November 30, 2023

The University of Saskatchewan’s Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council have received a $56M commitment from the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. This funding will be used to establish a research and training initiative in Bangladesh named the Bangabandhu-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Agriculture Technology Centre (BP-ATC). Through BP-ATC, partners will collaborate on research to enhance crop breeding and plant improvement, advance soil health, deliver innovations for post-harvest food handling, and bolster agricultural research data management. “By working in partnership with agriculture scientists in Bangladesh, we can aptly harness our knowledge and resource the next generation of researchers who will continue to combat the global food security crisis,” said USask VP Research Dr Baljit Singh.

The Common Front–which represents unionized cégep staff among other public sector employees–has announced seven days of strike action in early December if an agreement is not reached with the Government of Québec. Common Front previously went on strike on two occasions in November. In response to this announcement, Fédération des cégeps President Bernard Tremblay stated that cégep students may have to take classes or exams over the winter holidays to make up for the loss of class time. Tremblay also stated that the Fédération is considering cancelling classes or other options if the strike moves forward.

The University of Lethbridge and Bond University in Australia have partnered to create a new path to a Canadian law degree. Over the course of five years, students will travel back and forth between the universities as they complete two degrees—a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Management awarded by ULethbridge and a Bachelor of Law awarded by Bond University. Students will not be required to write the LSAT before applying to the law school program. “Part of becoming a global citizen is to learn about the people and lands beyond one’s own borders,” said ULethbridge Faculty of Arts & Science Associate Dean Dr Janay Nugent.

Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue will establish a national observatory that studies the health and environmental impacts of contaminants. The Observatoire national sur les incidences des émissions de contaminants sur la santé et l’environnement (ONICSE) will seek to disseminate scientific research on foundries and the contaminants they emit; propose solutions in relation to the economy, health, and environment; and provide reliable information to the provincial government so that it can make consistent decisions regarding environmental regulations. The Government of Québec will provide $500K over one year to launch the observatory and will additionally grant $9.5M to the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé to operate the observatory and develop its scientific programming.

The University of Niagara Falls Canada has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Niagara Falls Innovation Hub (NFIH) to advance entrepreneurial and innovation opportunities for students. Under this partnership agreement, UNFC and NFIH will collaborate to provide facilitation services for student’s capstone projects, service learning, and applied research projects; and coordinate work-integrated learning opportunities for students. UNFC students will also gain access to NFIH’s podcast studio and content creation suite, makerspace, BASE lab, networking events, conferences, and pitch competitions.

Dalhousie University recently announced a refreshed strategic direction titled Inclusive Impact to guide Dal’s research and innovation over the next five years. The strategic direction’s goals and actions include allotting additional supports for Dal scholars; capturing and articulating the positive impact that Dal’s research has at the local, national, and international levels; and adding artificial intelligence (AI) and digital innovation to its Strategic Research Clusters. Dal will also increase inclusivity by inviting more community partnerships and working on a definition for inclusive research excellence. Dal VP Research & Innovation Dr Alice Aiken said that this will include “new ways of talking about research excellence” while continuing to value traditional methods. “It’s not finite, it’s more inclusive,” said Aiken.

University College of the North and the Manitoba Arts Network recently announced that they are partnering to bring travelling art exhibitions to the institution’s Thompson and The Pas campuses over the next two years. A professional brass ensemble–called the “Buzz Brass”–will also be brought to UCN campuses to engage with local high school students and perform for local communities. “These exhibitions will showcase Manitoba artists’ rich talent and creativity, providing our students, faculty, staff, and communities with unique opportunities to engage with and appreciate the arts,” said UCN President Doug Lauvstad.

Students in one of the University of British Columbia’s applied biology courses recently participated in the “Great UBC Bug Bake Off.” In this competition, students used insects such as ground mealworms and cricket powder to cook foods such as samosas, potato patties, pita, and cookies as a way of raising awareness about how the bugs can provide nutritional benefits and sustainability solutions. “It definitely is a controversial topic in North America,” said student and baker Evelyn Springer, who created ginger cookies using mealworms for the competition. “[I]t honestly showed how easy it is to incorporate a little bit of extra protein in everything.”

McGill University recently formalized a partnership agreement with the investment and innovation platform Innovobot. Under this agreement, the two parties will accelerate the commercialization of technologies that are based on research conducted by McGill professors. “As we strive to increase the impact of our research on society, having strong partners to accelerate commercialization by providing financing and tangible support is an essential element,” said McGill Director, Innovation + Partnerships Mark Weber.

A recent article from University Business details the cybersecurity staffing challenges facing higher education. Alcino Donadel writes that postsecondary institutions in the United States are increasingly vulnerable to cybercrime, but they face critical challenges with cybersecurity staffing. Donadel notes that a recent survey conducted by EDUCAUSE found that many institutions faced hiring barriers such as limited departmental budgets and noncompetitive compensation packages. Respondents said that institutions must offer more competitive salaries (85%) and increase departmental budgets (68%) to address staffing issues. 76% of existing employees who responded to the survey also said that they were struggling with their growing responsibilities and workloads; 55% said they were likely to apply for other positions in a different sector.