What did you have for lunch today?  

A growing body of research shows that what children are eating for breakfast and lunch – and the environment in which they’re eating – is critically important for their growth and development.  

Dr. Rachel Engler-Stringer (PhD), a professor in the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Department of Community Health and Epidemiology in the College of Medicine, is a strong proponent of school food programs that give young people access to structured and nutritional meals.  

Engler-Stringer's work highlights the positives of school food programs, from nutritional benefits to social and community support and equality for students.  

These school food programs have seen success in countries around the world, leading to short and long-term benefits for the students involved – but researchers like Engler-Stringer are looking to keep building the body of research to support growing school food programs in Canada.  

The Government of Canada announced a $1 billion investment for a national school food program in 2024. While that support is crucial, the shape that program takes will need to be supported by robust research. 

On this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question “What should your children be eating for lunch?” 

Listen to the episode to learn more! 

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email [email protected]
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

Feb. 11 marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a day that was was adopted by the United Nations to help promote the role and participation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). But even in the decade-plus since the UN established the day of recognition, men still outnumber women in professional STEM fields — though the number of women entering these fields is growing.  

Zoe Slusar, also known as hip-hop artist ZHE the Free, is a graduate student in anthropology at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), and is the coordinator for USask’s Science Ambassador Program. The program pairs USask students with K-12 classrooms across 11 northern communities, helping create two-way learning relationships rooted in respect, reciprocity and joy.  

The program helps inspire young people to embrace science and research from a young age – many of them young women and girls who may not get a similar opportunity.  

On this special episode of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question “How are we encouraging future scientists?” 

Special guest host: Leslie-Ann Schlosser

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email [email protected]
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

Why does a curling rock curl? 

If you’re unfamiliar with the sport of curling, it’s fairly straightforward: two teams slide granite rocks from one end of a sheet of ice to the other, trying to get as many of their rocks closest to the centre of the rings on each end as possible. And true to its name, the rocks are rotated so they “curl” across the sheet and around other rocks. 

Curling is also one of Canada’s biggest sports. Canada is the world leader in curling gold medals and overall medals in the Olympics, and the vast majority of the world’s curlers are from Canada.  

Though curling might look like a simple game, there is a slew of science and engineering that goes into understanding how the sport works. Dr. Sean Maw (PhD), an associate professor with the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Engineering in the Ron and Jane Graham School of Professional Development and the Jerry G. Huff Chair in Innovative Teaching, is an expert in winter sliding sports.  

Maw’s research explores the complexities of curling—how the rocks move across the ice, the effects of sweeping a rock and so much more—in an effort to better understand and expand our knowledge of this nationally and internationally celebrated game.  

On this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question “How does a curling rock curl?” 

Listen to the episode to learn more! 

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email [email protected]
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

Virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) have evolved from technological curiosity to cutting edge tools.  

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) are finding more avenues to use these transformative technologies in new and innovative ways – including using them into the classroom to help instruct the next generation. 

New research points to these new technological techniques actually having a marked impact on learning and education. Dr. Soo Kim (PhD) and Dr. Stacey Lovo with USask’s School of Rehabilitation Science in the College of Medicine have broken new ground in researching and utilizing VR and AI tools in the classroom from grade school up to the university level. 

For them, VR and AI are critical for finding new, efficient and effective ways to broaden health research and education.  

On this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question: “How can VR and AI help us learn?” 

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email [email protected]
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

Why does holiday marketing do such a good job? 

When the calendar turns its page to December, it signals one of the busiest buying and selling seasons of the year. This year especially, it’s never been harder to be a consumer during the holidays.  

Dr. Adam Slobodzian, an assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s Edwards School of Business who specializes in marketing and consumer research, said pressure on consumers during the holidays is at an all-time high.  

With rising prices and the slew of holiday marketing that targets directly at our nostalgia and our spirit for the season, there is a lot of content bombarding consumers each holiday season competing for attention, or convenience, or the best possible deals.  

On this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question: “What makes holiday marketing so effective?” 

Listen to the episode to learn more! 

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email [email protected]
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

The weather outside is getting frightful – but for Dr. Phil Chilibeck (PhD), the frigid temperatures just provide more opportunities to stay active.  

A professor at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Kinesiology, Chilibeck is no stranger to being active in the cold. Running, biking, cross-country skiing, shoveling your driveway – there are plenty of ways to get exercise in the winter.  

Winter allows for more options for exercise, and the sub-zero temperatures can actually play in your favour. Research suggests your body might be burning more calories while it works through the cold. And while it’s sometimes hard to find motivation during the darkest and chilliest time of year, Chilibeck encourages everyone to push past the urge to snuggle up in the warmth and get outside for some fresh air and activity.  

On this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question: “Are there benefits to being active in cold temperatures?” 

Listen to the episode to learn more!

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email [email protected]
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

Canada is a cold place, but that doesn't stop us from growing plants in our homes and gardens. And every year, many of those plants pop back up in the spring or shake off the snow and ice to thrive again.  

Dr. Karen Tanino (PhD), a professor in USask’s Department of Plant Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, is an expert on plant physiology and how they deal with stresses like cold temperatures.  

By using the synchrotron at the Canadian Light Source at USask, Tanino is able to look deep inside plant cells to determine what changes different kinds of plants go through to adapt and survive in winter conditions.  

From garden vegetables to towering trees, different plant life uses different mechanisms to resist the cold and thrive again in the springtime.  

On this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question: “How do your plants learn to survive the cold?” 

Listen to the episode to learn more!

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email [email protected]
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

While avian flu and cattle flu aren’t quite the same as the flu we’re used to as humans, they can have deadly consequences for wild and farmed birds and long-term effects on our cows that we’re only just beginning to explore.  

Dr. Bryce Warner (PhD) and Dr. Antonio Facciuolo (PhD) are flu experts and research scientists at at USask’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO). Warner is also an adjunct professor at the College of Medicine, and Facciuolo is an adjunct professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.  

They research infectious diseases, viruses and vaccines. And both acknowledge that while the chance of a human actually catching bird or cattle flu is low, they can still pose a danger and should be taken very seriously.  

On this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question: “Why should humans care about bird and cattle flu?” 

Listen to the episode to learn more! 

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email [email protected]
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

When is the last time you thought about where your water ends up? 

The water that flows down the drain in the tub, that runs through the grates on the side of the road, that gets flushed down the toilet—all of it makes its way to treatment plants where it gets processed and cleaned before returning to our waterways.  

The plant treats incoming water for all types of waste and pollutants, but it’s micropollutants—those chemicals present in tiny amounts that can still cause widespread effects—where more research is being done to remove those from our wastewater as well.  

Dr. Markus Brinkmann (PhD), an associate professor in the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) School of Environment and Sustainability and the director of the Toxicology Centre, works alongside City of Saskatoon leaders like Wastewater Treatment Plant manager Mike Sadowski to tackle those issues.  

On this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question: “Can we completely remove all the pollutants from wastewater?” 

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email [email protected]
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

Dr. Colin Laroque (PhD) listens to what the trees tell him.  

Laroque, a professor in USask’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources and the head of the Department of Soil Sciences, is an expert dendrochronologist. Or, in other words, he is an expert in “tree-ring analysis,” which allows him to read the rings of trees to get a better understanding of the environment over years, decades and centuries.  

In recent years, the number of wildfires in Canada and around the world have increased, with more area being burned and more effort being put into dealing with them. As Laroque puts it, the environment is changing, but those changes take long periods of time before they can be understood as trends or a “new normal.” 

For Laroque, the questions are not whether or not this more regular and severe wildfire season is here to stay, but whether or not we’ve reached the apex of what this “new normal” looks like for wildfires.  

On this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question “What will increasing wildfires do to our environment, and is there anything we can do about it?” 

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email [email protected]
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!