceive nature?

N ANY CLASSROOM, it'seasytogain acceptance for a rational argument that we should try to mitigate the impact our society is having on the Earth's resources, says philosophy professor David Castle, PhD '98.

But the discussion becomes uncomfortable when he challenges students to stop buying blue jeans because cotton is grown in parts of the world that aren't suited to its production, where it has to be irrigated and where the use of pesticides is not regulated. He asks them to think about the ethics of exporting the environmental costs of North American consumerism to the developing world.

Castle's point is to show students that there's "a tremendous difference between giving somebody a compelling argument for conservation and actually getting them to do something about it. There is so much social inertia to just keep on living your life as you have been." And there's always a collision of

values that precedes decision-making.

The newest faculty member in Guelph's Department of Philosophy, Castle is interested in the philosophy of science and biology and the ethics of biotechnology. He expects to work closely with researchers across campus to deal with issues related to human control of the natural order, whether it be genetic engineering in agriculture or new initiatives to protect the environment.

~

Chinese success has double edge

T

HE ESTABLISHMENT ofrura] industries has brought needed jobs to many people in China, but the consequence of success has been unexpected environmental and managerial problems.

For the past four years, Prof. K.C. Tan, Geography, has headed a development project aimed at helping the Chinese balance rural economic and environmental pressures. Funded by the Canadian International Development Agency, U of G researchers and their partners from Zhejiang Agricultural University in Hangzhou have been exploring ways to promote sustainable growth in China's rural communities.

~

Software helps industry improve air quality

OMPUTER SOFTWARE developed by Prof. Nigel Bunce, Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been provided to chemical and petrochemical companies belonging to the Environmental Science and Technology Alliance of Canada (ESTAC), a consortium of industry and university researchers.

It models the likely effects of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on ozone formation in the lower atmosphere and helps companies gauge the impact of their potential emissions ofVOCs on air quality.

For his efforts, Bunce earned the inaugural Award for Meritorious Research from ESTAC, which funded the project.

C

There are still huge uncertainties about the ecological and ec 16 GUELPH ALUMNUS

>

I

Global climate change

"C

MATE CHANGE is a huge issue, it matters a great deal to the world as a whole, and we absolutely need to have rigorous scholarship on the subject." That comment comes from Prof. Barry Smit, Geography, a co-ordinating lead author on the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (I PCC), which was established in 1988 to assess the cause and effect of climate change and what can be done about it.

The prestigious UN appointment means he will share responsibility for building global scientific consensus on the world's changing climate. It won't be easy. Global climate change is the biggest and certainly the most controversial environmental issue of our time. And Smit doesn't have to leave campus to hear dissenting voices.

LI

Vulnerability is key to adaptation THE FIRsT IPCC assessment in 1990 was key in getting world leaders to the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, and the 1995 assessment led to the 1997 Kyoto Conference (Smit contributed to both), where countries such as Canada committed themselves to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The third assessment will be presented in 2001 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

"Early on in this process, it was climatologists and meteorologists saying: 'Look, here's the science of the change problem,' but that didn't take into account the economic, human, social and political aspects of climate change that are intricately woven into this problem,'' says Smit. "The key thing about the 1995 assessment was the statement that there is a discernible human effect on the climate."

Now, he says, the scientific community has the responsibility of explaining the connection between climatic conditions and the vulnerability of communities around the world.

As a geographer, Smit specializes in adaptation, and the chapter he is editing for the IPCC report deals with adaptation in the context of sustainable development. "If we acknowledge climate change, how can the inhabitants of Planet Earth adapt to this

change? And whatever the answer is to that, it can only be part of a dual strategy, one of reducing emissions and promoting adaptation to changed conditions."

It's a tall order, says Smit. "You need to have the participation of the major countries and industry or it simply won't work."

di, Political Science; Clive Southey, Economics; May Aung, Consumer Studies; and Narinder Kaushik, Environmental Biology.

They are looking at ways to regulate

Evidence is too contradictory PROF. Ross McKITRICK was the lone economist on a recent expert panel that reviewed a draft of the upcoming IPCC report and then briefed U.S. policy-makers in Washington on why global warming may not be such a hot topic after all. The panel questioned whether the world is, in fact, getting hotter because of greenhouse gases, but if so, what should be done about it.

McKitrick says the fault with the UN approach and the Kyoto protocol is threefold: it's based on uncertain science; the protocol would be ineffective and proh ibitively costly to implement; and there is evidence that global warming of a few degrees would cause few serious problems and may even be beneficial.

"The influence of carbon dioxide emissions on the atmosphere is, in fact, unknown," he says, noting spotty, sometimes contradictory evidence of atmospheric warming. "But even if it were known, the Kyoto protocol would have no effect on the process because to stabilize carbon emissions, we would need to eliminate 60 to 80 per cent of the world's fossil fuel use. Clearly, that's not going to happen."

McKitrick believes Canada would have to sacrifice one to two per cent of its gross domestic product to come into compliance with the Kyoto protocol. "The scale of policy intervention would be worse than any consequence of global warming,'' he says.

>

Environmental risks threaten development

H

OW DOES A COUNTRY such as India, with a burgeoning population and a desire for western prosperity, manage its development with environmental consciousness? Finding answers is paramount in a binational research project that involves four U of G faculty members: Profs. O.P. Dwive-

>

Blowing in the wind

Prof. Bill Nickling, Geography, is trying to produce a green solution to a massive human-made problem plaguing the city of Los Angeles. When the city began to draw water from the Owens River watershed, it completely drained a too-square-mile lake in the Great Basin Desert. Dried-out Owens Lake is now North America's single largest source of dust. Scattered by the wind, it poses an environmental and health hazard and clogs the airways over the nearby China Lake Naval Air Station.

Nickling, who has an international rep-

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utation for researching dust emissions and (j wind erosion, is working with colleagues ~ Nick Lancaster and Jack Gillies, B.Sc. '83, M.Sc. '87 and PhD '95, of the Desert Research Institute in Nevada to test plant-

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ings of salt-tolerant vegetation in an effort ~ L:abilize the surface of the lake bed.

environmental risk in India, with a special focus on harmful household products and their impact on women and children. The study is located in Kanpur, a city of three million, and is funded by the Shastri- Indo Canadian Institute.

mic implications of climate change and how to deal with it.

Fall2000 17

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-

the Canadian scene

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A new breed of pig

Microbiology doctoral student Serguei Golovan, centre, was burning the midnight oil on a research project led by Profs. John Phillips, Molecular Biology and Genetics, left, and Cecil Forsberg, Microciology, when he found DNA evidence that a Yorkshire piglet born at U of G was the beginning of a new breed that could solve the biggest environmental problem facing hog farmers. Using genetic engineering, the "" two scientists fused a bacterial gene into

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the pig embryo that will improve the pig's

~ ability to digest natural plant phosphorus

~ from feed and reduce the amount of phos-

10

phorus released in its excrement. If it

it

rus promotes the growth of algae.

5washes into streams and lakes, phospho-

As a micrometeorologist, Edwards is interested in learning how gaseous mercury moves naturally between the Earth's rocks and the atmosphere.

His results could help other researchers put into perspective the amounts and effects of mercury generated by human activity.

That is particularly important for regulators charged with meeting requirements established in the North American Free Trade Agreement to reduce human emissions of the substance.

Edwards's work on atmospheric mercury is part of a Canada-wide initiative to study the impact of metals on the environment. Launched in 1998 as the Metals in the Environment (M ITE) Research Network, this partnership of scientists draws expertise from 12 universities, including Guelph, as well as industry and government. It has received a total of $6.4 million in support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Mining Association of Canada, Ontario Power Generation Inc. (formerly Ontario Hydro) and three federal departments- Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Guelph is home base for the MITE secretariat, which is managed at the campus headquarters of the Canadian Network of Toxicology Centres. )o--

)o--

Tracking volatile metals

A

MERCURY VAPOUR ANALYSER purchased by Prof. Grant Edwards, PhD '93, Engineering, with funds from the Canada Foundation for Innovation is giving U of G a unique capacity for studying the air-surface exchange of atmospheric mercury. No other Canadian research institution has this capability for studying mercury, says Edwards, who also plans to investigate the air-surface exchange of five other trace metals- cadmium, lead, zinc, copper and nickel.

A

Cleaning up with bacteria

NOTHER MITE RESEARCHER, microbiology professor Terry Beveridge, is among the world's top microscopists studying molecules found on the surface of bacteria. Besides investigating vaccines and alternative methods of delivering infection-fighting drugs, he has spent nearly two decades studying bacteria that live in metal-contaminated environments.

His lab was among the first to study biogeochemistry, whose applications include using microbes to sponge up dilute metals

and other toxic contaminants found, for example, in mining wastes.

"You encourage bacteria normally in the soil and sediments of regions downstream from mine tailing dumps to grow in greater abundance and act as biological barriers against toxic effluents," says Beveridge.

He was recently approached by an Ontario firm for help in cleaning up soil contaminated with arsenic, copper and chromium, all byproducts of making pressure-treated lumber. Graduate student Jeff McLean, M.Sc. '00, sampled the area and eventually found a bacterium able to precipitate these metals, but it may take another decade before the company is ready to use on-site bioremediation. )o--

Pollutants in, fish out is not the answer

U

G GRADUATE Josh Laughren, B.Sc. '94, says Canada's coastal waters are more than a bathtub full of fish that can be regulated by counting how many fish we take out and how many pollutants we put in.

He works for World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada as the senior manager for marine protected areas, and his organization has enlisted U of G zoology professor john Roff and Australian biologist )on Day to develop a reliable system for classifying marine environments.

"Canada has the longest shoreline of any country," says Roff, "but what we know in terms of what's out there, apart from fisheries, is very little. We lack inventories against which to make conservation judgments."

Armed with geophysical data from around Canada's three marine coastlines and throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, Roff and Day produced a detailed picture of the underwater landscape, including such features as temperature, salinity, substrate type and slope.

Understanding the habitat gives a fairly OF

Canada has the longest shoreline of any country, but what 18 GUELPH ALUMNUS

good idea of what kinds of plants and animals will live there.

Roff and Laughren believe WWF Canada's approach is ecologically sound. Using the classification scheme, governments and agencies could make better decisions about what kinds of activities to allow throughout Canada's waters, based on solid knowledge of marine habitats- habitats that Roff says are absolutely vital in maintaining the biodiversity of our oceans and lakes.

._ Is green supreme?

A

s u RV E Y conducted by Profs. Ern a van Duren, M.Sc. '88 and PhD '90, and Kimberly Rollins, Agricultural Economics and Business, and graduate student Alexandra Beckett concluded that consumers are willing to pay up to 40 per cent more for environmentally friendly products like apple juice. Unfortunately, a real-market test of an ecological apple juice didn't

._ Saving genes and elms Earlier this year, Henry Kock, B.Sc.(Agr.) '77, an interpretive horticulturist at the Arboretum, received a national award through the Forest Stewardship Recognition Program for his role in establishing a living gene bank at the Arboretum for Ontario's rare woody plants. He also helped develop a schoolyard naturalization program for southern Ontario, co-founded the Forest Gene Conservation Association and helped initiate the provincial Elm Recovery Project in 1998.

----------------------

bear fruit.

The Guelph study was conducted at the University's Child-Care and Learning Centre and at Tributaries, a Guelph health food store and cafe. Customers were asked how much they would pay for a hypothetical product, green apple juice. Respondents to the study said they were willing to contribute to environmental stewardship by paying up to 40 per cent more, but a similar juice product that coincidentally went on the market during the research project met market resistance to a price of $2.79 per 1.36-litre bottle. Eventually, the juice was reduced to a more typical $1.99.

Vet students get together

C

ANADA's FOUR veterinary colleges bring their senior students together each summer to experience the role of the veterinarian in environmental issues. Rotating among Guelph, Saskatoon, SaintHyacinthe, Que., and Charlottetown, the ecosystem health program takes future vets into the field to address a specific ecosystem problem such as botulism in a freshwater marsh, oil spills or the relationship of toxins in the water to tumours in whales.

Pathobiology professor Bruce Hunter says vets play a significant role in the evolution and application of ecosystem health because of their expertise in comparative medicine, toxicology, epidemiology and wildlife diseases. The summer program he helped develop in 1993 has proven successful because it asks students to take on real problems and find real solutions by consulting both scientific experts and the residents of the affected community.

._ Students map the arctic environment

A

GROuP of U of G zoology students spent part of the summer on Cornwallis Island, working on the first comprehensive survey of the diversity of animal and plant life in the high Arctic.

The exercise- part of a three-year project- elevates U of G as a leader in northern biodiversity research, says zoology professor Paul Hebert.

The students photographed plants and

animals for a trilogy of products, including an extensive Web site, a DVD and a CD-ROM to add to the Department of Zoology's series of educational multimedia products.

•

I • •

It

I ._ Crawlers chronicled

P

rof. Stephen Marshall, B.Sc.(Agr.) '77

and PhD '82, Environmental Biology,

left, and Owen Lonsdale, B.Sc. 'oo, are adding to U of G's insect collection, the oldest in Canada. They've created the first authoritative insect database of Point Pelee National Park, Canada's most southern point. "Point Pelee is an extremely important place because it supports faunal elements that don't occur anywhere else in Canada," says Marshall. "Insect diversity is synonymous with biodiversity."

The students stayed at a facility maintained by the Polar Continental Shelf Project, the main logistics base for research in Canada's high Arctic and the site of an arctic ecology field course offered by the Department of Zoology every two years.

The information they brought back will be used in the multimedia package that Hebert says will be delivered to every primary and secondary school and university in Canada.

The multimedia project was launched with a grant of more than $200,000 from the Millennium Fund, the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and stu-

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know in terms of what's out there, apart from fisheries, is very little.

Fall 2000 19

an Onta rio focus

Klironomos, Botany, suggest that it's not mere numbers of species that count but the presence of a single "super-species"- an organism that is extremely well-adapted to its envi-

~

Flying high

After working as the "goose wrangler" on the Hollywood film Fly Away Home, pilot Wayne Bezner Kerr became concerned about the fate of tame trumpeter swans.

Although native to Ontario, these birds have lost their fear of humans and dogs and their ability to migrate and have become a social nuisance.

For the movie, swans were allowed to bond with Bezner Kerr so they would follow his ultralight plane. But while enrolled in a master's program in zoology at U of G, he designed an experiment under the "' guidance of Prof. Tom Nudds that proved

~ ~

swans don't have to be artificially imprinted on humans before they can learn to fly.

ronment. As long as this species survives, goes the argument, many others might be lost without wiping out the entire ecosystem.

Although most ecologists have examined this theory in animals, Klironomos was especially interested in studying how fungi fit into the picture. He already knew they play a vital role in breaking down organic material, thus making nutrients available to plants for photosynthesis. "That's what makes the world go around," he says.

His controlled experiments in U of G's Arboretum have shown that fungal diversity is, in fact, key to a stable ecosystem.

Nutrient cycling is more efficient in ecosystems with many different kinds of fungi, but it's still unclear whether that stability is due to the fact that high-diversity systems are more than the sum of their parts or the fact that, statistically, a more diverse system is more likely to contain that "super-species."

Klironomos wants to find the answer and says it might help people trying to restore or conserve various habitats such as old oil fields, one of his pet interests.

gThe young birds flew best when they were

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were trained to follow Bezner Kerr's ultra-

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light aircraft.

~

Breaking out of the mould

M

ANY SCIENTISTS whoareconcerned about the continued loss of species of plants and animals worldwide believe that a more diverse ecosystem is better equipped to survive a drastic ecological upset that might decimate a region with fewer kinds of plants and animals.

But some researchers like Prof. john

'Beeting' the worms

F A RESEARCH TEAM led by Prof.

Barry Shelp, Plant Agriculture, is successful in transferring a pest-resistant gene

from wild beets to soybean cultivars, one of the spinoffs will be a reduction in the use of fumigants that harm the ozone layer.

Chemical control is currently the only way to fight the cyst nematode, which was first detected in Ontario in the late 1980s and is decreasing provincial soybean yields by as much as 15 per cent. And the problem is getting worse. There is no effective method for eradicating the pests, and fumigants that help control infestations are costly and undesirable because of their harmfi.1l effects

on the ozone layer.

Shelp and research associate Michael McLean engineered the resistance gene at U of G; the transfer into soybean tissue took p lace at the Centra l Experimental Farm at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Ottawa. A testing program is now under way at an AAFC research ce n tre in Harrow, Ont.

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Investigating fish disease

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HEN Prof. john Leatherland, Biomedical Sc iences, first started exploring the widespread incidence of goitre and thyroid disease in Great Lakes salmon back in the 1970s, he assumed the problem was environmental. The disease is an indicator of rampant water pollution from such toxic chemicals as DDT and PCBs. But 20 years later, even though the lake waters are cleaner, the rates of thyroid disorder have stayed the same.

With the help of two PhD students, Rakpong Perkam and jason Raine, B.Sc. '94 and M.Sc. '98, Leatherland is continuing to unravel the web of factors that govern thyroid development in coho and chino salm on.

Leatherland now suspects that the agen ts causing organ damage may be natura ll y occurring byproducts of res ident algae and bacteria or a complex interaction between the m icro-organisms and water po ll utants.

His findings have implications for human health because they solidify the current notion that goitre is not always a result of iodine deficie ncy, but may also be caused by natura l water-based co ntam in ants. T h is research is supported by the Natura l Sciences and Engineering Research Cou nci l.

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Lemon-scented pollutant eaters

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ESEARCHERS AT U OF G have applied for an international patent on lemon-scented geraniums that have an uncanny ability to absorb metal and organ-

With attention focused on water quality in rural Ontario, it' 20 GuELPH ALUMNus

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ic pollutants. The plants could help clean up abandoned gas station sites and old mining fields, and they may help to increase crop yields in developing countries where soil often has a naturally occurring hi gh metal content.

Prof. Praveen Saxena, Plant Agriculture, and his team hope to use genetic engineering to enhance the genes responsible for the plant's rare ability to tolerate and absorb pollutants.

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Managing waste water

ITH ALL OF CANADA focused on water-quality problems in rural Ontario, it's an opportune time for the

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launch of a new research and training centre devoted to the proper management of waste water released from rural subdivisio ns, agr i-food processing plants, farms and other industries.

The Ontario Rural Wastewater Centre has been created by Co ll ege d'Alfred and the School of Engineering in partnership with the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority and many industry and government stakeholders. The centre has demonstration sites at the University and paired sites in eastern Ontario at Alfred and the Baxter Conservation Area. It will train up to 600 students a year.

The bilingual program will focus on innovation and research and developing new technologies with the private sector. Its financial supporters include the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Ontario Ministry of Agricu lture, Food and Rural Affairs, the South Nation River Conservation Authorities and the National Soil and Water Conservation Program.

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native to waste disposal in landfill sites and could help meet Ontar io legislati o n th at calls for a 50-per-cent decrease in waste de li vered to landfi lls.

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'84, developed a unique expertise in avian and exotic medicine while working in OVC's

Recycling industry wastes

APER MILL SLUDGE ishelpingto improve soil quality on an 11-kilometre stretch of shoreline along the Weiland Ca nal in Ontario's Niagara region. Calvin Chong, a researcher at the Un iversity's Vineland Research Station, has been working with a private consu ltant and Donohue, In c., a large paper manufacturer, to rehabilitate the barren terrain.

During excavation to reroute the waterway, clay and sediment from the bottom of the canal were piled on the shoreline, creating an inhospitable environment for plant growt h. The researchers have been using paper mill slu dge to add organic matter to th e so il and improve water retention and aeration. Poplar trees planted in the area have adapted well and may one day be used in the paper-making process.

The project suggests that paper mill slud ge and other forms of organic waste products could also be recycled as compost for orchards and vineyards or used as a substitute for potting soil in tree and shrub nurseries. Such designer composts would provide an environmentally desirable alter-

Small Animal Clinic and Wild Bird Clinic,

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Monitoring fish health

Microbiology professor Roselynn Steven路 son, centre, looks over some arctic char with two students who had research job s on campus this summer: Alicia Gallaccio B.Sc. 'oo, left, and Annie Lu. An award-winning teacher and a specialist in fish diseases, Stevenson also manages the Fish Health Laboratory in the Department of Microbiology. Under contract with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the lab routinely monitors health of fish stocks in hatcheries around the province.

Caring for wildlife

Veterinary technician Becky Atkinson, B.Sc.

and she has used those skills to train oth路 er veterinary technicians. Established in 1981, the Wild Bird Clin ic grew with fund路 ing from the Max Bell Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund. It now treats more than 400 injured birds each year, with the goal of releasing them back into the wild, and relies on student vo lunteers to mount educational programs for schoolch ildren and the general public.

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First Ontario tree atlas

N OcTOBER 19 98, volunteers across the province completed the su rvey phase of the Ontario Tree Project, which will produce the first comprehens ive mappi ng of Ontario's trees. Spearheaded by the Arbore- ~ tum, the project is co ntinuin g with the ~ development of a computer database and ~ eventual publication of an atl as of Ontario 3:: trees that will show the distribution and reiative abundance of various species of trees in the prov in ce. Visit the Arboretum Web ~ site for more information. ~

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n opportune time to launch a new waste-water centre.

Fall 2000

21

at the University

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Understanding herbicides

Laura Van Eerd, B.Sc.(Env.) '96 and M.Sc.

'99. is a PhD student working in the lab "' of Prof. Chris Hall, Environmental Biology,

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to better understand how herbicides kill

many colleges through adjunct faculty and joint programs in earth and atmospheric science, ecology, environmental economics and policy, environmental monitoring and analysis, environmental protection, environmetrics, environmental geography and natural resources management.

Forty per cent of FES graduates go on to graduate studies, and an equal proportion are courted by business, industry and government employers.

Craig Golding enrolled in FES because he wanted to marry interests in both the environment and economics. "Guelph was the only place that allowed me to do both;' he says. A 1998 B.Sc. graduate in environmental economics and policy, he is a program adviser with the environmental partnerships branch of the Ontario Ministry of

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Faculty of Environmental Sciences

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ON'T GO CALL ING Prof. Michael Moss a tree hugger_ For the associate dean of Guelph's Faculty of Environmental Sciences (FES), the "sc ience" is just as important as the "environmental."

That goes as well for most of the roughly 500 undergraduates currently enrolled in the faculty and for prospective students eyeing the eight degree majors offered under the B.Sc. (Environmental Sciences) program, says Moss. "They're more people who want to do something more about environmental issues than strap themselves to trees. They see this as a serious career path rather than something that supports activism."

The faculty serves as a node for environmental sciences, with spokes penetrating into

the Environment in Toronto. He helps companies and institutions ensure compliance with environmental regulations and works on Ontario's smog alert response plan.

"Within environmental sciences, Guelph has a greater range of choices;' says Prof. Stewart Hilts, director of the Centre for Land and Water Stewardship in the Department of Land Resource Science. He lists particular strengths reflecting the University's history: agriculture, soil and water systems, waste management, aquatic ecosystems and fisheries, rural planning, and use of pesticides and herbicides.

"The net result is, you've got more faculty here and more courses being taught;' he says.

Engineering professor lsobel Heathcote, Guelph's newly appointed dean of graduate studies and a member of the science advisory board of the International Joint Co mmission to the Great Lakes, says that "just about every researcher on campus has held some senior government advisory position." That means Guelph faculty are able to provide everything from consulting advice to commentary on environmental issues for governments and non-governmental organizations, corporations and the media. If they call

the University of Guelph, they will get a team approach to solving environmental problems.

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PhD in rural studies

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oF G Is the only university in North America that offers a PhD program focused on sustainable rural communities, and judging from the student body, it's a program with worldwide appeaL There are close to 30 students from a range of backgrounds and from as far away as Mexico, Ghana, China and Sri Lanka. Because many of the students have worked in developing countries, they have insights and knowledge that can be shared with other students and faculty, says Prof. Bob Brown, M5c. '82 and PhD '85, Landscape Architecture, who is currently director of the program.

Graduate students draw on the expertise of 50 Guelph faculty across campus to explore the theme of sustainable rural communities - from economic and social angles to the preservation of natural environments and cultural values_

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Engineering a healthier environment

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NE OF THE GREAT STRENGT HS and unique features of Guelph's School of Engineering is its historical emphasis on the life sciences. Because of its strong science background, the school attracts students who want to integrate the biological sciences with traditional engineering disciplines_ Many choose the school's degree program in environmental engineering because, as one student says: "Biology is not just an add-on on top of a traditional engineering program_" Guelph's environmental engineering program was designed from the ground up and offers a full breadth of study relevant to physical, chemical and biological systems.

Graduates work in industry, government, consulting companies and research institutions to minimize the impact of humans on the environment.

If they call the University of Guelph, they get a team approac 22 GUELPH ALUMNUS

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Taking on the tropics

" I 'vE BEEN DREAMING since I was a child about going to a tropical faroff land and studying animals," says Holly Kanold, who spent three weeks during her final year at U of G studying the flora and fauna of mangrove forests in Malaysia.

Kanold and 19 other students took part in the inaugural session of an interdisciplinary field course that brought together zoology and botany students and faculty from Guelph and the Institute of Biological Sciences at the University of Malaya.

As with other senior field courses offered by the College of Biological Science including treks to Canada's Arctic, Australia

and Eastern Canada- the course will be offered every two years. In a unique twist, U of G students are paired up with Malaysian counterparts on a research project that deals with mangrove biodiversity.

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Co-operative ecology

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WEB-BASED distance education course on forest ecology that was developed at U of G is also being offered by Lakehead University as part of its master of forestry program . Development of the courses in this program was assisted by funding from the Northern Distance Education Fund (Ministry of Education and Training). "Forest Ecology 2" has won awards for its innovative use of Web technology and is enhancing the partnership between Lakehead and U of G.

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Managing environmental data

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CyberNatural education

The digital media team based in Guelph's Department of Zoology is the only such group in Canada developing educational software that is not strictly for university use. Established in 1994 by Prof. Paul Hebert, the CyberNatural Software Group designs programs specifically for the public school system, and they are made available to schools at a reasonable cost.

The group has won national and international awards for its use of technology to present this vital information. The CyberNatural team has produced multimedia material on the ecology of the Great Lakes, acid rain, aquatic environments, biodiversity and Canada's polar life.

Growth Fund- will provide "smart" classrooms, laboratories, offices and a I ,000-seat lecture theatre.

Faculty, students and staff in the sciences

o DAY, environmental scientists may need as much computer time as field time to deal with large amounts of biological data. At U of G, the Faculty of Environmental Sciences shares physical space with the Computing Research Laboratory for the Environment run by Prof. David Swayne, Computing and Information Science. The lab brings computational science to bear on complex, data -heavy environmental problems.

Among other projects, Swayne has used expert systems to model the effects of acid rain on Canadian lakes, the sources of longdistance air pollutants and sediment transport in watersheds. Guelph computer scientists have also designed software for environmental decision-making, including a project on sustainable community indicators to be used by municipalities.

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Building for the future

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NEW BUILDING PROJECT planned for campus is destined to stimulate more collaboration on environmental issues. Now in the planning stages, a Sciences and Advanced Learning and Training (SALT) Complex- which has received funding from the provincial SuperBuild

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Forest ecosystem in our midst

We often find botany professor Doug Larson clinging to the side of a cliff searching for centuries-old trees that are often twisted and bent by conditions in their rugged ecosystem, but in this photo, he's standing in a different kind of forest. This is Brown's Woods at the University of Guelph. Planted in 1887 as an early forest restoration project on the site of an abandoned gravel pit, it is now part of one of the oldest plantation forests at a North American university. Larson and other faculty use the forest as a field laboratory where students draw tree cores for aging studies, map trails and study animal life and the impact of nearby development.

will cross paths with colleagues in the arts and humanities and social sciences, as well as applied and professional programs across campus.

"It's an exciting project because the complex offers so many new opportunities and will have a major impact on the very nature of the teaching, research and service that we do," says CBS dean Bob Sheath, who chairs U of G's SALT steering committee with CPES dean Bob McCrindle.

solving environmental problems.

Fall 2000 23

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UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

ALUMNI PROFIL E ALUMNUS OF HONOUR INCE HIS GRADUATION from OAC in 1929, Lawrence Kerr has played a leadership role in Ontario agriculture and in the formation and development of the University of Gue lph. Both roles led to his recognition by the U of G Alumni Association as Alumnus of Honour for 2000.

The farm operation Kerr started near Chatham, Ont., in 1934 has grown from 142 acres to more than 1,500. It remains a model of good husbandry practices, producing seed crops in combination with livestock production and many acres of vegetables and fruit for both processing and retail sale through a farm-based market.

Kerr has been active in a number of agricultural organizations and has been honoured several times for his efforts in rural stewardship and the promotion of an efficient agri-food industry.

At his alma mater, Kerr first served as a member of the OAC Advisory Committee and was a charter director of the OAC Alum n i Foundation. He contributed to the founding and growth of the University as vice-chair of the Board of Regents of the Federated Colleges and later a member of U of G's Board of Governors from 1964 to 1972. He was named a Fell ow of the University in 1973 and received an OAC Centennial Medal in 1974.

Like many farmers, Kerr has never really retired from the industry, but in recent years has found more time to serve agricu lture as a contributor to government task forces and as a popular speaker for both rural and urban

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Smi th consistently demonstrates the qualities essential in the perfect volunteer." It ~ was her vision that turned an OAC sheep

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24 GuELPH ALUMNus

barn into a permanent campus home for alumni at Alumni House. She also mobilized alumni and University staff to restore the conservatory greenhouse and enlisted her OAC '52 classmates to fund the renovation of the reflecting pool and garden that front the Arboretum Centre.

Smith has been active in the Arboretum Auxiliary since it was formed in 1995, helping to raise $55,000 in two tree-planting projects and organizing and promoting the children's theatre program. While serving as auxiliary chair, she helped launch a nature journal project that has reached $22,000 in sales since last November.

One of the first female graduates of OAC's food science program, Smith spent

32 years of her career as a science teacher in Guelph. A pioneer in environmental education long before the term was invented, she used her alma mater to help enrich the high school curriculum she taught and, in turn, introduced her students to the University.

She was awarded the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation Excellence in Teaching Award in 1974 and was re-nominated when she retired in 1992.

OVC DISTINGUISHED ALUMN US OAN BUDD I S WELL KNOWN to her 1950 classmates and other alumni because she has been a leader in alumni ac tivities since graduating from OVC. Perhaps the

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atters HIGHLIGHTS • GRAD NEWS • OBITUARIES • CALENDAR

ALUMNI SPIRIT SOARS ORE THAN 1,200 PEOPLE gathered on campus for Alumni Weekend. Honouring alumni achievements was the highlight of the President's Luncheon, hosted by president Mordechai Rozanski, while the Silver and Golden Anniversary Dinners honoured graduates of 1970 and 1950 respectively. The Class of 1970 announced a 25th-anniversary project to raise $25,000 over the next three years to help fund a campus-wide millennia! scholarship program.

The University of Guelph Alumni Association held its annual meeting during Alumni Weekend. Re-elected to their positions for a second term were Scott vanEngen, B.Sc. (Agr.) '88, president; Robin-Lee Norris, BA '80, first vice-president; and john Watson, BA '69, second vice-president. Brad Hull, BA '89, was elected secretary, and Bill Summers, B.Sc.(Agr.) '82, is the new treasurer.

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A horse-drawn trolley provided campus tours for many alumni and friends returning to campus on Alumni Weekend.

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OAC's Class of 1949 proudly unveils the fully restored portico on John· stan Green during Alumni Weekend celebrations. The campus land· mark was restored by Summit Restoration Ltd. of Burlington, Ont., as a soth·anniversary class project.

most visible project she has led is the set of stained glass windows in the Lifetime Learning Centre that depict the many aspects of veterinary medicine.

In a sense, the windows reflect Budd's own contributions to education and the veterinary profession. She was a wildlife pathologist and associate professor at OVC and a founder of the OVC programs in wildlife

A limestone urn carved with the crests of Macdonald Institute, OAC and OVC was purchased by the alumni associations of these founding colleges as a tribute to the volunteers who have supported the con· servatory gardens project. Here, UGAA president Scott vanEngen and OVC Alumni Association president Susan Dorland unveil the OVC crest.

and fish diseases. She was a pioneer in developing techniques to attenuate the canine distemper virus through growth in eggs, and served as a member of the Mammalian and Avian Pest Management Committee with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.

Her contributions to these fie lds were recognized with a distinguished service award from the Wildlife Disease Association.

Budd is a life member of the College of Veterinarians of Ontario and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and has been active in other professional and community groups, including the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, the Nature Reserves Committee, the Canadian Nature Federation, the Guelph Field Naturalists and the Guelph Audubon Screen Tours.

Fall 2000 25

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Building a Future

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For a parent or grandparent, there i~ no greater satisfaction than seeing a child succeed, and no greater desire than to help them achieve their goa b.

Whatever your child's .-1spirations - a university degree, world travel , a home or business of their own- regular contributions t(l a savings plan can help them achieve their goals.

At CIBC Wood Gundy, we can help you select the best savings plan and provide you with solid financial advice to help your children fulfill their dreams

for further infommtioll on a wide Paricty of products and scn>ices including RESPs, Trust Accounts, RRSPs, please co11tact

ITH ALUMNI WEEKEND 2000 memories in hand, we are already

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planning next year's event. We need your help to make Alumni Weekend 2001 a memorable celebration for the silver and gold anniversary classes of 1976, 1951 and other years ending in 6 or I. To start planning your reunion, contact Alumni Programs at 519-824-4120, Ext. 6544, or send e-mail to vikkit@alumni.uoguelph.ca.

U OF G GOES FOR 4-H GOLD

Todd Cook, OAC '82, Financial Con sulta nt

HE U oF G Alumni Association, the

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OAC Alumni Association and the OAC Alumni Foundation will collaboratively help Ontario 4-H members "Go for the Gold" by providing $25,000 over five years to sup-

30S King 51 West, S1tile 1010 Kitchener, On!. N2G I 89 Tel: S70-1S41, 1-800-26S-2433;enwillodd.cook@cibc.ca

erne Wood Gundy ( 1/1( II uod (,'ruu{' ts u dt"n:\·lu/1 <{( "/UC If orld 1/twkt•fs luc.. u suhs1diw:1

SIXES AND ONES LOOK TO 2001

port the popular program.

"Go for the Gold" is a competition in

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which participants answer questions drawn from club projects, Ontario agriculture and the agri-food industry. Held annually at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, it is the final round for 4-H contestants throughout the province.

GRYPHON CLUB ANNOUNCES HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES HE G R v rHo N C LV B Hall of Fame will induct seven new members during Homecoming Weekend Oct. 13. Former Gryphon athletes being honoured are Sue Langley, B.Sc. (H.K.) '82, basketball and field hockey; Peter Langford, BA '85, footbaJJ; Tim Mau, BA '92 and MA '93, basketball; and Andy Longpre, BA '81, wrestling. Alan Sin-

T each a targeted audience of key influencers and decisionmakers ... those who want and need to know about research at the University of Guelph, one of Canada 's leading research universities.

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For information , call Research magazine advertising coordinator Brian Downey, 519-824-4120 Ext. 6665 . www.uoguelph .ca/Research/ p u blications

UNIVERSITY 9FGUELPH

26 GuELPH ALUMNUS

gleton, head hockey coach from 1956 to 1963 and 1967 to 1969, will also be recognized, along with the 1975/76 men's hockey team and OUA football referee Ken Green, who will receive the Award of Merit.

U OF G RECEIVES HERITAGE AWARD T ITS 2000 Heritage Awards event in june, the Guelph Arts Council presented an Award of Merit to U of G, acknowledging the careful restoration of the conservatory greenhouse. The citation called the greenhouse "an outstanding model of an architectural conservatory gem."

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alumni Matters NIGHTINGAlE HONOURED

The Human Kinetics/Human Biology Alumni Association made the first presentation of its new graduate student award during Alumni Weekend to Marta VaJentic. An international competitor in cross-country running, she was recognized for her athletic and academic achievements, as well as community work. Pictured from left: Colleen Cooper, president of the HK/HB Student Council; VaJentic; and executive members of the HK/HB Alumni Association: president janet Leonhard, treasurer Mark Mulholland and vice-president Carolyn Moore.

RURAL HERITAGE COLLECTION

A collection of agricultural memorabilia transferred from the Ontario Farm Museum in Milton to the U of G Library was officially introduced during Alumni Weekend in June.

The collection includes books, films, photographs, corporate records from agricultural companies and odd personal collections, including general-store records and historical newspaper clippings.

Amassed over many years by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, it represents a unique Canadian resource of agricultural materials.

The OAC Alumni Foundation was instrumental in funding the transfer from Milton. Over the next two years, the collection will be catalogued with the initial assistance of a $10o,ooo endowment provided by Bill Tolton, BSA '36, the OAC Alumni Foundation, private charitable foundations, the OAC dean's office and the library.

Once archived, the collection will be available to scholars, historians and members of the general public interested in rural and agricultural history.

Adelaide Hunter Hoodless, who played a central role in the founding of Macdonald Institute in 1897, wouldn't recognize the college as it stands today, but a retirement gift presented to dean Michael Nightingale from the Mac-FACS Alumni Association and the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences (CSAHS) will help ensure that Hoodless will be recognized by future generations of U of G students.

During Alumni Weekend, Nightingale was presented with a rendition of a bronze sculpture of Hoodless that will be mounted on campus to honour his contributions to the growth of the college that has evolved from Macdonald Institute.

NIXON TO RECEIVE AlEXANDER MEDAl Gordon Nixon, BSA '37, will be the first recipient of the newly established Lincoln Alexander Medal of Distinguished Service.

Named for U of G's chancellor, the award recognizes outstanding contributions to the University. Nixon's involvement with his alma mater began at graduation and includes participation in U of G governance, fund-raising and alumni relations and advocacy for GORDON NIXON

both the University and the Ontario Agricultural College.

The medal will be presented Oct. 17 during fall convocation.

IT'S TIME TO REMEMBER MAC A history project initiated by alumni to celebrate the I OOth anniversary of Macdonald institute in 2003 will benefit from the assistance of Prof.

Jamie Snell, chair of History, who is writing a book about the

college. If you can contribute photographs or anecdotes about student life and professors, contact him at 519 -8244120, Ext. 6529, or jsnell@ arts. uoguelph.ca.

GRAD'S BOOK TO BOOST MAC-FACS SCHOlARSHIPS The Mac-FACS Alumni Association Scholarship Fund will benefit from the sale of a new book by 1971 graduate Lois Ferguson, a registered dietitian. Entingfor Energy and Ecstasy is full of practical information and inspira tional messages for anyone who loves food.

Eating for Energy and Ecstasy is available from the MacFACS Alumni Association for $25, with $8 going to the scholarship fund. Make your cheque payable to the alumni association and send it to Rosemary Clark at 143 College Ave. W., Guelph, Ont., NIG ISS.

Fall2000 27

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GRAD NEWS

Guelph grads among Canada's young leaders

1930 5

• Ernie Kendall, BSA '32, was inducted into the Waterloo County Hall of Fame this spring for his community work.

• Earlene (Grady), DHE '37, and Roy Smees, BSA '37, celebrated their 6oth wedding anniversary March 16, 2000.

The celebration included their four children, 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

19605

• Toronto's Globe and Mail celebrated Canada Day by paying tribute to 133 young Canadians, one for every year of Confederation, who are making changes across the country and around the world. Among the group were two U of G graduates: Michelle Berry, BA '94, and john Volpe, B.Sc. '91 and M.Sc. '95.

Berry was born in San Francisco, raised in Victoria, B.C., and now lives in Toronto, where she is earning accolades in literary circles for her writing.

Among her works are two shortstory collections, How to Get

HATS & GLOVES REUNION

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AUGHT IN THE ACT

of having fun are members of the Macdonald Institute Class of 1960 who atte nded a 40-year Reunion event in Stratford, Ont., last May. Thirty-one of the 39 graduates attended, including classmates from four Canadian provinces and three U.S. states.

28

GuELPH ALUMNUS

There From Here (1997) and Margaret Lives in the Basement (1998), that deal with the lone-

liness, loss and despair many people feel despite living in a busy urban centre. According to the Globe and Mail, "Berry showed remarkab le acceptance of middle-class anxiety, without a hint of sentimentality." Her first novel, What We All Want, wi ll be pub lished by Random House Canada next February.

A Toronto native, Volpe earned two degrees from U of G and worked as a provincial fish biologist before beginning

a PhD at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. His thesis is on colonization biology of Atlantic salmon. He is the only academic known to be studying the ecological implications of Atlantic salmon aquaculture on the West Coast.

His research has demonstrated that Atlantic salmon escaped from fish farms can survive in the Pacific; he's now examining how well the immigrant fish can compete with Pacific salmon for food and habitat.

Read more on his Web site at web.uvic.ca/ -jvolpe.

• Roosevelt "Rosie" Douglas, ADA '63, was elected prime minister of the Caribbean island of Dominica Feb. 8, 2000. He is the country's fifth prime minister since it gained political independence from Great Britain in 1978. In Canada this summer for the first time in 24 years, he spoke publicly about his country's need for financial aid and identified tourism as a key focus for his Labour Party administration in advancing the country 's economic development.

Search the Internet for more information about Dominica; to contact Douglas, send e-mail to pmoffice@cwdom.dm.

• Shirley Ann Holmes, B.H.Sc. '62, will launch a new book at the Bookshelf Cafe in Guelph in September. A professional home economist, food stylist and consumer consultant, she has collected recipes from all over the world. Easy Bread Machine Baking offers more than 100 new recipes, and some of them will be baked for the 7 p.m. celebration and bread tasting Sept. 28.

Everyone is welcome.

• Timothy Millard, B.Sc. (Agr.) '69 and M.Sc. '71, has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the Ontario Forest Industries Association.

He began his career as a biologist for the Ministry of Natural Resources and has held positions as superintendent and dis-

trict manager of Algonquin Park, interim CEO of the Ontario Training and Adjustment Board, deputy minister of labour, deputy solicitor general and deputy minister of correctional services.

• Grant Misener, B.Sc.(Eng.) '68 and M.Sc. '69, was recently elected a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Agricultural Engineering. A research scientist with the federal government, he is a specialist in engineering aspects of harvesting and storage of agricu ltural products, holds several patents and has published 80 scientific papers and ISO technical articles. He is also executive vice-president of JOT Inc., a company specializing in technology training and human resource development.

His wife, Adeline (McKinney), B.H.Sc. '68, is JOT founder and president. They have three children and five grandchildren and live in Fredericton, N.B. • Grahame Walton, M.Sc. '68, lives in New Zealand, but will be paying a visit to Guelph in late October on his way to run the New York 2000 Marathon. He would like to hear from old colleagues by e-mail at g. walton@clear.net.nz.

Homecoming 2000!

COME HOME TO CAMPUS AND EXPERIENCE THE COLOURS OF GUELPH --------

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13 OAC AGGIE PuB

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• Janet Atkinson Boeuf, BA '77, has been living in France with her husband and daughter since 1991. She teaches English, mostly for corporate clients, and can be reached by e-mail at Boefj@aol.com.

• Allan Brown, M.Sc. '77, received the prestigious Crop Protection Institute Chairman's Award in November 1999. Regulatory affairs manager for Du Pont Canada, he was honoured for his leadership in the NAFTA registration harmonization effort and his role in forging mutual understanding among

OUA SWIM RELAYS GRYPHON CLUB HALL OF FAME 17TH ANNUAL DINNER

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14 ENGINEERING REUNION FOR 1990, 1995 AND 2000 GRADS GLORY BowL FOR FooTBALL ALUMNI & BuLLRING BBQ ALUMNI SwiM MEET UGAA VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION LUNCH VARSITY GAMES FooTBALL, RuGBY, LAcRossE, WoMEN's AND MEN's VoLLEYBALL, WoMEN's AND MEN's SoccER

Buy an all-events family pass to Gryphon games for only $150 ($100 single).

For details, call Alumni House at 519-824-4120, Ext. 6934.

Fall2000 29

STAY IN TOUCH U of G Alumni Association Scott vanEngen, president .......... . ... . .................. e-mail: alumni@uoguelph.ca ............................... . .... . .......... . ........ www.ugalumni.uoguelph.ca Alumni Programs Michael Somerville, director . . .................... e-mail: msomervi@alumni.uoguelph.ca Carla Bradshaw, alumni officer ....... . . .. .. .. ........ e-mail: carlab@alumni.uoguelph.ca Laurie Malleau, alumni officer ................ . ..... e-mail: lauriem@alumni.uoguelph.ca Vikki Tremblay, alumni programs office . .. ......... . ... e-mail: vikkit@alumni.uoguelph.ca Guelph Alumnus Mary Dickieson, editor .......... . . . ........... e-mail: mdickies@exec.admin.uoguelph.ca ............................................. For telephone contact, call 519-824-4120 Alumni Records Jean Williams, records clerk . . ..................... . .. e-mail: jeanw@alumni.uoguelph.ca Velma Reddon, records clerk .. . ............... . ..... e-mail: velmar@alumni.uoguelph.ca

various stakeholders for the Canadian registration process.

• Glenys Causton, BA '71, received an MA in counselling psychology from Adler School in 1997. She is juggling a full-time job at Brantford General Hospital, a small private practice and part-time work as an instructor at McMaster University's continuing education addiction studies program. She has two children, Sarah and Thomas.

• Martha Collins, B.Sc. '75, Bob Desautels, B.Comm. '75, Paul

I

I I

Tingley, B.Comm. '89, Louise McMullen, BA '89, and Phil Reid, B.Comm. '89, are all part of the Arrow Neighbourhood Pub Group, which was established by Desautels in 1992. The group owns pubs in Ottawa , Toronto, Peterborough and Guelph and has adopted a new mandate to expand across Canada, positioning it to become the country's largest pub enterprise. Following in the tradition of local pubs being meeting-place hubs of local

activity, the Arrow Neighbourhood Pub Group promotes and sells locally crafted foods and beverages, particularly local micro-brews and wines.

• Jack Green, BA '72, is founder and owner of Entretelinc., a call centre consulting and training company based in Oakville, Ont. He has just written a book titled

Contact: A Guide to Developing Effective Call Centre Skills and recently formed another company, eConnexx Inc., which has developed Telepro Online, the

only Web-based call centre training product in North America.

The product has been accepted for distribution in Asia and the Pacific Rim and is moving in the European market. For more information, visit the company Web site at www.econnexx.com.

• Roderick Hodgson, BA '78, is a public works employee in Hudson, Ont. He was married on a Caribbean cruise in August.

• Jane, BA '76, and Doug Loucks, B.Sc. '75, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in june at a party hosted by their children, Daniel, Nathan, Anne and Ben, and Betty Loucks. The family lives in South River, Ont., where jane is an artist and Doug a United Church minister.

• Dana Peebles, BA '79, was recently elected secretary and director of the Canadian Association of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs. She is principal of Kartini International Consulting Inc., a firm established in 1996 that serves clients such as the Asian Development Bank, the Canadian International Development Agency and AusAID, as well as com-

GRAD NEWS UPDATE FORM Name

Degree & Year _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Address

City

Prov./State

Postal Code _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Home Phone

Fax

E-mail

Business Phone

Fax

E-mail

Occupation

I Grad News Update

I

Send address changes and Grad News to: Alumni Records, University of Guelph, Guelph ON N IG 2Wl Phone: 519-824-4120, Ext. 6550, Fax: 519-822-2670, E-mail: jeanw@alumni.uoguelph.ca

30

GuELPH ALUMNUS

1-

munity organizations and women's groups in Canada and Southeast Asia. After Guelph, Peebles completed a master's degree in international development at the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands and has more than 20 years of experience in international development, gender equity and adult basic education.

• Jane Pritchard, DVM '77, recently started a master's program in anatomic pathology at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

• Margaret Sadler, BA '7 1, and her husband, Marcus Busch, are volunteer development educators with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Nouakchott, Mauritania. They are interpreting the work of LWF by reporting stories, bui lding capacity in the use of English and assisting in Web site development. Field trips from No uakchott take them to surrounding villages to visit LWF's environmental, agricultural, women's health and rural development projects for both nomadic and settled people.

ed professor of microscopic anatomy at the Atlantic Veterinary College.

• Janis Tarchuk, BA '79, is an Alberta MLA, first elected in 1997 for the Banff-Cochrane riding and now serving as chair of the Standing Policy Committee on Health and Safe Communities, the Education Tax Review Committee and the Natural Heritage Act Review Committee.

19805

• John Blaine, B.Comm. '86, took over the posit ion of chief financial officer of Corel Corp. last spring. A native of Ottawa, he is a chartered accountant who was previously vice-president and controller of Sterling Commerce Inc. in Ohio and earlier headed the financial operations of the company's parent, Sterling Software.

• Tye Burt, BA '80, has retired as chair of the Deutsche Bank of Canada, where he ran the bank's global metals and mining investment banking team from Toronto since 1997. He will continue to work with Deutsche Bank on select assignments.

• Jeff Dover, B.Comm. '89, recently joined KPMG's Financial Advisory Services Group as

U of G Degrees ADA

• Amreek Singh, PhD '71, was named professor emeritus at the University of Prince Edward Island during convocation ceremonies in May. After earning his PhD, he joined the Geneva University School of Medicine for a two-year post-doctoral fellowship, then returned to OVC in 1974 to join the faculty of the Department of Biomedical Sciences.ln 1985, he was appoint-

= Associate diploma

in agriculture ADH = Associate diploma in horticulture BA = Bachelor of arts B.A.Sc. Bachelor of applied science B.Comm. Bachelor of commerce B.H.Sc. Bachelor of house· hold science BLA Bachelor of landscape architecture BSA = Bachelor of science in agriculture (pre·1965) B.Sc.(Agr.) Bachelor of science in agriculture B.Sc. Bachelor of science

=

=

=

=

=

=

a consultant in the hospitality, leisure and tourism practice. He earned an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1996, winning the Graduate Go ld Medal for Academic Achievement, and recently received the certified management consultant designation, placing first in Ontario and third in Canada on the final comprehensive exam.

• Alan Fung, B.Sc. '84, has left his position as executive director of the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry Malaysia (Pikom) to open an email marketing company called Permission.Com Sbn Bhd.

• Ian James, ODA '82, recently released the book Fumbling

With a Flyrod: Stories Fro111 the River. A professional fly tier, flyfishing guide and certified casting instructor, james has received numerous awards for his skills and competed for

B.Sc.(Eng.)

=

MBA= Master of business

=

M.Eng. = Master of engineering MFA = Master of fine art MLA = Master of landscape

Bachelor of science in engineering B.Sc.(Env.) Bachelor of science in environmental sciences B.Sc.(H.K.) Bachelor of science in human kinetics B.Sc.(P.E.) Bachelor of science in physical education DHE = Diploma in home economics D.V.Sc. = Doctor of veterinary science DVM Doctor of veterinary medicine GD Graduate diploma MA = Master of arts M.Agr. = Master of agriculture

=

=

=

=

Canada at both the World and Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships in 1995. He lectures, tutors and demonstrates all aspects of fly fishing.

• Two U of G graduates were among the recipients of this year's Guelph YMCA-WYCA Women of Distinction Awards.

Gwen Revington, B.Sc. '84 and M.Sc. '86, received the Award for Education, Training and Development. Susan Richards, BA '84, received the Award for Arts and Culture.

• Barbara (Sa lsberg), BA '82, and Bruce Mathews, B.Sc '83, live in Toronto with their children, Maddy and Mitchell. Bruce teaches high school physics in York Region, and Barbara is a corporate trainer. She has written a book combining Myers Briggs Type Inventory with experiential training that will be published by Davies-Black Publishing in fall2001. Together, they invented an interactive mask that was featured on CBC-TV's Veillure and has received an award from the National Research Council of Canada.

• Don Oravec, BA '80, recently joined Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra as their first director of development. He is respon-

admininstration

architecture Master of management studies M.Sc. Master of science M.Sc.(Aqua) Master of science in aquaculture ODA Ontario diploma in agriculture ODH Ontario diploma in horticulture ODR = Ontario diploma in recreation PhD = Doctor of philosophy

MMS

=

=

=

=

=

Fall 2000 31

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sible for all aspects of fund raising for the Canadian orchestra, which performs 50 concerts a year in Toronto and tours 12 weeks annually across Canada and in the U.S., Europe and Asia. He invites e-mail at doravec@tafelmusik.org.

• Linda Speers, B.Sc. '80, is living in London, Ont., and enjoying her work as a facilitator with London Goodwill Industries, where she helps people experiencing barriers to employment.

• John Steele, B.Sc. '83, lives in Fort Worth, Tex., with his wife and infant daughter, who was born in June.

• Brenda Watson, B.A.Sc. '87, has been named president of the Ontario Institute of Agrologists. Raised on a farm in Dufferin County, she has worked for the Ontario Agricultural Training Institute and is a graduate of the Advanced Agricul-

tural Leadership Program. She has also made contributions to several community groups, including 4-H, the Junior Farmers' Association of Ontario and the Mac-FACS Alumni Association.

• Liaw Penn Yen, BA '84, is working at Tunku Abdul Rahman College as head of the Johor branch campus in Bahau, Malaysia. She thanks all her former professors and lecturers from Guelph.

19905

• Kyle Adamo, B.Comm. '99, is an operations manager for Windmill Software in Toronto, a company that supplies property management software for non-profit and long-term-care housing providers in Ontario.

Her e-mail address is kadamo @windmillsoftware.com.

• Jane Alexander, BLA '83, has been promoted to principal at

ColeJenest & Stone, Charlotte, Penn. She joined the firm as a landscape architect in 1994.

• Suman (Garcha ), M.Sc. '93, and Derek Armitage, M.Sc. '93, are pleased to announce the birth of their son on March 29, 2000. Suman is a managing partner at Audience Communication; Derek is an environmental consultant pursuing a PhD at the University of Waterloo. They are currently m Indonesia, where Derek is conducting field research until December 2000, but they can be reached by e-mail at sdarmitage@hotmail.com.

• Cecily Chiles-Evans, B.Sc. '90, was a featured soloist in the International Symphony Orchestra presentation of Opals from Operatta held in Sarnia, Ont., in May. Schooled in music from an early age, she studied toxicology at U of G, but continued to take voice lessons and

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sang with the Guelph Chamber Choir, the Ontario Youth Choir and the Metropolitan United Church Choir in Toronto. She also played bassoon. Most of her time is now devoted to singing and being a full-time mom.

• Elton Cyderman, BA '96 and MA '98, moved to Ottawa in May 1999 and is an analyst with the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics at Statistics Canada.

In March, he published two publications based on resource, expenditure and personnel surveys for courts and prosecutorial services across Canada. He would enjoy hearing from friends and classmates at elton.cryderman@statcan.ca.

• Christie Dunbar, BLA '97, lives in Ann Arbor, Mich., where she works with Pollack Design Associates. In June 1999 she was awarded an honorary diploma from Niagara College for her work in designing the

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first component of the college's 25-year landscape plan.

• Philippa Evert, B.Sc. (Agr.) '93, was recently appointed vicepresident of investor relations at Fuzion Wireless Communications, Inc. in Boca Raton, Fla. She joined Fuzion in October 1999 as senior marketing manager and previously worked in various marketing capacities with CRC Press LLC and Worldwide Internet Solutions, Inc. • Tricia Givens, BA '98, has joined a new branch of a company called The People Bank in Calgary. She is helping to develop the new branch in areas such as recruitment, training and compensation.

• Eric Griffin, BA '82, is the rector of St. Margaret's Anglican Church in Hami lton, Ont. • Mary Lynn Kostash, BA '93, is a technical writer with Cygnus Solutions and lives in Toronto.

• Derek Kiinsken, B.Sc. '94,

completed an M.Sc. at McMaster University in cancer gene therapy in 1996 and worked extensively in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, as a volunteer with street children. In 1999, he joined Citizenship and Immigration Canada as a foreign service officer and is posted to the Canadian Embassy in Bogota.

His e-mail address is dkunsken @hotmail.com.

• Sherri Lawrence, BA ' 99, married Timothy Marshall in May. She works for an international company, assisting with the co-ordination and implementation of global relocation services. She also serves as a crisis intervener and intake counsellor and provides a counselling referral service.

• Sean Mcinnis, BA '93, recently graduated from McGill University with a PhD in classical guitar performance, the first such degree granted by McGill.

• Carrie McLaughlin, BA '95, earned a master's degree in college student personnel from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1997. She is now assistant director of residential life at Colgate University in Hamilton,

N.Y. • Glen Pyle, B.Sc.(H.K.) ' 95, recently completed a PhD in physiology at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, where he received the Thomas A. Gerwin Award for outstanding graduate student. He is now a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Illinois at Chicago and was awarded a post -doctoral fellowship by the American Heart Association to study cardiac protein structure and function.

• Sara (Macgray) Rumsey, B.Comm. '93, is an admission/liaison officer with the University of Western Ontario

in London, Ont. Since graduating, she has lived in Nova Scotia and Windsor, Ont., and was married in October 1999.

• Asep Saefudd in, M.Sc. '91 and PhD '96, has been appointed head of the Department of Statistics In the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science at Bogor Agricultural University in Indonesia. He a lso directs an NGO for Regional Resource Development and Community Empowerment in Bogor. He can be reached at renstra@indo.net.id or crescen t@biossys. net.

• Patricia Story, B.Sc.(Agr.) '92, has completed a graduate diploma in communications at Concordia University in Montreal and is a communications adviser for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She would like U of G friends (especially the resources management gang) to write to her at pstory@recorder.ca.

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34

GUELPH ALUMN U S

H11rm '"'o .\Iember o(( 'fiJI

Chapter bridge club launches a new season, co ntact Margaret McGowan at 613-828-7038.

October - The Department of Consumer Studies invites all B.Comm. marketing, B.Comm. HREM and M.Sc. consumer studies alumni to an anniversary celebration. Watch for your invitation and check out the Web site www.uo guelph.ca/ConsumerStudies for details.

Oct. 5 -Canada-American Society Dinner and Dance, Seattle, Wash., call Kevin Cook at the Canadian Consulate General Office, 206-770-4065.

Oct. 11 to 14 - "The New Rural Economy: Choices and Options," organized

by College d' Alfred in co-operation with Statistics Canada and the Rural Restructuring Foundation. For information, contact Gi lbert Heroux at gheroux@alfredc.uo guelph.ca.

Oct. 13 -Gryphon Club Hall of Fame Dinner at U of G. For tickets, call Athletics at Ext. 2223.

Oct. 14 - Homecoming 2000: alumni swim meet and football alumni Glory Bowl on Saturday morning; Engineering Alumni Assoc iation annua l meeting, contact Sharon Schajncha at ss@rwdi.com; president's reception at noon; football Gryphons vs. Concordia at 2 p.m.

Oct 14 - The Central Student Association brings jazz diva Holly Cole to the River Run Centre, 35 Woolwich St., 8 p.m.

Call the River Run box office (open Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) to book tickets for this homecoming event, $36 general/$30 students, 519-763-3000.

Oct. 16 to 18 -Fall Convocation, War Memorial Hall.

Oct. 26 -New York Eighth Annual Canadian Un iversity Alumni Reception, Canad ian Club of New York, call212403-6508.

Nov. 4 -Aggie Day at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.

Nov. 19 -Bursar lunch get-together at Pat Seyfried's home. For information,

OBITUARIES

Former coach remembered Dick Brown, manager of athletics facilities from 1968 to 1988, died May 20, 2000. A veteran of the Second World War, he played professional football for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes before joining U of G. He was head football coach from 1968 to 1978 and assistant coach from 1979 to 1991, serving as defensive coach for the 1984 Vanier Cup-winning Gryphons. From 1968 to 1977, he was also assistant coach of the men's basketball team, which captured the national championship in 1973/74.

Mr. Brown is survived by his wife, Anne, two children and three grandchildren. Donations in his memory can be made through Alumni House to the Dick Brown President's Scholarship, which was established in 1991 by former Gryphon Patrick Lett, B.Sc. '74 and M.Sc. '75.

Grant MacEwan, ADA '23 and BSA '26, died June 15, 2000, in Calgary at the age of 97. One of the best-known and mostloved political figures in Western Canada, he began his career following in the shoes of his pioneer parents on a farm in Saskatchewan. His Guelph degree led him into an academic career as a professor and dean of agriculture at the universities of

send e-mail to Joanne Watt, ADA '56, at 4@aol.com or call 905-294-5840.

Nov. 22 - OAC Alumni Foundation awards banquet at the Arboretum Centre, contact Carla Bradshaw at Ext. 6657

Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Always a prolific writer, he moved to Alberta as editor of the Western Producer and later served in the Alberta legislature, on Calgary city council and as Calgary mayor. In 1966, he was named Alberta's lieutenantgovernor.

Mr. MacEwan wrote a regular column on conservation and environmentalism for the Calgary Herald for 36 years. He also wrote 49 books, many of them popular history books about people he called "Canadian heroes." Several of the books are available in the U of G Library.

The recipient of five honorary degrees, including one from U of G in 1972, MacEwan was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 197 4. Predeceased by his wife, Phyllis, he is survived by one daughter, Heather Foran.

Anne MacKellar, B.Sc. '74 and M.Sc. '79, died March 29, 1999, in St. Catharines, Ont. She was a member of the lOOthanniversary class of OAC and served on the !25th-anniversary committee. Her sister, Flora, says some of the happiest years of Ms. MacKellar's life were spent at the University of Guelph. After graduation, she obtained a master's of library science from the University of Western Ontario and worked at the St. Catharines Public Library. She is survived by her son, Jim Papple, of St. Catharines and her parents, Ken and Verna; her sister, Flora MacKellar Dellar; and her brother, Hugh, all of Glencoe, Ont.

Canada. He worked primarily for the health of animals branch, consulting with the University of Guelph, helping to set up the veterinary program at the University of Saskatchewan and bringing the Charolais breed of cattle to Canada. He was predeceased by his wife, Eileen.

Ronald Bolton, B.Sc. '75, April 22, 2000 Gean Cliff, B.Sc. '75, November 2000 Jac Cropley, ODH '72, February 1999 Caroline Dahan, B.H.Sc., May 13, 2000 Andrew Gray, DVM '89, May 23, 2000 William Gregg, BSA '53 and DVM '61, June 18, 2000 Burton Griffith, BSA '35, June 26, 2000 James Gunstone, M.Sc. '71, in 1998 Stuart Innes, B.Sc. '75, May 21, 2000 W.C. "Doug" Jones, BSA '56, Jan. 13, 2000 Dale Leslie, ADA '89, June 28, 2000 Claudette MacKay Lassonde, H.D.Sc. '92, June 13, 2000 Helen Macrae, DHE '39, May 4, 2000 Olive McLaughlin, DHE '31, April14, 2000 William Morwick, BSA '31, Feb. 2, 2000 Austin Munro, DVM '41, April 14, 2000 Louis Rossoni, DVM '52, May 9, 2000 Ruth Spademan, DHE '42, Feb. 1, 2000 Thomas Toth, BSA '53, May 29, 2000 Ching Tse, B.Sc. '75, in 1998

Walter Moynihan, DVM '44, died June 14, 2000, in Victoria, B.C. Like his father, William, DVM '1 0, and brother, Irvin, DVM '36, Walter served with the federal government, retiring after 25 years as the associate veterinary director-general of

Friends Doreen Campbell, May 17, 2000 Mario Crenna, May 24, 2000 Carol Harris, May 27,2000 Dorothy Heeg, May 23, 2000 Elmer Moyer, June 28, 2000 Michaela Rose McTaggart, June 24, 2000, infant daughter of Jennifer, BA '99, and Johnathan McTaggart, B.Sc. '96 and DVM '00. Born June 8, 2000, Michaela died in her sleep at the family home in Niagara Falls, Ont.

or carlab@alumni.uoguelph.ca.

January- OAC career week and Goodtimes Banquet, details TBA. March 30 & 31- OAC Alumni Association Curling Bonspiel, Guelph, call Car-

Ia Bradshaw at Ext. 6657.

For more information about an alumni event, call the U of G extension listed at 519-824-4120 or send e-mail to alumni@uoguelph. ca.

:" Fall '2000 35

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

the CWay CWe CWere FROM THE ARCHIVES

EVELOPMENT OF the University of Guelph Arboretum began in 1970 when the Board of Governors approved a master plan that dedicated 330 acres of campus property to provide a "living laboratory" for research and teaching at U of G and an important resource for the province. The Arboretum has over 40 plant collections of native and introduced species ranging from garden roses and hedge plants to native forest trees and a number of rare species. A gene bank is helping to preserve the genetic diversity of Ontario's rare woody plants and produces seed for future restoration work.

The Arboretum is perhaps the most-visited part of the

D

U of G campus, with hundreds of people using its trails each week for fitness programs and self-guided nature walks. An extensive education program provides special events and workshops for schoolchildren, families, people with disabilities and other groups who want to expand their knowledge of Ontario's natural resources and wildlife.

U of G and community volunteers work together to help maintain the Arboretum as a place where trees and frogs and hawks take precedence. To find out more about seasonal workshops and special projects like building a wildlife garden or preserving elm trees, visit the Arboretum Web site at www.uoguelph.ca/-arboretu.

COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS PHOTO

36 GuELPH ALUMNUS

Alumni Collection Clothing

Rugger Shirt, as shown, S-XXXL ................................ 79.95 Golf Shirt, white or tan, S-m .................................. 49.95 Quarter-Zip Cotton Fleece, red, S-m ...................... .59.95 Cotton Tee, grey, S-m ............................................. 24.95 Sherpa V-Neck, cream or navy, S-XL ......................... 69.95 Ladies Tee, white, S-M-L ........................................... 22.95 Adjustable Cap, as shown ......................................... 19.95 Nylon Hooded jacket, navy, S-m ........................... 75.00

Alumni Collection Gifts

Marble Mug with Portico Design .............................. 6.98 Tie silk face, as shown .............................................. 59.95 Portico Design Decanter ........................................... 49.95 Matching Old-Fashioned Glass .................................. 10.00 Cedar Card Box ........................................................ 19.95 Piece-of-the-Cannon Paperweight ............................. 29.95 Wooden Alumni Pen Set ........................................... 49.95 School Ring/Jewellery (Call for information)

Return the completed order form to: University Bookstore, MacNaughton Building, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON NlG 2Wl. Allow 2 weeks for delivery.

Customer Name

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Quantity

Size

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Address

City Telephone ( Credit Card:

Postal Code

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