Episode 19: Why should we care about wild bees?

03/02/21 • 27 min

This past summer, hundreds of teachers across Canada played host to bee hotels in hopes of better understanding solitary wild bees. Sage Handler, a master’s student in the School of Environmental Sciences, tells Graeme and Jordan all about this unique approach to crowd-sourcing research data and why tracking wild bees is worthwhile. She also answers all of Graeme and Jordan’s bee-related questions.

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Episode 18: How do your onions grow?

Onions, like all living things, need protection from pests and diseases. Sara Stricker, a PhD candidate in the Department of Plant Agriculture, sits down with Graeme and Jordan to explain how her research is protecting Ontario’s onions. Sara explains why onions are such a valuable crop, why they need protected and how it’s done. She also gives the inside scoop on completing a PhD and the University of Guelph’s 3MT Competition, which she won in 2020 by summarizing years of research into three minutes.

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Episode 20: How is cow health connected to farmer mental health?

Using robots to care for dairy cows might sound a bit cold or even dystopian to some, but researcher Dr. Meagan King found a connection between automation and positive health benefits for both dairy cows and the farmers who care for them. In this episode, Meagan talks to Graeme and Jordan all about dairy cows and explains how her research in the Department of Animal Biosciences showcases the linkage between automation, strong herd health and benefits for farmer mental health.

Note: Meagan received permission to visit and work with farms/farmers and followed policy set by the University of Guelph Research Ethics Board. The research discussed in this episode, and all animal research at the University of Guelph, is done in adherence to the University of Guelph Animal Care Policy and Procedures.