August 10, 2026

Mount Saint Vincent University’s Appetite Lab is partnering with Food For Thought Software Solutions to improve the nutrition of school lunches served to children. Specifically, the partners will work to develop Nourish ED, a software tool to monitor food nutrition quality and analyze the eating habits of children. They plan to use this tool to create a framework to evaluate and develop school meal recipes that meet provincial and national dietary guidelines. MSVU Professor Dr Bohdan Luhovyy explained that children will be able to provide feedback on meals “right at school,” allowing school meal programs to improve their offerings.

Canada is falling behind when it comes to supporting researchers escaping war, political repression, or threats to academic freedom, argues Encieh Erfani (Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics). Erfani notes that while Canadian universities may be a part of networks supporting at-risk scholars, federal immigration policy does not sufficiently support these scholars. Erfani explains that scholars at risk who are currently in Canada lack pathways to remain in the country, and those seeking to come to Canada may not have access to documents required for traditional visa applications. Erfani points to an open letter to the federal government sent earlier this year calling on the creation of a federal strategy, concluding that with the support of the federal government, Canada has an opportunity to become a global leader in this area.

Brandon University is expanding its emergency management program offerings with a three-year major and a certificate starting in 2027–2028. The three-year Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies (ADES) program will be available as either a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree program. “The three-year degree may be attractive to those who have practical experience in emergencies management or a related field and don’t require the Applied Project, which is the capstone course of [an existing] four-year program,” explained BrandonU ADES Department Chair Dr Etsuko Yasui. The one-year certificate in Disaster Risk Management will involve the completion of five ADES courses.

A new Nature article highlights that while AI itself makes mistakes, it is also becoming increasingly useful for discovering mistakes or verifying truth in human work. The article begins by providing several examples of how researchers have successfully used AI for error checking or validation. Stanford University computer scientist James Zou explained the benefit of AI is that, while it cannot find all mistakes, it works at a speed and scale far surpassing a human. The article concludes by pointing out that humans will remain important in the scientific review process, pointing to a study which found that even the best AI model found only one-fifth of errors that human reviewers did, in addition to falsely identifying factual statements as errors.

The College of New Caledonia will be expanding its DRIVE Program in Quesnel through new funding from the Government of British Columbia’s Community and Employer Partnerships program. The DRIVE Program trains students to become commercial drivers, and offers participants industry certifications and licensing supports. It is fully funded to help remove barriers to training and will allow individuals in Quesnel to study without leaving their community. “This investment is part of our government’s work to expand high-demand training and ensure people can access the skills and education they need to build a fulfilling life,” said BC Minister of Post Secondary and Future Skills Jessie Sunner.

Georgian College has launched a new project that aims to improve the student transfer process. This project will focus on finding ways to improve how transfer-related information moves through the systems at Georgian and identifying ways to improve this information’s accuracy, consistency, and timeliness. Best practices will be shared with other ON postsecondary institutions to support student mobility. “Georgian is committed to finding new ways to remove barriers and create a more seamless experience for students,” said Georgian President Kevin Weaver. The project is supported by funding from the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer.

A staff member at Saskatchewan Polytechnic recently detailed how he brings work he does outside of his role at the polytechnic onto campus. Graphic design analyst Joshua Jacobson works as a Learning Technologist at the polytechnic, and is also an artist who creates large-scale murals incorporating digital layers. When viewed through a mobile device, animations, augmented reality, and 3D digital elements appear. Jacobson uses this experience to help faculty develop immersive educational tools such as diagrams that students can interact with from different angles. Additionally, Jacobson developed an augmented reality conduit bending course where students in remote communities can learn while instructors monitor their progress and connect through technology. “The work I do in both spaces complement each other,” explains Jacobson.

The University of Northern British Columbia is calling for recognition for smaller, rural universities as it competes for research funding. UNBC Interim Vice-Provost Dr Sarah Gray said the campus needs modern equipment to remain competitive and adequately train students. “If we don’t have a microscope we need here, and we have to travel to UBC, we’re paying for the travel to use that equipment,” said Gray. “And then we don’t have the equipment here to provide those training opportunities.” Gray emphasized that UNBC is not asking for special treatment, explaining that “there’s value in diversifying how that funding is distributed across the country, to ensure we have a diversity of perspectives in our research culture.”

In a recent CBC article, journalist Jenna Olsen discusses the current challenges as trades programs in Halifax are at capacity. Olsen writes that though the Canadian government will need more skilled workers for its submarine strategy, local trades programs are currently at capacity with no plans to expand seats. Nova Scotia Community College VP Academic Andrew Lafford explained that welding and metal fabrication programs “have an incredible amount of interest and [an] incredible amount of applications.” Nova Scotia Labour, Skills and Immigration Minister Nolan Young said that NS is looking at how it can expand trades programs, and that direct entry apprenticeships and NSCC are both avenues that will help more people enter the trades.

St Clair College’s Centre for the Arts is now home to a new peace pole. The Rotary District 6400 Peace Pole was dedicated in a ceremony that brought together college leadership, dignitaries, Rotarians, and others to promote a shared commitment to peace. The peace pole says “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in different languages on its four sides, promoting the message of peace. “The installation of this Peace Pole reflects St Clair College’s commitment to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment where respect, understanding and collaboration can flourish,” said St Clair President Michael Silvaggi.