Top Ten News

Jan 12, 2024 • SK

Several research teams will be embarking on crop research projects using a combined $14.7M in funds from the Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), the federal government’s Strategic Research Initiative, and industry co-funders. The beneficiaries include researchers at the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Manitoba, University of Alberta, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, and the University of Regina. “This significant funding is reinforcement of our leadership in this field,” said USask VP Research Baljit Singh. “We appreciate the support from the provincial and federal government and our industry partners. Using state-of-the-art technologies and innovative methods, USask researchers will continue to sustainably feed a hungry world.”

SK, ADF Crop Research Funding (PDF), USask

Top Ten News

Jan 12, 2024 • ON

Brescia University College and Western University have approved a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that outlines the complete integration of Brescia into Western. Current Brescia students will be able to complete their program of study and continue to stay in their current residence. The MOA builds on the previously announced plans and will maintain Brescia’s Clare Hall as a women’s residence for at least four years; preserve the names of Brescia’s buildings, sites, and institutional artifacts; create a dedicated Brescia student lounge; and support the Brescia Alumnae Association in transferring to operation within Western’s alumni structure.

Western, ,

Top Ten News

Jan 12, 2024 • QC

Champlain College Lennoxville campus director Nancy Beattie has been temporarily placed on paid leave following allegations of psychological harassment and a motion of non-confidence filed by the teacher’s union. Champlain College Lennoxville board chair Matthew Mazur stated that Beattie would be on paid leave until the “conclusions of the different investigations are brought to the board of governors.” CBC reports that the teacher’s union’s motion of non-confidence is non-binding, but the union explained that the motion is intended to be “a unified call for action on pressing concerns within the institution.”

CBC (1), CBC (2),

Top Ten News

Jan 12, 2024 • AB

The Government of Alberta is investing over $3.6M to support research in technology development and innovation. This funding will contribute to equipment and facility costs for a range of ongoing research projects, including Lethbridge College’s Smart Irrigation Farm Project; the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s Boreal Research Project; and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Project and Hydrogen and Energy Storage Technologies Project. “Support from the government for infrastructure and researchers to address industry-driven challenges enables the commercialization of sustainable technologies and practices, enhancing the quality of life for Albertans through economic development,” said SAIT President David Ross.

AB, Lethbridge, Lethbridge News Now

Top Ten News

Jan 12, 2024 • International

Higher education must undergo a profound transformation to meet the challenges and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence (AI), write Teruo Fujii (University of Tokyo) and Joseph E Aoun (Northeastern University). Fujii and Aoun assert that higher education must instill a passion for innovation and interdisciplinary learning among its students, foster partnerships with the private sector, encourage more opportunities for experiential learning, and prepare students to be lifelong learners and adaptable thinkers. “By embracing these principles, universities can not only survive, but can also thrive in the age of AI, contributing to the development of skilled and adaptable talent that can navigate the complexities of our evolving world,” they conclude.

Times Higher Education, ,
Opinion

Top Ten News

Jan 12, 2024 • ON, SK

Georgian College has signed memorandums of alliance with the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) and the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) to provide students in Ontario and Saskatchewan with access to an Indigenous language virtual reality (VR) tool. SCDSB and SIIT will use Georgian’s Indigenous language VR worlds tool to teach elementary and secondary (SCDSB), and postsecondary (SIIT) students about Indigenous languages, cultures, and treaties; contribute to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action; and preserve Indigenous languages. “Creating innovative virtual worlds and then teaching Indigenous languages in them has truly been a labour of love,” said Georgian Indigenous Studies Coordinator Michele O’Brien. “We are so excited to collaborate with educational partners to make Indigenous languages and cultures accessible to even more people.”

Georgian, ,

Top Ten News

Jan 12, 2024 • AB

Lakeland College has received a $1M gift from alumnus Bill Robinson. Half of this donation will create an endowment fund that supports bursaries for first-year students who are studying at the Vermillion campus. The remaining funds will support beef cattle initiatives, including campus farm improvements and applied research projects. “Bill’s generosity will help us continue to modernize our campus farm, which is used by our more than 650 agricultural sciences students as well as applied research staff,” said Lakeland President Dr Alice Wainwright-Stewart.

Lakeland, My Lloydminster Now,

Top Ten News

Jan 12, 2024 • QC

The Université du Québec à Montréal has opened a new daycare with flexible hours to better support studying parents. The daycare is open during weekdays, weekday evenings, and Saturdays to accommodate the atypical schedules of UQÀM students with children. Individuals can register their children for the entire semester or book on a day-by-day basis. The daycare was created as a pilot project and can accommodate up to 12 children from the age of six months and up.

UQÀM, ,

Top Ten News

Jan 12, 2024 • International

In an article for The Conversation, University of Victoria scholars Katelin Albert and Nell Perry provide a review of provincial policies that respond to on-campus sexual violence. The authors applaud the fact that many of these provincial policies include explicit calls for prevention, but underline the inconsistencies between these approaches and note that many of these guidelines are also vague or unclear. Albert and Perry additionally state that some policies are based on increasing surveillance, as opposed to taking a survivor-centered approach. “There is lots of hard work being done to support students,” they conclude. “But efforts will remain sporadic until there is an established system that ensures accountability for consistent survivor-centered and trauma-informed policies across the country.”

The Conversation, ,
Opinion

Top Ten News

Jan 12, 2024 • ON

Algoma University has taken action in response to student protests over failing grades. AlgomaU launched an “urgent review” of the course in question and found that the grades were below statistical norms. Brampton Guardian reports that a standard bell curve was applied to the grades, passing 61 of the students; the remaining 32 students will now be given the opportunity to write a make-up exam graded by a different instructor. The Toronto Star reports that additional students from another AlgomaU course joined the protest on Tuesday, asserting that the majority of students in their class had also failed.

Brampton Guardian, Toronto Star,