USask Signature Series

Cancer is a foe that doctors and medical researchers have been battling for years. Incredible advances in fighting cancer have been developed at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and around the world.  

Cancer treatments were once a one-size-fits all approach, but today USask researchers are exploring ways to personalize cancer treatments for patients. In the same way someone’s glasses are made to fit their unique prescription and will not work as well for everyone, researchers are looking for ways to tailor cancer responses to each individual patient’s specific needs.  

Dr. Franco Vizeacoumar (PhD) is a professor in the Department of Oncology with the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine and is a senior research scientist with the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. His lab explores new avenues for treating cancer, with a special focus on genomics-based research.  

By using new state-of-the-art tools, Vizeacoumar and his lab are developing unique ways to battle cancer that can be tailored to an individual patient's needs and type of cancer. The goal? A future where effective and personalized treatments are common practices. 

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact team
• Studio and Technical Support: USask Media Production team
• 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!

How many joints make up your shoulder? Would you be surprised to know it’s more than one? 

The shoulder is one of the most complex biomechanical parts of your body, with a wide range of motion and multiple bones and joints making up that motion.  

Dr. Angelica Lang (PhD) is an associate professor in the University of Saskatchewan's (USask) College of Medicine and the scientific lead of the Shoulder Health and Ergonomics Research Lab based out of the Canadian Centre for Rural and Agricultural Health. Her specialty is in understanding your shoulders – how they move, preventing injuries and better understanding what can contribute to rehabilitating those injuries.  

Lang's work looks at workplace ergonomics, post-surgical outcomes, and all the various elements that go into the proper function of your shoulder.  

Listen to this week’s episode of the USask Signature Series podcast to learn more!

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact team
• Studio and Technical Support: USask Media Production team
• 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!

It’s one thing to call the University of Saskatchewan (USask) a leader in research, scholarly and artistic work (RSAW) — but what does that actually look like? 

USask has established itself as a world-renowned leader in multiple disciplines of RSAW including disciplines like agrifood and social sciences to vaccine development to water security.  

And USask is continuing to expand its RSAW profile in newer areas like artificial intelligence and quantum computing, building capacity locally and exploring new opportunities around the world.  

Baljit Singh, USask Vice-President Research, has been a leader in research and innovation at USask even before taking the position of vice-president research in 2021. A highly accomplished researcher, educator and administrator, Singh is known for spearheading local, national and international RSAW collaborations and opportunities. 

In an ever-shifting landscape for post-secondary institutions, USask is continuing to take active steps to be involved at all levels in bringing research and academic pursuits to the community, both here in Saskatchewan and around the world.  

On the final episode of the second season of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question “How does USask RSAW create impact we can see and feel?” 

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact team
• Studio and Technical Support: USask Media Production team
• 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!

Researchers across the University of Saskatchewan (USask) are exploring the science and policies behind nuclear energy — all the things that make it work, and the best and most responsible ways for society to use it as low carbon energy source alternative to fossil fuels.  

Dr. Andrew Grosvenor (PhD), the department head of Chemistry in USask’s College of Arts and Science and one of the co-leads for the Energy and Mineral Resources for a Sustainable Future Signature Area of Research at USask, and Canadian Light Source associate scientist Dr. Mehrnaz Mikhchian (PhD), have delved deeply into research around the mitigation and storage of nuclear waste.  

Their research is crucial to the future of nuclear energy in Canada and around the world, and their insights show how USask research is helping to shape that future.  

On this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question “What do we need to know about nuclear energy?” 

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact team
• Studio and Technical Support: USask Media Production team
• 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!

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 team
• Studio and Technical Support: USask Media Production team
• 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 team
• Studio and Technical Support: USask Media Production team
• 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 team
• Studio and Technical Support: USask Media Production team
• 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 team
• Studio and Technical Support: USask Media Production team
• 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 team
• Studio and Technical Support: USask Media Production team
• 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 team
• Studio and Technical Support: USask Media Production team
• 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!