A Curious Male Honeybee

By: Dr. Marina Carla Bezerra da Silva (DVM), PhD student, Department of Veterinary Pathology, WCVM

(Winner, Grand Prize)

Did you know that worker honeybees are the only bees used in agrochemical risk assessment? Although the queen and drones are in charge of reproduction within the hives, only the workers are subjected to the toxicological risk assessment. An excellent in vitro toxicological exposure for workers is currently available for researchers. Over the past few decades, many studies that attempted to raise male honeybees in vitro have failed; however, a successful in vitro protocol for rearing male honeybees for future agrochemical risk assessment was developed in our lab in 2023. This stunning image shows the first curious male honeybee emerging from the plate in the lab instead of its usual wax comb. So, what is the male honeybee looking for?  

Funding: Mitacs, Bayer, Interprovincial Undergraduate Summer Research Award (IUSRA), Saskatchewan Beekeepers Development Commission, Manitoba Canola Growers, SaskCanola, British Columbia Blueberry Council, BASF, personal Dean’s scholarship

Wakiŋyaŋ Tuŋwaŋpi
(When you see lightning but don't hear thunder)

By: Raina Buffalo Pechawis, undergraduate student, Department of Art and Art History, College of Arts and Science

(Winner, Arts in Focus)          

My drawing is based on research of neurographic art and my cultural experience. Neurographic art is meeting with your unconscious and the drawing process is based in mindfulness. It should be a meditative process, diving deep into the mind, avoiding rational thinking and letting your hands draw freely. I drew myself with a mythical being called the thunderbird from my Dakota culture. They represent power, strength, protection, and they create the thunderstorms to bless the earth. I wanted to incorporate my spiritual consciousness that I feel when I pray to the creator, and when I dance Powwow. In the drawing the thunderbird and I are connecting through the lightning coming from our eyes, representing the connection I have with the spiritual world, and Mother Earth. I was taught we are all connected, and we go through cycles which is represented with the medicine wheel.

Clay Apple

By: Atrayee Basu, BFA student, Department of Art and Art History, College of Arts and Science

(Runner-up, Arts in Focus)     

This research focuses on the historical alternative photographic process. It is a non-traditional photography printing method. I am researching how various materials can be used for alternative photography, especially clay slabs. ‘Clay Apple’ is the lovely apple tree in my backyard. Primarily, this is a digital camera image I took last summer. The research began with creating a buff clay slab, then bisque firing, coating it with starch spray, and resting it overnight. After completely drying, cover the sprayed surface with cyanotype emulsion. While waiting for the surface to dry, I created a negative from the digital file. After an hour, expose the film on the emulsion side and develop it. This image represents the blueprint of healthy habits.

Fire Season Reflections

By: Lindsay Carlson, PhD student, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Science

(Winner, Community Impact)

Cree communities in eastern James Bay have a strong connection with the land, waters, and animals of Eeyou Istchee (the People's Land). During the summer of 2023, wildfires raged across Quebec’s boreal forests. The communities were cut off from the rest of the province when fires started along the Billy-Diamond Highway. Due to poor air quality conditions and without gas, food, and other necessary supplies entering the communities by road, tallymen and land users were unable to fish and hunt for much of the summer, and many traditional summer gatherings and activities on the land were cancelled. Some communities were evacuated completely. In this photo, a freighter canoe sits unused along the shore of the Maquatua River in Wemindji, QC.

Funding: Niskamoon Corporation, Eeyou Marine Region Wildlife Board, Arctic Goose Joint Venture, Ducks Unlimited, Dr. Bruce D.J. Batt Fellowship in Waterfowl Conservation

Memories of Floods and Droughts

By: Ines Sanchez Rodriguez, PhD student, School of Environment and Sustainability

(Runner-up, Community Impact)

The dam disrupts the river's natural rhythm, realizing water to please hydropower generation, recreation, and fisheries upstream. At the same time, downstream inhabitants and species of the Saskatchewan River Delta (Canada) face the unpredictability of this water release. In a tender but realistic moment, a grandmother from the Indigenous community of the Delta shares her memories of floods and droughts with her grandchildren. As I listen, her voice seems to embody the river's spirit, conveying knowledge that goes beyond any model or dataset. Although she uses the same observed data I processed, her words hold knowledge that crosses the boundaries of the science I know.

Worm Hurricane

By: Amir Sabeti, PhD student, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Science

(Winner, More than Meets the Eye)

Image of two nematodes (C. elegans) in an embrace. These transgenic worms have two fluorescent reporters that show the cells in the worms that produce two different versions of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1, a critical protein that protects cells against stress (HIF-1a in red, HIF-1c in blue). The head of the worms are on the outside, where the ‘brain’ and most neurons lie (blue).  The two tails meet in the centre (where the posterior ganglia are located). Red marks the nuclei of all cells in C. elegans.

Funding: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

The Fine Art of Fractionation: Faba Bean Starch Granules Magnified

By: Oneli Mapalagama, MSc student, Department of Food and Bioproducts Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources

(Runner-up, More than Meets the Eye)        

Pulses undergo dry fractionation process to produce protein-rich flour, alongside starch-rich flour as a secondary output. Unfortunately, the starch-rich flour often harbors significant impurities, limiting its industrial usefulness and economic value. To tackle this challenge, my research focuses on isolating high-purity pulse starch from starch-rich pulse flours and improving their techno-functional characteristics. These minute pearls captured in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) are faba bean starch granules, isolated from underutilized starch-rich faba bean flour. Remarkably, these isolated faba bean starches demonstrate purity and techno-functional attributes akin to those found in commercial starch isolates.

Funding: Strategic Research Initiative Program of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership

Unveiling Arsenic: Protecting Fish and Humans

By: Mahesh Rachamalla, PhD student, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Science

(Winner, Research in Action)       

Fish are vital for maintaining the delicate balance of aquatic ecosystems and meeting our dietary requirements. However, the influx of pollutants from increasing economic activities poses a grave threat to both fish and human health by contaminating water bodies. My research delves into the pervasive presence of arsenic, a prevalent pollutant, and its adverse effects on fish health and fitness. By gaining insight into the impact of arsenic, we strive to strengthen regulatory measures, effectively limiting its release into water bodies. This endeavor is crucial for preserving the integrity of aquatic ecosystems and ensuring the well-being of both aquatic life and human populations.

Funding: NSERC

Winter Embrace: Cattle Swathgrazing in Snow

By: Somtochukwu Obiora, MSc student, Department of Animal and Poultry Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources

(Runner-up, Research in Action)  

I see cattle having fun doing what they know best: grazing. While most animals and we humans would love to stay away from the winter cold, these cattle are grateful to be in the field provided there is forage. Traditionally, they would have been fed in barns, but years of continued research have made it possible to continue grazing into the winter months. Having groups of these cattle graze on swathes of monoculture oat and other groups on polycrop mixture (oat, forage pea, and brassicas) tells a lot about the direction of this research aimed at comparing forage systems (monoculture or polyculture) for a successfully extended grazing.

Funding: Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR)

Family of Fungi

By: Olivia Yurach, MSc student, Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources

(Winner, From the Field)

In northern Saskatchewan, ecological restoration research is seeking to understand recovery post-disturbance. These mushrooms were spotted while collecting blueberry seeds for propagation so we can study the role moss and blueberries have on boreal soil systems.

Polar Bear with Triplets

By: Dr. Ryan Brook (PhD), professor, Department of Animal and Poultry Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources

(Runner-up, From the Field)

During my undergraduate and graduate arctic field course along the Hudson Bay coastline in August 2023 we documented an adult female polar bear with triplets. This is the first such observation in my 17 years of running this course.  Triplets used to be found in 10% of polar bears with young but this is a dramatic change caused by climate change. Our undergraduate research is looking at ways that polar bears try to avoid overheating during the summer. Polar bears are incredibly adapted to living in the coldest conditions on the planet but the Hudson Bay Population is forced onto land every summer when Hudson Bay melts completely. We expect that Hudson Bay will be completely ice free through the entire year in the not too distant future. This will mean the end of this population of polar bears.

Ice Ice Baby

By: Dr. Kayla Buhler (PhD), alumnus, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, WCVM

(Winner, Best Description)    

Everything about this photo screams COLD! This was taken during my second field season, where we were working on screening Arctic foxes for a variety of climate sensitive diseases. The icicles on my hair and nose testify to the weather conditions, which were approaching -30°C. Have you ever tried to take blood in freezing temperatures? It’s no small feat, as the blood freezes in the syringe while it’s collected. As for the fox, she fully recovered after light sedation. She was much more comfortable than the researchers surrounding her, with her thick layer of fur and having evolved to living in arctic conditions. All for the love of science!

Funding: Weston Family Foundation, ArcticNet, NSERC

Caribou and the Climate Calamity

By: Dr. Kayla Buhler (PhD), alumnus, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, WCVM

(Runner-up, Best Description)

Whether it be the wild caribou herds across northern Canada or the large semi-domesticated reindeer herds in Fennoscandia, all face uncertainty as climate change rapidly alters their environment. These animals have significant cultural value for indigenous peoples. As the environment shifts, new viruses, bacteria, and parasites that impact their health move further north. Our lab partners with indigenous communities across Arctic Canada to collect hunter-harvested samples to identify the presence of food-borne and vector-borne diseases in wild caribou. Given that these animals already face significant challenges with their fitness (such as altered migration patterns and winter icing events that reduce their ability to forage), new pathogens are poised to overtake struggling herds.

Funding: ArcticNet, NSERC, Weston Family Foundation

Cutest Research I Do!

By: Mihiprabha Rathnayake, PhD student, Department of Veterinary Pathology, WCVM

(Winner, Viewers' Choice)

Happiness overtook me, when I saw my cute research partners it sprinkled a feeling of comfort over me; consolation and protection all over the dark and warm brooder room. Without even realizing it, they are partaking in a project that can save the world, specifically, solving the antimicrobial resistance issue that is negatively affecting people, animals and the environment. Prodigious tiny creatures in the planet called “probiotics” can protect chicks from infectious diseases by colonizing the guts of chicks, even before they are hatched.  Without any hesitation, say “Good-Bye!!” to antibiotic use in the poultry industry and cheers to the cutest research I do!

Funding: Canadian Poultry Research Council, RDAR, Ministry of Agriculture - Government of Saskatchewan

The Fine Art of Fractionation: Faba Bean Starch Granules Magnified

By: Oneli Mapalagama, MSc student, Department of Food and Brioproducts Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources

(Runner-up, Viewers' Choice)

Pulses undergo dry fractionation process to produce protein-rich flour, alongside starch-rich flour as a secondary output. Unfortunately, the starch-rich flour often harbors significant impurities, limiting its industrial usefulness and economic value. To tackle this challenge, my research focuses on isolating high-purity pulse starch from starch-rich pulse flours and improving their techno-functional characteristics. These minute pearls captured in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) are faba bean starch granules, isolated from underutilized starch-rich faba bean flour. Remarkably, these isolated faba bean starches demonstrate purity and techno-functional attributes akin to those found in commercial starch isolates.

Funding: Strategic Research Initiative Program of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership