Guelph Alumnus Magazine, Spring 2000

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3

message from the

SPRING 2000

4

alumni M atters

in and around the University

U

of Guelph Alumni Association president Scott vanEngen talks about the importance of working for his alma mater and his community, while U of G staff in Alumni Affairs launch new programs to benefit alumni and students. The announcement of a new alumni directory, jobshadowing opportunities and Alumni Weekend are followed by news from Guelph graduates around the world.

NIVERSITY

U

G celebrates the success of student Allison Bachlet, who has won a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, and launches a new initiative with Humber College in Toronto to expand opportunities for future students. In addition, new partnership agreements with industry and government will strengthen U of G research initiatives in human health, food and food safety.

OF

RESEARCH

12

UNDERSTANDING FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY U of G researchers discuss the science and the concerns surrounding the use of genetic engineering to develop new food prod ucts.

By Alexander Wooley and Andrew Vowles

19

6

ALUMNI PROFILES

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TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS T h ree U of G graduates pin their career success on ta lent and wise decisions.

By Lori Bona Hunt and Mary Dickieson

research 'Notes

9

26 alumni M atters Spring 2000

1

guelph alumnus Spring 2000 路 VoLUME 32 IssuE l

Editor Mary Dickieson Director Darlene Frampton Art Direction Peter Enneson Design Inc. Contributors Barbara Chance, BA '74 Lori Bona Hunt Andrew Vowles, B.Sc. '84 Alexander Wooley Advertising Inquiries Brian Downey

519-824-4120,Ext.6665 E-mail bdowney@exec.admin. uoguelph.ca Direct all other correspondence to: Guelph Alum11us Communications and Public Affairs University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario NIG 2Wl Phone 519-824-4120 Fax 519-824-7962 E-mail mdickieso@exec.admin. uoguelph.ca www.uoguelph.ca/ucomm/alumnus/ The Guelph Alumnus magazine is published three times a year by Development and Public Affairs at the University of Guelph. Its mis-

Guelph ... official University of Guelph faculty and staff newspaper Four Projects Approved for CFI Funding

sion is to enhance the relationship between the University and its alumni and friends and promote pride and commitment within the University community. All material is copyright 2000. Ideas and opinions expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the ideas or opinions of the University or the editors.

Canada Post Agreement# 1500023 Printed in Canada by the Beacon Herald Fine Printing Division ISSN 1207-7801

Guelph Alumnus Magazine ... offers news, features and ipformation on alumni events For More Information ... Call: Brian Downey UNIVERSITY Advertising Coordinator ~GUELPH U niversity of Guelph www.uoguelph.ca/-webadmin/ADGUIDE/ (51 9) 824 4120 Ext. 6665

2 GuELPH ALUMNUS

To update your alumni record or change your address, please contact: Development and Public Affairs Phone 519-824-4120, Ext. 6550 Fax 519-822-2670 E-mail jeanw@alumni.uoguelph.ca

UNIVERSITY ff"GUELPH

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

message from the President MORDECHAI ROZANSKI

T

HIS ISSUE of the Alumnus reports on biotechnololie about our research, and contribute to the developgy, a burgeoning field of research. You will read ment of public policy on crucial issues of the day. observations that biotechnology has the potential to Biotechnology will have long-range implications for transform food and food safety and may offer the us all. Our research in this area, as in all others on this prospect of major benefits for human health, the envicampus, is conducted to meet exacting standards. Guelph ronment and the Canadian economy. research is judged by experts from around the world, U of G is a leader in this field, thanks in large part to even before our research results are published for all to faculty, staff, students and many of you read in refereed academic journals. In alumni who have positioned the Uniaddition, the University has established versity as perhaps the country's preresearch guidelines that lay down our eminent centre of agri-food research, responsibilities and public obligations. teaching and technology transfer.

These guidelines govern every research Let me review some recent develproject carried out at Guelph, whether opments that have contributed to our in conjunction with a private- or public-sector partner or not. leadership position. In January 2000, we signed a partnership agreement with Why do we do this? To carry out our academic mission, we must advance the Canadian Food Inspection Agency knowledge through sound scholarship to create a Canadian Institute for Food and critical examination from all perInspection and Regulation, with a range of educational, research and commuspectives: scientific, social, economic nications programs. and ethical. One example of In the same month, the advancing these multifaceted U OF GIS A Food System Biotechnology perspectives is our decision to hire a bioethicist based in the Centre (FSBC) opened on PRE-EMINENT CENTRE OF campus. It will draw together Philosophy Department to AGRI-FOOD RESEARCH, TEACHING some 70 researchers from 11 work with the FSBC. departments and four colleges Biotechnology is not the AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER. to study biotechnology and exclusive focus of this issue of genomics. The centre's prosthe Guelph Alumnus, nor is it the perity will depend on enhanconly realm in which Guelph ing current cross-disciplinary ties and extending them alumni, faculty and students demonstrate leadership roles. to new areas of research and learning.

We stake our reputation not only on world-class researchers, but also world-class students. Allison BachClearly, people care about what they eat, they care let, a fourth-year student in nutritional sciences, was about their health and they care about the environment. recently named a Rhodes Scholar (you will read about her When people care, they want to be able to make informed on page 9). She will travel to Oxford University tl1is fall to choices and to assess benefits and risks. Such a dynamic pursue graduate studies in medical and clinical research. context inevitably leads to healthy and vigorous debates 1 hope you will share my admiration for the fasci and, occasionally, divergent views. Biotechnology necesnating people profiled in this issue- alumni who have sarily and rightly attracts interest and scrutiny. At U of G, we welcome and encourage this, both in the interest taken on challenges in business, music and public of advancing knowledge and as a reflection of our comadministration. Pushing the bounds of their own promitment to academic freedom. Such debate also demonfessions, they are members of our collective community in whom we can all take great pride. Read more about strates the valuable public role universities play in a knowledge-based society as we seek to inform the pubtheir lives in the pages that follow.

Spring 2000 3

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G, CFIA

JoiN FoRcEs T o STRENGTHEN F oo n INSPECTION

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and U of G have signed a partnership agreement to create a unique Canadian research, education and communications program in food regulation.

The three-year agreement will see the establishment on campus of the Canadian Institute for Food Inspection and Regulation to guide the two organizations' collaborative projects, as well as attract and secure research;development and educational funding from the private and public sectors.

"Food safety and the pro-

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Guelph MP Brenda Chamberlain, CFIA president Ron Doering, cen¡ tre, and U of G president Mordechai Rozanski shake hands on an agreement that will enhance Guelph's food-safety research base.

tection and the health of Canada's animal and plant popula-

tions are the CFIA's top priorities;' says CFIA president Ron

Doering. "The soon-to-beestablished institute will make a significant contribution to these goals and help us keep pace with new technological and scientific advancements."

The new institute will serve as the umbrella for a range of education, research, communication and other services, including: a CFIA commitment to employ co-op students; a CFIA President's Scholarship Program for three graduate students; and support for the University's SPARK program.

Mabley Accepts Scholarship at Florida State john Mabley, U ofG's vice-president (devel opment and public affairs) since 1996, is leaving U of Gin July to accept a Regent's Scholarship for doctoral studies in higher education awarded to him by Florida State University.

In the interim, Mabley will continue to work closely with president Mordechai Rozanski to provide active leadership to the University's development and alumni affairs activities, particularly to the Campaign. During this period, Communications and Public Affairs will report directly to the president.

"I am grateful to John for the leadership he provided for the very successful ACCESS Fund campaign, which has added some $17 million to the University's endowment for student assista nce," says Rozanski. "John has also contributed importantly to the reorganization of Guelph's development operations, and consequently, we are well placed to move forward with both our annual

4

GuELPH ALUMNUS

fund-raising activities and the most ambitious capital campaign in the University's history. His seasoned counsel will be missed, but I understand his decision to take advantage of the opportunity he has been offered in Florida. I'm sure the University community joins me in thanking John for his sub-

stantial contributions and extending to him best wishes for the future ."

Mabley says he feels privileged to have worked with such a high calibre of staff and volunteers in Guelph's advancement program over the years. "I am especially proud to have had the opportunity, working with the president, provost and deans, to establish a more collaborative approach to fundraising. I am certain that the involvement of the deans, senior development staff and alumni volunteers in the colleges will yield substantial future support for Guelph's teaching and research priorities."

A 1970 BA graduate of Guelph, Mabley adds that he is looking forward to maintaining a volunteer support association with U of G in the years ahead.

A search for a successor vice-president will be launched immediately for the University's work in development, alumni affairs and communications, Rozanski says.

niversit PEOPLE IN THE NEWS â&#x20AC;˘ CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS â&#x20AC;˘ UNIVERSITY NOTES

Guelph Student Wins Rhodes Scholarship Bachlet is a President's Scholar and a peer helper award winner and received a

1999 research grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council to study breast cancer. She has served as a volunteer at local hospitals and nursing homes, has sung with the U of G Choir, is a fitness instructor for the Department of Athletics and is an avid long-distance runner.

She also volunteers as a Sunday school teacher at St. Matthias Church in Guelph.

President Mordechai Rozanski says this scholarship "is testimony to Allison's superior academic accomplishments and, as imporllison Bachlet, an honours B.Sc. student

A

in nutritional sciences, has won a

prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to pursue

tant, reflects her exemplary contributions as a leader and volunteer in our community."

Students from about 20 countries com-

graduate studies in medicine and clinical

pete annually for 90 Rhodes Scholarships.

research at Oxford University in England.

Created in 1902 and named for Cecil Rhodes,

She is one of only two students from

the scholarships recognize "high academic

Ontario - and 11 nationwide -

achievement, integrity of character, a spirit

to receive

a Rhodes Scholarship this year. The award

of unselfishness, respect for dthers, poten-

is worth approximately $25,000 US a year.

tial leadership and physical vigour."

HEATHCOTE NAMED DEAN Prof. Isabel Heathcote has been appointed dean of graduate studies for a five-year term that began Dec. 20. Associate dean of graduate studies since 1998, she has served as acting dean for the past 13 months fo llowing the appointment of her predecessor, Prof. Alastair Summerlee, as associate vice-president (academic).

A graduate of the Unive rsity of Toronto and Yale Un ivers ity, Heathcote joined U of G in 199 1

and holds a joint faculty appointmen t in the School of Engineering and Faculty of Environmental Sciences. She will be responsible for such tasks as overseeing U of G's 26 doctoral and 49 m as ter's programs, providing accreditation info rmation on those programs to the O ntario Council on Graduate Studies and administerin g about $1.5 million a year in University graduate scholarships and research scholarships.

IN FACT...

About 1,670 graduate students are enrolled at Guelph this year, up from last year's 1,540 but below the high-water mark of 1,805 students in 1994/95.

CREATING ACCESS FOR DISTANCE LEARNERS The Office of Open Learning and the new Canadian Learning Television (CLT) are joining forces to increase learners' access to distance education courses.

CLT is featuring eight U of G distance education courses on its Web site at www.accesslearning.com/ courses.

"Th is is an important way of informing the public and thereby increasing access to our online courses," says Virginia Gray, director of the Office of Open Learning . "All of the courses are Web-based, and we think they will be of interest to the general population."

Course topics are anthropology, contemporary cinema, deve lopment of human sexuality, adolescent deve lopment, masterworks of music, world poli tics, serial murder and humans in the natural world.

This is not the first relationship between U of G and CLT. T h e station is promoting the popular Department of Psychology distance course "Death and Dying" and the televised series based on the course, Death: A Personal Understanding. That course includes a series of 10 half-hour documentaries that will air on CLT and will also air natio nally on Vision TV and in the Uni ted States on PBS. It was produced by the Torontobased Sleeping Giant Productions. Each documentary explores a different issue evoked by death.

Spring 2000 5

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in and around the University CFI funds Mass spectrometer A T E AM oF U of G research ers has received Guelph's single largest award from the Canada Foundation for Innovation's (CFI) New Opportunities program to purchase a state-of-th eart mass spectrometer.

The spectrometer, an instrument that measures the mass of molecules, will further strengthen Guelph's analytical capabilities in molecular biology and biotechnology.

CFI's New Opportunities program, which is designed to provide infrastructure funding for young researchers, is providing $287,697 for the equipment. In total, the Guelph team expects to receive $719,244, including matching funding from the Ontario Innovation Trust and funding and in-kind contributions from industry partners and the University. CFI and its provincial counterpart each fund up to 40 per cent of a project.

The new mass spectrometer will be used by nine coapplicants and 14 other research ers in eight departments spanning four colleges across campus .

To date, U of G researchers have received a total of $13.2 million in CFI awards, the second-largest per-capita share awarded to any Canadian university, and more than $50 million from all sources of matched funding, the Ontario Innovation Trust, the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund, and public and private research partners.

6 GuELPH ALUMNUS

Honourees travel from afar

T

hree honorary degrees and more th an

ford University.

ed during fall convocation ceremonies in

together the first grad uati ng cla ss of th e

War Memorial Hall.

MBA in agri culture program, a joi nt pa rt -

6oo degrees and diplomas were awa rd-

Th e Octob er co nvo ca t ion also brought

Honorary degrees were presented to mol-

nership of Guelph and At habasca Un iversi -

ecular biologist Arthur Chovnick, a retired

ty. It is the only such MBA program in Cana-

University of Con necticut professor; Nunavut

da delivered electroni ca lly. Until convocation,

artist Irene Avaalaaqiaq; and child psychol-

the MBA st udents had met in person only

ogist Eleano r Maccoby, a professor at Stan-

on ce before duri ng th e 30- mo nth program .

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U of G plans to renew natural science facilities U OF G IS SEEKING $50 million from the provincial SuperBuild Growth Fund and $38.5 million from private-sector partners to renew the major buildings supporting the natural sciences at Guelph and to expand teaching space for all colleges.

Announced as part of the 1999 Ontario budget, the SuperB u ild fund w ill make $742 million available to postsecondary institutions to help them b u ild and modernize infrastructure.

U of G's proposal outlines a plan to build a sciences and advanced learning centre that wo ul d enable Guelph to build o n its expertise in the natural sciences while serving the teach-

ing needs of the entire University- particularly the social sciences and hum anities witl1 an interactive modular lecture facility. The centre would also remedy serious health and safety deficiencies in the Axelrod and Chemistry/Microbiology buildings and help address the $22-million deferred-maintenance problem affecting those buildings.

The advanced learning centre will enable the University to meet student demand for quality science programs and ensure that students have access to facilities ti1at mesh teaching and research, promote leading-edge research and improve external funding opportun ities for all

research areas, particularly molecular biology, genomics, material sciences, food science and environmental science. Students would benefit from increased job opportunities as research findings are incorporated into course curricula.

In addition, th e facility would permit closer co-operation and collaboration between the College of Biological Science and College of Physical and Engineering Science.

Federal government departments, independent regulatory bodies such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and equipment companies have indicated strong support for the proposal.

FEDERAL AWARDS TO TOP MEDICAL RESEARCHERS

POULTRY RESEARCH GETS BOOST HE

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CANADIAN

POULTRY

industry is investing $900,000 in an integrated teaching, research and technology transfer program at U of G. Representatives of the Poultry Industry Council, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the University signed a memorandum of agreement Dec. 22 to develop an Ontario poultry program team.

"This joint project will significantly enhance technological advancement by Canada's poultry industry," says U of G's director of animal research, Prof.

Roger Hacker, Animal and Poultry Science. "This mission will support competitive and sustainable production in the context of the appropriate health and welfare of poultry, poultry production, n1anagen1cnt systems, and economic and environmental issues of the poultry industry, while at the san1e ti1ne

Deborah Whale of the Poultry Industry Council, left, Deb Stark, assistant deputy minister, Corporate Services Division, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Prof. Roger Hacker raise a glass of eggnog to celebrate a memorandum of agreement signed to create a poultry program team.

ensuring premium food quality and maximal food safety."

A new faculty position and a bridging position will be created for a poultry pathobiologist in the Department of Pathobiology and a poultry epidemiologist in the Department of Population Medicine. The Department of Animal and Poultry Science

will maintain a poultry physiology position currently occupied by a faculty member.

OMAFRA will relocate the provincial poultry extension specialist to U of G and hire a poultry health management specialist to develop and implement a strategic plan for poultry health management.

U OF G RESEARCHERS have received more than $800,000 in operating and equipment grants from the Medical Research Council (MRC) of Canada. The Guelph awards were among $147 million in new funding for health research at universities, hospitals and other research institutions announced last summer by federal Health Minister Allan Rock and MRC president Henry Friesen. Half of the grants will be spent in Ontario.

At Guelph, funding has been awarded to Profs.

Anthony Clarke, Microbiology; David Evan s and Krassimir Yankulov, Molecular Biology and Genetics; David Josephy, Chemistry and Biochemistry; and Gordon Kirby and Jonathan LaMarre, Biomedical Sciences.

U of G develops collaboration with Humber College In 1999, U of G approved a memoran dum of understanding with Humber College in Toronto that provided the framework for discussing a new concept- the development of joint degree and diplo ma programs with the college.

These programs would go beyond current articulation agreements, in which students earn a two-year college diploma before going on to complete a degree at U of G. Instead, the programs would be completely integrated, with students physically located at Humber but taking courses from both institutions and graduating

I

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after four years with a degree from Guelph and a diploma from Humber. The goal is to have the program begin in fall 2002.

Prof. Alastair Summerlee, associate vice-president (academic), says the collaboration will help U of G respond to an expected 40-per-cent increase in demand for university places in Ontario over the next l 0 years.

The Guelph-Humber proposal would allow U of G to increase enrolment without direct impact on existing U of G facilities, says Summerlee. It would enhance accessibility to the University, particular-

ly for commuting students in the Greater Toronto Area, and would give U of G a physical presence in Toronto.

Summerlee says the fate of the proposal rests on three key factors. The academic programs must be of high quality and able to draw the planned enrolment targets of 500 students a year, the University must be successful in obtaining funding from the provincial government's SuperBuild Growth Fund for a building on the Humber campus, and the government must give assurances that it will provide full operating funding for the program.

Prof. Janice Kulyk Keefer received the 1999 Marian Engel Award from the Writer's Trust.

Spring 2000 7

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Alumni Collection Clothing

Rugger Shirt, as shown, S-XXXL ................................ 79.9: Golf Shirt, white or tan, S-XXL ..................................49.9~ Quarter-Zip Cotton Fleece, red, S-XXL...... ................. 59.9: Cotton Tee, grey, S-XXL ............................................. 24.9: Sherpa V-Neck, cream or navy, S-XL ......................... 69.9~ Ladies Tee, white, S-M-L ........................................... 22.9( Adjustable Cap, as shown ...................... ........ ...........19.9 ~ Nylon Hooded Jacket, navy, S-XXL ........................... 75.0(

Alumni Collection Gifts

Marble Mug with Portico Design .............................. 6.98 Tie silk face, as shown .............................................. 59.9: Portico Design Decanter ........................................... 49. 9( Matching Old-Fashioned Glass ............................... ... 10.0( Cedar Card Box ........................................................ 19.9( Piece-of-the-Cannon Paperweight ............................. 29. 9~ Wooden Alumni Pen Set ........................................... 49. 9( School Ring/Jewellery (Call for information)

Return the completed order form to: University Bookstore, MacNaughton Building, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON NlG 2Wl. Allow 2 wee Customer Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

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To

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

research

otes

SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY â&#x20AC;˘ SCHOLARSHIP â&#x20AC;˘ SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTS BIOTECH NO LOGY NOT A THREAT TO BUTTERFLIES NEW RESEARCII BY environme ntal biology chair Mark Sears reveals that the Monarch but-

Mark Seans

terfly is alive and we ll , despite media reports that it is threatened by biotechnology.

Sears, who also chairs the Canadian Corn Pest Coalitio n, conducted fie ld research o n pollen from Bt corn contain ing Bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring soi l-borne bacterium that selective ly targets specific groups of insects. Preliminary findings show that the pollen is not found in hi gh enough doses on most milkweed plants (the food plant of Monarch caterpil lars) to hurt the butterfly's larvae.

"Bt corn has always been shown to be harmless to both humans and an1ma ls," says Sears, "and we now know it isn't a major threat to the Monarch butterfly."

An earlier U.S. study had claimed that pollen from Bt corn damaged Monarch butterfly larvae. The st udy sparked a

m edia fren zy a nd public concern about genetically modified foods. But Sears says the U.S. st udy didn ' t demonstrate to what extent its preliminary find ings applied to field situations.

The study was completed in a laboratory, and th e dosage of pollen used wasn't reported .

Sears is leading a two-year project to d ete rmine the ecological effects of Bt -corn pollen on selected no n-target butterfly species, including the Monarch.

His study focuses on Bt pollen a nd how far it travels from the co rn field. Also participating in this study are resea rch associate Diane Stanley-Horn and research tec hnici a n Heather Mattila, as well as seed industry representatives and corn growers. This resea rch is sponsored by the Ca nadian Food Inspection Agency and Environment Ca nada.

SQUEEGEE KIDS LESS PRONE TO DRUG USE SQUEEGEE KIDS ARE LESS likely to use drugs and commit crimes than other street youth, according to new resea rch by sociology professor William O'Grady.

Squeegee kids also have a bet-

IN FACT...

Squeegee kids are less likely to use drugs and commit crimes than other street kids.

ter mental outlook, he says.

O'Grady, who began researching unem ployed yo uth early this decade, surveyed more than 100 squeegee kids in Toronto for his study, co-a uthored by graduate students Rob Bright and Eric Co hen. The study was published in Security Journ al.

The research ers found that squeegee clea ners were less likely to sell drugs, break into cars or buildings, shoplift or engage in violent behaviour than other street kids. No n-squeegee street youth also reported considerably higher levels of depressio n.

In another st udy, O'Grady found that sexual an d physical abuse leads many young people to life on th e st reets, and a lack of housing prevents many from finding regul a r paid emp loyment. For this st udy, h e surveyed 360 hom eless yo uth and found that those working in the sex trade come from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

Sexual and physical ab use has led them to leave hom e ea rli er, which means they also have less education and und erdeveloped work skill s, he says. Rates of depression were the highest of all yo uth surveyed.

STUDENT DESIGNS DIGITAL HEARING AID ED CHAU IS HELPI NG to solve the number one problem plaguing hearing aid use rs. The e ngineering master's stud ent is developing a new digital hearing aid that can screen out dis torting backgroun d noise.

Chau is among the millions of people who cou ld benefit from more powerful hea rin g aids. ''I'm not happy with what I have," he says, referring to the devices he has worn for the past seve n years to compensate for hereditary hearing loss.

Engineering professor Bob Dony says his new graduate stu dent has excellent qualifications to handle the technical side o f this research. "The fact that he

Ed Chau and Bob Dony

wears heari ng aids is an interesting addition to his complement of interests."

Chau has a $ 13,800-a-yea r post-graduate industrial scholarship funded jointly by th e Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Co uncil, U of G and a Waterloo-based company called dspfactory Ltd. D igital processing power is the key to solving background noise problems, says Chau. "A lot of the problem that people such as myse lf have with hea ring aids is that speec h perception or speech intelligibility decreases dramatica lly from a quiet to a noisy environment."

Hearing aids of the future

Spring 2000 9

HIRE AGUELPH CO-OP STUDENT Physical Sciences • • • • • • •

Applied Math & Statistics Biochemistry Biophysics Chemical Physics Chemistry Computing & Information Science Physics

Commerce • Management Economics in Industry & Finance • Hotel & Food Administration • Housing & Real Estate Management • Agricultural Business • Marketing Management

B.Sc. (Technology) • Pharmaceutical Chemistry • Physics and Technology

Biological Sciences • • • •

Biomedical Technology Environmental Toxicology Food Science Microbiology

Engineering Sciences • Biological • Engineering Systems & Computing • Environmental • Water Resources

Social Sciences • • • • •

Child Studies Economics Family & Social Relations Gerontology Psychology

Environmental Sciences MA Economics

are expected to be equipped with detectors capable of directional processing, permitting the user to focus on a conversation even in the middle of cocktail party rhubarb.

DIET SUPPLEMENT MAY BE OVERPUMPED THERE MAY BE MORE smoke than fire in claims about the athletic and weight-loss benefits of an increasingly popular "fat burn-

Prof. David Dyck and graduate student Michael Morrison

er" called pyruvate, according to a study by Prof. David Dyck, Human Biology and Nutritional Sciences.

Dyck found that pyruvate had no effect on athletic performance. And although he didn't investigate weight loss directly, he's strongly skeptical of its supposed benefits in reducing body fat.

Pyruvate is sold as calcium pyruvate and is a natural substance available in health food stores as a dietary supplement to promote weight loss and athletic performance. The market for pyruvate IS significant because people are increasingly shying away from steroids and other peLformance-enhancing substances.

For his study, Dyck administered pyruvate supplements to trained athletes, then observed them during regular exercise. He discovered that pyruvate made no significant difference in per-

formance. In fact, he saw no evidence that the substance was even taken up by the body.

He plans to publish a paper on the study next year.

SPANISH WRITERS REFLECT POLITICAL CHANGE PROF. DOROTHY OdarteyWeJlington, Languages and Literatures, spent three months last summer settling into the bustling literary circles of Madrid. She was studying and interviewing writers whose current fiction reflects the political and social changes in that city over the past decade.

Supported by a research grant from the Spanish government, Odartey-Wellington hopes her work will contribute to the development of a history of the Spanish novel.

Contemporary writers, like all citizens of Spain, are enjoying the liberalization and freedom that came with the end of Franco dictatorship and censorship in 1975, she says. Now they are facing social and cultural challenges as they find their place in the European Union. "It's an

Dorothy Odartey¡Wellington

exciting time to be studying the literature of Spain," she says.

Odartey-Wellington is sharing her enthusiasm for peninsula literature with U of G students and is redeveloping some of the courses she teaches to make them more accessible to students outside the program.

"The study of literature benefits from students who bring different backgrounds and different ideas;' she says.

CANINE RESEARCH MAY HELP HUMANS

in advanced cancer cases, but not as a replacement for total-body radiation. The results of the OVC trial indicate that half-body radiation may be a good alternative for treating the same types of cancer in people, he says.

OVC RESEARCH THAT involves using an alternative form of radiation therapy to treat dogs with lymphoma may one day

FARMERS GET LESS AID THAN U.S. COUNTERPARTS

IN FACT...

OVC operates the only cobalt radiation therapy unit for animals in Canada.

have implications for the treatment of human cancer.

The study conducted by Prof. Tony Abrams-Ogg, Prof.

Stephen Kruth, Paul Woods and Geri Ottewell of the Department of Clinical Studies and Al Norris of the Veterinary Referral Clinic looks at using "half-body radiation" as an alternative therapy for canine lymphoma.

Traditionally, a diagnosis of lymphoma is followed with chemotherapy, with the best results involving up to two years of treatment. As an alternative to prolonged chemotherapy, total-body radiation and bone marrow transplantation produce equal or better results, but their expense and side effects prevent them from becoming routine veterinary procedures.

Half-body radiation involves treating only half the body at one time, so healthy bone marrow isn't damaged enough to require a transplant. Dogs receiving halfbody radiation don't generally suffer from the side effects that accompany full-body radiation, Abrams-Ogg says.

Half-body radiation has been used on humans to alleviate pain

A NEW UNIVERSITY of Guelph study reveals that Ontario farmers get less than half the government support that American farmers receive.

Brian Doidge of Ridgetown College compared similar 500acre farms in Ontario and the United States. Each had 200 acres of corn, 100 acres of wheat and 200 acres of soybeans. The study showed that the Ontario farmer would receive $48.50 an acre in government support and the U.S. farmer would receive $90.51.

"That playing field is not level;' says Doidge. "We in Canada are at a disadvantage to our neighbours south of the border."

The United States is considering providing another $7.4 billion in emergency aid for U.S. farmers, which means the American in Doidge's study would receive $130 an acre or 2 1/2 times what's available to the Canadian.

The study found that U.S. programs encourage farmers to grow certain crops, such as soybeans, that pay more in subsidies, and that the programs are set up so that all U.S. farmers receive subsidies, regardless of financial need.

IN FACT...

Ontario farmers receive less than half the support given to U.S. farmers

Spring 2000

â&#x20AC;˘

11

by Alexander Wooley and Andrew Vowles

sensational sc1enceCtio or sc1ence ··oo·s WHY

if FOODS AREN'T SO SCARY •

BIOTECHNOLOGY RES~~fi

ORGANIC FARMERS FRET OVER SPRE.j OF MODIFIED CROPS

n·?FS T~H .~..

VER THE PAST SIX MONTHS,

Canada's national

newspapers and other media have featured headline stories debating the pros and cons of food biotechnology, and the controversy is destined to continue for some time yet.

Most scientists involved in genetic research would argue that the ability to shortcut the evolutionary process is indeed sensational, but answering the second part of the question is not a matter for science alone to debate. People must be able to trust the food they eat, and that trust is based on human perceptions that are influenced by ethical values, economics and politics, as well as by scientific evidence.

Many U of G researchers- animal and crop scientists, molecular biologists, food researchers, consumer studies experts, economists and philosophers- are contributing their expertise to the debate on food biotechz no logy in an effort to provide consumers with 5\ information to make informed choices. >><(

~ Anticipated benefits ~ Why do proponents support the use of

~genetically engineered (GE) organisms in ~ food production? Guelph scientists involved ~ in transgenic work point to several envi~ ron mental and health benefits. Among the

a<

12 GUELPH ALUMNUS

current generation of these products are transgenic plants with built-in resistance to pests, meaning they don't need to be sprayed with pesticides. "Advances mean we could eventually have less land under cultivation and less of the environmentally harmful effects of farming," says Prof. Alan Wildeman, Molecular Biology and Genetics, director of the University's new Food System Biotechnology Centre (FSBC).

Officially opened in January, the centre is an interdisciplinary initiative that could receive up to $25 million in funding, including an initial $6 million provided last year

by the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund, a provincial research support program matched by the private sector and the University.

Transgenic plants - and potentially, transgenic an imals- are expected to help boost food production for a growing world, and Wildeman says research is under way at Guelph to develop crops containing livestock vaccines and medications that can be grown by farmers rather than manufactured.

Researchers predict the next generation of GE organisms will have additional benefits for human nutrition and health- in foods

that lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels to avert heart attacks, for example.

To many, we are at the brink of a scientific revolution.

That "revolution" is the product of an evo-

lution in plant and animal breeding that has taken place over tens of thousands of years, but it was just over a century ago that Gregor Mendel first studied the mechanism of inheritance in plants. That scientific knowledge

advanced selective breeding programs like those initiated at Guelph in the early 1900s

by Prof. Charles Zavitz, who developed several dozen new varieties of field crops.

Virtually all the foods we eat today have

How does gene tran Two Methods for Delivering DNA into Plant Cells Scientists use a bacterium that normally infects plants to carry a desired gene into a plant cell (left), or the gene is injected under force into the cell (right). The end result in both techniques is a transgenic plant .

DNA with desired gene

New DNA is cut and pasted into the Agrobacterium cell's DNA

Tiny metal particles are coated with the new DNA

Agrobacterium

Particles are put into a particle gun and fired DNA into plant cells " . . .liiiiili-~ into the plant cells

transfers the new

The new DNA is incorporated into plant chromosome

Plan t cells grow into plantlets with new properties in a petri dish

Plantlets are transferred to soil

14 GUELPH ALUMNUS

PRoF. LARRY ERICKSON and U of G colleagues in the Department of Plant Agriculture are developing "super plants" to provide extra protein in livestock rations or to trigger an immune response in animals as a cheaper and more efficient alternative to injectable vaccines. In the latter case, they use the tools of genetic engineering to create transgenic plan ts meant to confer immunity when fed to animals.

The accompanying illustration shows two methods scientists use to insert a desired gene into a plant cell. The most intriguing uses the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens as a carrier. In nature, Agrobacteriurn tumefaciens invades a plant and infects it with crown gall disease. When using the bacterium to genetically modify plants, scien tists remove the disease-causing parts of Agrobacterium's DNA and replace them with genes carrying the characteristics they want transferred to the plant.

For example, to protect pigs against transmissible gastroenteritis, researchers insert a gene from the vir us into the DNA of Agrobacteriunz. This hybrid genetic material is then injected into plant tissue, where it integrates into the plant's DNA. The mature plant containing the gene produces a protein that, when fed to p igs, stimulates an immune response against gastroenteritis.

Because this gene transfer technique would not work with cereal grains until recently, an alternative tech niq ue called particle bombardment was developed. Researchers mix foreign DNA with gold particles, then "fire" the m ixture into a dish containing the plant tissue.

In both cases, the plant cells grow into plantlets tha t can be potted in soil and will grow into a mature plant d isplaying the new characteristic. Collecting seeds from the new plant will carry the trait forward into successive generations.

Similar concepts underlie the development of transgen ic alfalfa and white clover in a project by Profs. Regg ie Lo, Microbiology, Patricia Shewen, Pathobiology, and Ju d ith Strommer, Plant Agriculture, to "vaccinate" cows agai nst the bacterium that causes shipping fever, a form of p neumonia that is particularly debilitating to cattle.

The Guelph trio is investigating genetic engineering as a cheaper and more effective alternative to an injectable vaccine, Presponse, which was developed by Shewen abo ut a decade ago. Having shown that the bacterial proteins are indeed expressed by the first generation of plants raised in Strommer's lab, they say the next step is to develop stable

been genetically modified through selective breeding, says Prof. Gord Surgeoner, Environmental Biology, president of Ontario AgriFood Technologies, a non-profit organization based in Guelph. "Fruits, vegetables, chickens,

cattle, etc., bear little resemblance to their wild ancestors!' ln fact, crop scientists contend that selective breeding is one reason we don't have major food shortages today.

What is new about the genetic modifi-

cation of plants and animals is that scientists now have the abi lity to speed up the process of genetic transformation and even move genes between species.

DNA was discovered in 1953, and in

happen in the laboratory? lines of the transgenic plants for commercial production.

When the legume is fed to cattle, the bacterial gene would enter the cow's tonsils and travel to the lungs, where it would trigger an immune response to the disease.

In both of these cases, the transgenic plants are digested in the gut, leaving no residues in meat or milk. That's different from the result of the process used to make transgenic pigs or "Enviropigs;' which are genetically engineered to digest dietary phosphorus more efficiently in hopes of solving the biggest environmental problem facing hog producers.

Besides saving producers the cost of readily digested phosphorus supplements, animals able to digest the element in their regular diet will excrete up to 50 per cent less phosphorus. Farmers use high-phosphorus pig manure for fertilizer, but the substance washes into lakes and streams, where it promotes the growth of algae.

Profs. Cecil Forsberg, Microbiology, and john Phillips, Molecular Biology and Genetics, along with graduate student Serguei Golovan, constructed a fusion transgene for use in making transgenic pigs by splicing the promoter-enhancer region from a mouse salivary gland protein gene together with the protein-coding region from a bacterial gene specifying the enzyme phytase. This composite gene, which was designed to direct the secretion of phytase into the saliva of pigs, was first tested in a mouse model: the transgene was inserted into one-celled mouse embryos and the embryos then transferred into surrogate mothers. Offspring were then tested for the presence of phytase in their saliva.

With succcessful expression of the transgene in transgenic mice, they then repeated the process with one-celled pig embryos, which were then transferred into surrogate sows. Piglets born last summer are producing phytase in their saliva. This allows them to digest phosphorus in their normal feed, thereby avoiding the need for costly phosphorus feed supplements, and the level of environmentally hazardous phosphorus in their manure is greatly reduced.

Phillips and Eorsberg emhasize that the real test will come this spring when the first offspring from the Enviropigs will be born. If these offspring carry the transgene from their parents, then the research team will put their novel herd of Enviropigs through a series of exhaustive tests to determine just how successful the pigs are at recovering phosphorus from their feed , and any possible side effects to the genetic modification.

Producing Enviropigs Researchers borrow a gene from E.co/i bacterium that produces a phytase enzyme, inject it into a fertilized egg, and rely on the animal's normal reproductive system to deliver transgenic pigs.

Scientists recover a fertilized egg containing male and female pronuclei.

The desired gene is injected into the male pronuclei.

Pronuclei join to form the nucleus of an embryo, which is transferred to the oviduct of a foster mother.

Transgenic embryos develop to term as piglets that will express the gene by producing phytase in their salivary glands.

Spring 2000 15

only 30 years, scientists developed the tech nology to transfer pieces of DNA between organ isms. The first transgenic p lant- a tobacco plant resistant to an antibioticwas produced in 1983. Field testing of genetically engineered plants resistant to insects, viruses and bacteria began in 1985, and in 1994, the Flav'r Sav'r tomato, designed to resist rottin g, became the first who le genetically engin eered food to be approved for sale in th e Un ited States. It was followed in less th an two years by Monsanto's herbicide-resistant soybeans and Bt corn that is protected from the corn borer.

At U of G, these advanced technologies have led to the recent development of transgenic crops containing bits of weakened viral DNA that will serve as edible vaccines for livestock and a pig genetically engineered to produce "environmenta ll y friendly" manure (see story o n page 16).

The agricultural industry seems to have embraced GE technology. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estin1ates that half of the country's last soybean crop and o ne-third of its corn crop used genetically engineered seed.

In Ontario, farmers used transgenic seed on 35 per cent of corn, 20 per cent of soybeans and 60 per cent of canola grown last year.

Across Canada, growers now have access to more than 30 varieties of transgen ic crops, including corn, canola, soybeans, potatoes, co tton, flax, wheat and tomatoes.

Biotech opposition FoR THE PAST SIX MONTHS, the media have been bringing us a transgenic revolution of a different kind, being waged on the field of public opinion. Think of that towering, menacing ear of corn erected by Green peace protestors in downtown Montreal during January's meeting of negotiators on the biosafety protocol on trade in genetically engineered products.

The monster image may be larger than life, but the depth of consumer concern over GE foods should not be underestimated.

Speaking at a recent conference to mark the official opening of the FSBC, Guelph food science professor Mansel Griffiths, director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety, said that eight out of I 0 people polled

by Angus Reid had hea rd of genetically engineered foods, and about 65 per cent said they would be less likely to buy a particular food

16 GuELPH ALUMNUS

if they kn ew it had been geneti ca lly altered .

Other polls suggest consumers have o nly a marginal understanding of the concept o f biotechnology, and Pro f. Larry Milli ga n , vice-president (research ), says much o f th e current media coverage add s to that mi sunderstanding. GMO (genetically modifi ed organism ) has becom e th e accepted

Follow the debate Further information on genetically mod路 ified foods is available on the Internet, including the following sites: www.plant.uoguelph.ca/riskcomm/ plant-ag/se-response.htm The evaluation and approval system for GM foods. www.canadians.org Council of Canadians posts reports from ln dependant scientists.

www.nrc.ca/ibc/home.html lnfoBiotech Canada, with information on biotechnology in Canada and abroad. www.strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/ bho023oe.html The Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee on the Canadian Biotechnology Strategy. www.cfia-acia.agr.ca Agri cu lture and Agri路Food Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. www.hc-sc.gc.ca/food-aliment/ Hea lth Canada's Guidelines for the Safety Assessment of Novel Foods.

acronym for genetic engineering, when th e literal meaning is quite different, he says.

Opposing GM foods would include virtually everything on the dinner table, as Surgeoner pointed out, but Milligan says most consumer concerns are more likely focu sed on the transfer of genetic materi a l in th e laboratory, specifical ly between different species. "We all agree that people mu st tru st what they eat," says Surgeoner. "Clearl y, th e process of modifying genetic material to improve foods must be subject to strict regul atory oversight."

He believes that's already being don e in Canada and says the country's food suppl y "has an enviabl e reputation for sa fety a nd reliability based on a regul atory system fo r

th e assess m ent a nd a p p rova l of a ll foods m arketed in Ca nad a, includ ing th ose produ ced thro ugh bio techn o logy."

Skeptics have ca pitali zed o n widesp read public igno rance abo ut th e science and regul ati o n of so-ca ll ed GMOs, ca llin g th em " Fra nken foo d s" and co nj urin g u p images o f m ad scienti sts runnin g am o k in labo rato ri es. T hi s co ul d n' t b e furth e r fro m th e truth , says Wi ldem a n. " It's imp o rt a nt to un ders t a nd th at resea rch ers d o no t randoml y tra n sfer ge n es a b o ut w hi ch th ey kn o w no thin g. There is a g rea t a m o unt of bas ic resea rch co ndu cted o n a specific gene befo re it ca n be selec ted fo r transference."

O th e r aca dem ics li ke Prof. Ann C la rk, Pl ant Ag ri culture, say esse nti all y no effo rt is bein g devo ted to assess in g th e po tenti al ri sks a n d s ide e ffects of co nsumin g a nd introdu cin g transge ni c orga ni sm s into the environment. " Bio techn ology is exciting science, and there's a lo t of po tential fo r understa ndin g ge n e-to-ge n e inte rac ti o n s," she says, "but thi s is also a ve ry cos tl y tec hn ology. Whil e we spend vas t am o unts of society's reso urces- a nd resea rchers' time to se r vice th e bio tec h industr y, we a re not develop ing the ca pabilit y to ask o r answer other, po tenti all y m o re fruit ful , qu es tion s."

A specialist in pas ture m anagem ent and an ad vocate of o rga ni c far min g, C lark raises iss ues like geneti c po llutio n, food-sa fety tes tin g a nd possib le envi ro nm ent al side effects of introducin g GE plants. She qu estion s th e rea l be nefits of GE to th e fa rming co mmunity, and fl ags th e iss ues of li ability and acco untabilit y sh o ul d hea lth o r environm ental ri sks actu all y mate ri ali ze.

Acco rdin g to a recent sto ry in th e Westem Produ cer, a fa rm er in no rth ern Alberta w ho has pla n te d th ree h erbi cide- res ista nt typ es of ca nola sin ce 1997 fo und vo lunteer canola in hi s field last yea r that was resistant to three se parate herbi cide fam ilies. C rosspollinatio n fro m cro ps geneti cally engineered to resist herbicides is b lam ed fo r producing th e tripl y res ista nt weed s. Beca use ca n ola pollen ca n m ove grea t dista nces, this threat exists even o n fa rms th at have not grown GE

ca nol a, says C lark, raisin g real issues abo ut 5iii:=------~ the co mm ercial viabilit y of thi s techn ology.

She no tes thi s is just o ne exa mpl e of how a techn ology" bro ught prem aturely to m arket is extern alizing th e tru e costs of produ ctio n, involuntaril y, o n to neighbo ur ing fa rm ers."

Other people oppose biotechnology for political reasons, including antipathy toward the multinationals that make genetically engineered seed. Prof. Karl Meilke, Agricu ltural Economics and Business, says there are a number of organizations opposing GMOs "that have an agenda where health and safe ty are, in fact, not at the top of the list. They are 'a ntiBig Business' first and foremost and use the GMO issue to drive their agenda against companies like Monsanto and Novartis."

From a business point of view, it makes sense to patent and protect technologies in which you've made substantial investments, although some scientists have warned that stringent guarding of intellectual property will signal the end of public plant-breeding programs- the kind of research that Zavitz began at Guelph .

tem for labelling GE foods.

North American farmers are worried abo ut GE opposition in Europ e and Japan and the resulting announcements by major co rn and grain mill s on this continent, as well as reports from high-profi le companies such as McCa in's and Seagrams that they will no longer accept genetically engineered

The next generation of GE foods will have additional benefits for hul)1an nutrition and health.

Global concerns GRIFFITHS SAYS several common concerns have surfaced during cit izens' consensus conferences on genetic engin eering held recently in Canada, Austra lia and Europe.

These concerns involve regulatory measures, control of multinationals, harmonizing of standards and legislation, and labe lling of GE products. T hose issues were also discussed in Montreal, where representatives of about 135 countries adopted a protocol that says an importing country must be notified in advance if a company brings in GE seeds, because they will be introduced into the environment, but not if the commodities- corn, soybeans- are intended for livestock or hum an consumption.

The ea rlier Uruguay Round of trade talks basically sa id that "you can do whatever you want as regards food safety on a domestic basis, but if you want to excl ude imports on the basis of health concerns, you have to have some scientific evidence to do so;' says Meilke, adding that although the evidence has been lacking, the rhetoric has not. "IfGMOs aren't safe, we shou ldn't be grow ing them. If they are safe, we sho uld be trading them."

In practice, some food manufacturers and retailers, fearing cons um er backlash, have stopped using some transgenic food ingredients. And a recent report from the University of Saskatchewan also suggested that in addition to the 15 countries of the European Union, another 26 countries are considering whether or not to develop a sys-

65 per cent of consumers say they would be less likely to buy a particular food if th ey knew it had been genetically modi fied. products. Faced with the loss of important international markets, farmers are left wondering if there is an economic advantage to growi ng transge nic crops.

During the recent FSBC gat hering in Guelph, Surgeo ner spoke about his membership on a co mmittee- an initiative of the Canad ian Co un cil of Grocery Distributors, Canadian Ge neral Standards Board an d the Cons umers' Association of Canada - that is developing a national standard for voluntary labelling of foods produced through biotechnology. He says voluntary labels would give consumers the choice to buy or avo id foods with GE ingredients, unlike the concept of mand ator y labelling, which he says would be cos tl y and complicated to ad minister.

Food-safety guarantees Acco RDING TO Guelph faculty, two questions are central to the debate over geneticaLly engineered foods: Is there a risk in eating them and, perhaps as important, do people think there's a risk in eating them?

"No one's saying this food is absolutely riskfree," says Surgeoner. " You can't guarantee zero risk with anything."

He notes that today's number-one health risk from food is posed not by genetic engineering but by overeating. Number two is food-borne illnesses resulting from natural pathogens such as E. coli, salmonella and listeria. Says Prof. Doug Powell, Plant Agriculture: "Several million Canadians are sickened and a couple of hundred are killed each year from food- and water-borne illness. Not one has ever been linked with genetic engineering. While vigilance is warranted with any new technology, the excessive concern about genetically engineered food s triviali zes efforts of farmers, processors, distributors and consumers to enhance the safety of th e food supply."

Adds Prof. Karen Finlay, Consumer Studies: " People use herbal remedies without questioning them, despite the fact they und ergo no testing. Peo ple assume that because they're health-oriented, they've been tested. They haven't. They're assumed to be somehow safe because they're 'natural."'

In fact, says Griffiths, biotechnology may be used to improve food safety, including detecting pathogens, improving epidemiology and surveillance, and learning more about the development of pathogens causing food-borne illnesses. H is centre is an interdisciplinary group of more than 50 university and government scientists established with an $8-million grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Innovation Trust and industry partners to study food safety and provide information to a food-policy centre also being developed at Guelph.

Powell points to the need to inform consumers about the regulations and practices that govern biotechnology and food safety.

"There is one country in the world that has a mandatory safety assessment of new and novel foods- whether derived through genetic engineering, mutagenesis breeding, new enzy mes, whatever- rightly focusing on the sa fety of the end product rather than

Spring 2000 17

how that end product was derived. It is Canada. Others should follow suit."

He recently joined a new federal advisory committee intended to brief federal cabinet ministers on ethical, social, regulatory, scientific, environmental and health as pects of biotechnology, and says testing of transgenic plants includes field trials to understand putative environmental risks and whether the crop performs as expected. For some crops, animal feeding trials are required, as well as nutritional, toxicological and molecular studies. Since 1993, genetically engineered foods have been regulated in Canada in the same way as any new food produced by conventional m ethods.

Health Ca nada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are both involved in assessing the safety of new food products, guided by the premise that genetically engineered foods are fundamentally similar to traditionally bred organisms and lend themselves to well-defined risk-assessment methods and principles. As the CFIA points out, regulators frequently have more knowledge about GE foods than about naturally grown foods.

That assurance isn't good enough for retired botany professor Ann Oaks, who chuckles at the Health Canada assumption that GE foods are "substantially equivalent" to non-GE food s, "but th ey are different enough to qualify for a patent." She says Health Canada assessment panels rely on tests conducted in industry laboratories, and to her that is not as reliable as conducting the tests in independent labs. She also advocates foodsafety testing that is as stringent as the procedures used to assess new pharmaceutical products, which check for allergens, immune system responses and growth responses.

"Genetic engineering is a cutting-edge science that we don't fully understand. We need to do much more basic research and move more slowly in the commercialization of GE products. It's easier to solve problems that arise during testing than to correct health problems that may occur in the general population after products have been in the marketplace for several years."

Ethics and education RESEARCH INTO Ca nadian consumer attitudes and perceptions about genetic engineering is so rely lacking. Finlay hopes to address that gap through a proposal she's

18 GUELPH ALUMNUS

preparing for a new cross-disciplinary communications research facility in Guelph's new Food Institute. Along with colleagues at U of G, other Canadian universities and the Food Policy Institute in the United Kingdom , she pl ans to study biotechnology as the first order of business.

"When it comes to GMOs, we know nei-

There is one country in the world that has a mandatory safety assessment of new and novel foods. It is Canada.

North American farmers are wo rried about GE opposition in Europe and Japan. ther levels of consumer awareness nor co nsumer attitudes;' she says. "We also don't know how it may vary by different demograp hics -urban versus rural, age groups, parents versus children. The mandate of the unit will be to determine what consumers need to know to feel safe. We can discover that through research."

Elsewhere at Guelph, the FSBC plans to hire a bioethicist - to be based in the Depar tment of Philosop hy - to address this critical issue where U of G resea rch ers figure prominently. "Some critics have chose n to simply label all biotechnolo gy bad, amazingly enough not in spite of our ignorance, but beca use of it," says Wildeman.

"The a ttitude seems to be that we don' t know enough about it, so let's ban it. O ur view is th at we need to proceed carefully.

It's important to examine the science a nd ethics of specific biotechnology proj ects.

GMOs are no more 'all bad' than all phar-

maceutical research is all bad. We believe that in hiring a bioethicist, we wi ll enlist a clear analytica l thinker who can present both the positive side of what we'd like to do and any potential negative aspects."

Adds Prof. David Sparling, Agr icultural Economics and Business: "To inform the public about GMOs, we need to communicate the pros and cons. Then, if the public perceives there are enough benefits, they will be willing to assume the risks and continue to consume food that is genetically engineered!'

Some might argue that, here in Canada, we don 't need biotechnology. Sparling acknowledges that alth ough GE products "aren't necessary from an economic point of view, they are attractive from an economic point of view." But he points to the next generation of genetica lly engineered foods that will provide add iti o nal health benefits. Canadian consumers may wan t to take advantage of these benefits themselves and also see their country reap the economic benefits of maintaining a pre-eminence in the development of new genetic technologies for world consumption.

In the developed world, where life expectancies have nearly doubled in a century, advances in health and safety have eliminated or reduced many major human health risks. Not so in other parts of the world. "Those of us in rich count ri es are a little jaded, I think," says Meilke. "Some might say: 'So what if my Wheaties cost two cents less per box thanks to GMOs?' It isn't going to be yo u or I starving. But in poorer countries, those costs are enormously important. Over the long term, in the developing world, not developing GMOs cou ld have li fe-and-death implications."

Adds Wildeman: "Not all GMOs are created for corporate wea lth, as the cri ti cs would maintain. Many projects, including those under way at Guelph, are designed to improve our hea lth, the environment and the economic well-being of farmers."

All these issues are under discussion at U of G, whe re ongoing research programs and new initiatives concerned with food

safety and regulation, co nsumer confidence, &i;i;;iiiiiiiiii;;;;;;;;;Oiili;;;;;;;;;=:a! and the economic and ethical implications of genetic engineering will help ensure that the Canadian public and policy-makers receive the information they need to assess this new techno logy. ga

by Lori Bona Hunt and Mary Dickieson

taking care Three talented U ofG graduates turned business decision-makers

of business

9

Helen Murphy's climb up the corporate ladder has landed her a new job as top money manager for Martha Stewart Living.

Marty Beecroft is knocking on doors to earn "the big break" that will propel him to the top of the pop music industry.

Mike Garrett has made it to the top of public administration, where he balances Toronto's $6-billion mega-city budget.

Spring 2000 19

I

Helen Murphy

A memorable Guelph student now keeps Martha Stewart on her toes since retired OAC professor Bill Braithwaite taught a class attended by Helen Murphy, BA '82, the 36-year-old chief financial officer for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia LLC. But Braithwaite, who retired in 1997 from th e Department of Agricultural Economics and Business, remembers Murphy as if it were yesterday. "She was one of the best pupils I ever had- very bright, very aggressive, very focused;' he says. "There are certain students yo u never fo rget, and she was one of them .

"I never went into that classroom un prepared . She was always ready to ch allenge you on every issue; you h ad to make sure you were on your toes. As a teacher, you love that."

But it's Murphy who's on her toes these days. In September, she m oved into th e top financial position in the New York office of Martha Stewart Living, a job she accepted while on maternity leave after the birth of her second child. ''I'm very excited - it's obviously a unique opportunity;' says Murphy from her New York office.

Martha Stewart Living is an international multimedia company with annual revenues approaching $225 million. The company's T S BEEN NEARLY TWO DECADES

I

20 GuEL PH ALUMNUS

realm includes monthly and quarterly magazines, syndicated telev ision and radio shows, a newspaper column, books, mailorder catalogs, online merchandising businesses and strategic partnerships with companies such as Kmart, Zellers and Sears.

"It's a wonderful company with great growth possibilities, a clean balance sheet and grea t manage m ent ," says Murphy."! expect to have a long, fruitfu l and challenging career here."

Like many young professionals, Murphy is juggling a career with fam ily responsibilities. She and her husband, Michael Luksha, whom she met in Guelph in 1984, have a seven-month-old daughter, a three-year-old son and a new home in the suburbs.

But Murphy, a native of Stoney Creek, Ont., seems unfazed by all th e recent changes in her life. ''I've always risen to the occasion with respect to challenges."

Indeed, her record speaks for itself.

Murphy skipped a couple of grades in elementary school, so she was only 16 when she grad uated from high school and enrolled at McMaster University. By the time she was 21, she had a bachelor's degree fro m U of G and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario. At 19, she started her own business, a dance studio in Guelph, with her two sisters."! wasn't a dancer, but my sis-

ters were great gymnasts, and I was always the little entrepreneur," she says. "This was during the years when Flashdance was really big, so I called my sisters and said: 'Come turn your activity into a summer job."'

But it was basketball, not dancing, that brought Murphy to Guelph. "I didn't make the basketball team at Mac my first year and I was crushed;' she says. A friend suggested she take some summer courses at U of G to take her mind off it, so she enrolled and fell in love with the campus.

"I trained really hard that summer and tried out for the Guelph team and made it," says Murphy, who played basketball throughout her years at U of G and later for the University of Western Ontario. "We went back and kicked McMaster's behind," she adds with a laugh.

After graduating from Guelph, Murphy went to work for Confederation Life Insurance Company and also taught financial management co urses with Braithwaite.

She went on to work as a senior analyst for Prudential-Bache Securities, then became vice-president of research for Richardson Greenshields before moving to New York in 1990 to join PolyGram Holding Inc. At PolyGram, she rose from vice-president of investor relations to become CPO of the record company in 1997. In 1999, she left to

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become the chief financial officer for Westvaco Corp., a paper and packaging company, before joining Martha Stewart this fall.

Murphy has been with Martha Stewart long enough that she's ready for the inevitable question: what's it like to work for the queen of do-it-yo urself projects? "Well, she's brilliant;' says Murphy. "She has crafted a wonderful creative company and devel-

oped a great brand. She has great intuitive skills, so it's really challenging to work with her. She is very multifaceted, very smart and very demanding. Those are key characteristics for a successful growth company."

Although Murphy is planning on a long career with Martha Stewart, she says she can see herself following in Braithwaite's footsteps one day. " !love teaching because stu-

dents ask the most insightful questions and are unencumbered by the day-to-day pace of life. l find it very intellectually rewarding:' Braithwaite has kept in touch with Murphy over the years. He attended her wedding, and the two exchange Christmas cards and e-mail messages. How does he think Murphy will do at her new job? "She'll handle Martha Stewart," he says with confidence.

Spring 2000 21

-

Marty Beecroft

A VIP in the pop . music scene is headed for the top with the boys from Barrie OST UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WOrk

M

hard to earn a degree in a field that interests them and dream about landing the perfect job when they graduate.

Marty Beecroft, B.Sc.(H.K.) '98, wasn't much different, except that while he was studying human kinetics at the University of Guelph, he was dreaming about fame and fortune in the music business.

He's been dreaming about a music career since high school in Barrie, Ont., where he started singing in the school choir and teamed up with Glenn Coulson and Joe Heslip to form an a cap pella trio. Their first paid gig was a birthday party, where they earned extra money by serving the hors d'oeuvres.

Today they're rising stars in the pop music scene- "VIP is Canada's answer to the Backstreet Boys;' say some critics- winners of the Best New Group Award at the March 1999 Canadian Radio Music Awards and a Genie Award in January 2000 for best original song. If you've seen the movie jacob Two Two Meets t~e Hooded Fang, then you've heard the song One Thing to Say as written and recorded by VIP for the movie score.

Beecroft says the most difficult- but ultimately the best- decision that he and his Barrie buddies made was to complete university degrees before taking the plunge into the music industry. "The growth and matu-

22 GuELPH ALUMNUS

rity that you acquire as a result of the university experience is absolutely invaluable," he says. There were many soul-searching discussions during those four years at Guelph, he says, "but it would have been a nightmare if we'd left university early to do the music thing. We would have fallen on our faces."

Beecroft, a recipient of Guelph's prestigious President's Scholarship, chose to study science because it's a subject he's always enjoyed, but adm its he may have been influenced by the fact that both his parents and two brothers are professionals in the medical field. "I think the variety of courses in human kinetics appealed to me," he says, "and because there's nothing definite about the music business, I wanted a career cushion I can fall back on ."

The other members of the Barrie trio attended Wilfrid Laurier University, Heslip studying opera and Coulson earning a degree in communications and theatre.

During their university years, the trio became a quartet when they added Peter Luciano of Brampton, a music student at Berklee Coll ege in Boston. They named th eir vocal ensemble VIP- short for Voices in Public - because it's catchy and easy to remember, and spent their weekends learning about the music industry and improving their songwriting skills.

The VIP strategy seems to be paying off.

They wrote and recorded their first album, Do You Think You're Ready?, during their last year at university and released it under their own family- and friend-supported record label right after graduation. The song just My Luck was an immediate hit single.

VIP crisscrossed Canada twice on a 1999 summer tour, made dozens of television appearances and shot a music video in Barbados. A promotional tour of Germany last fall ended in a licensing agreement that released just My Luck in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in January.

They've just released a new video called It's My Nature and are ready to release their second Canadian album. This time they're looking for a major record label that will demand more attention in the United States.

Beecroft says they're now ready for fame and fortune ... and for the throngs of screaming teenage girls who have made American "boys-next-door" groups among the hottest commodities in the music industry. He doesn't mind the Backstreet comparison and says the boys-next-door image is pretty accurate. "When you see us on stage, that's us as we really are."

Although YIP's most vocal fans are part of the lucrative teenage market, some of the group's most loyal ones are people who just

like good voca l harmonies. Beecroft likes to remind people that YIP's musical roots are based in a cappella singing. "A cappella music is challenging and fun to do;' he says, "but it won't get played on the radio because the sound is too hollow." But the synthesized music on their first album still gives way to a few a cappell a songs in live concerts, and YIP 's second album will use

acoustic guitar instrumentals in an effo rt to keep the sound more raw and natural.

Ranging in age from 23 to 25, Beecroft, Coulson, Heslip and Luciano are looking at the U.S. pop music charts r ight now, but true to form, they have long-term plans to explore other areas of the music industry - songwriting, production, management, film, stage and television.

Beecroft admits he's hooked on performing . He loved it in high school. He loved singing with U of G choirs and performing in Curtain Call productions, and he loves what he's doing right now. " It's great to be on stage with the guys and performing for an audience that's having a great time, and having a great time because of what we're doing."

Spring 2000 23

Mike Garrett

Mega -city boss â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ Is growing an international reputation for Toronto THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE officer (CAO) of a city of some 2.5 million people, Mike Garrett manages Toronto's civil-service workforce of 45,000.

But in his early years, he always imagined growing up to be a farmer.

Garrett was bitten by the husbandry bug while spending summers during high school working on a dairy farm. Convinced that his calling involved tractors, fields and physical labour, he enrolled at U of G. "When I got to university, I found out that if I wasn't a farmer's son, I wasn't going to inherit a farm, and being in the business of farming was more than I imagined." So he opted to become an "Aggie engineer" instead. He studied water resources engineering and received a B.Sc.(Eng.) in 1969.

Today, Garrett oversees the management of 632 square kilometres of Ontario's best farmland, but it's all paved with concrete.

As CAO of Canada's largest city, he's concerned with everything from the sewer and water lines under that concrete to maintaining Toronto's 5,100 km of roadways and the essential services that travel over them to provide police protection and fire and ambulance help. "We look after everything from beds in homes for the aged to flower beds," says Garrett, whose portfolio also includes social services like welfare, subsi-

fit

24 GuELPH ALUMNUS

dized child care, social housing and emergency winter housing for the homeless.

He directly oversees 25,000 em ployees and another 20,000 indirectly. They all became part of Toronto's mega-city when Garrett took over in 1997 and began the process of incorporating seven municipalities into the unified Toronto.

"I almost can't believe how much we've accomplished in just over two years. We were working with seven different organizations, with seven different organizational structures, and looking at how to streamline them. It's been a huge task. But all of the changes allow us to manage a corporation that has an operating budget of about $6 billion a year and almost another $1 billion a year in capital spending."

Garrett changed more than his career at U of G when he met his future wife, Margaret (Smyth ), a 1968 BA graduate who is now an elementary teacher in Scarborough.

They have two grown children. Originally from Ottawa, he earned a graduate degree from Queen's University in 1970 before landing a job as a resources engineer with the Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. He spent the next 10 years looking after river valley flood control and waterfront development.

From there, Garrett went to work in the

South National River Basin area of eastern Ontario, and later worked as assistant deputy minister of Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources before becoming CAO of Peel region.

"About halfway through my career, I made the switch from water resource management to administration and general management," says Garrett, adding with a laugh: "There are some days when I wonder why I did it."

Toronto's amalgamation posed a challenge.

"We had a w1ique opportw1ity to create a new administrative structure for the city;' says Garrett. "Designing a new management and delivery structure for a city of this size has been a challenge, but I think we've done a pretty good job. We've got our major businesses broken up into a whole variety of cost centres so we can track and monitor performance in terms of efficiency and customer service. Not many cities of our size can do that."

But big cities don't grow without problems, says Gar rett, citing such high-profile issues as complaints of intimidation by the police union, squeegee kids who scare motorists and lack of accommodation for the homeless. Despite the amount of media coverage given to these issues, Garrett says most of the day-to-day calls handled by his staff involve hard services like garbage collection,

building applications and snow removal.

In his fir路st winter on the job, he took more than a few quips from other parts of Canada when Toronto mayor Mel Lastman called in the army reserves to help dig out from a four-day series of storms that left the city buried under more snow than it would expect to see in an entire winter. "The probability of a storm like that hitting Toronto is

once every ll 0 to 115 years," says Garrett, but if it happens again while he's in the boss's chair, "I think we'll be much better prepared:' Garrett laughingly admits that working with Toronto's colourful mayor has made the job more exciting. "Mel is a very interesting guy, very tuned in with what the public wants, and an astute politician. We work well together because he leaves the administration up to

me, and I leave the politics up to him:' They may take a different approach, but the mayor and the CAO are working toward the same goal: enhancing Toronto路s position as a major player on the global stage.

Regardless of who does the survey, Toronto usually ranks in the top 10 per cent of best places to live and work, says Garrett, "but we don't want to sit on our laurels."

Spring 2000 25

UN IVERSITY OF GUELPH

ALUMNI PROFILE BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS TO BUILD A COMMUNITY

T

HE DESIRE TO HELP his community and give something back to his alma mater provided the motivation for Scott vanEngen, B.Sc.(Agr.) '88, to volunteer to join the executive of the University of Guelph Alumni Association (UGAA) in 1997.

He assumed the president's chair last June. A chartered accountant at Robinson & Company, vanEngen works with anumber of other Guelph graduates and has many clients who have an affiliation with the University through the agri-food industry. These relationships- and that fact that he plays pick-up hockey at the U of G arena once a week- give him a broad picture of how important U of G is to his community.

VanEngen was born in Paris, Ont., and grew up on a farm in Brant County. His interest in farming and animal science brought him to U of G, where he completed a degree in animal science with a minor in agricultural business. He found his niche in the agribusiness and marketing courses he took. After graduation, he joined Robinson & Compa ny and pursued his chartered accou ntant designation.

His commLmity involvement also includes serving on the Transit Advisory Committee in Guelph and the Waterloo/Wellington Chartered Accountants Association.

In recent years, vanEngen has built up a specialty in succession planning for family owned businesses, and he says the experi ence of helping people evalu ate their business and define their goals has been an asset ~ in working with UGAA. ~ He admits he knew little about UGAA ~when he first decided to get involved in ~ alumni activities, but says he was "blown away" by the potential it has as an umbrelii:i Ia for all Guelph alumni groups and as a contact point for all 70,000 alumni, regardii: less of their college affiliation.

:i i3

26 GuELPH ALUMNUS

VanEngen had the desire to contribute to his alma mater, and easy access because he lives in Guelph, but what about other alumni? It's harder to sustain a relationship with more distant graduates, says vanEngen, but he thinks the alumni association is taking positive steps to increase opportunities for communication. Next on their executive agenda is a marketing study to zero in on the opinions of association members.

UGAA has also made significant changes in the consolidation of financial assets and restructuring of its accounting system, says vanEngen. UGAA and alumni programs staff negotiated an agreement that allows constituent groups to invest their financial assets in the U of G Endowment Fund.

The new arrangement means alumni groups can take advantage of the endowment fund's professional management team and use their volunteer time more produc-

tively to strengthen relationships with alumni and develop initiatives that benefit students, says vanEngen.

UGAA and University staff are trying to open new Internet windows for alumni communications by exploring the way alumni associations at other universities are using the Internet to inform and involve alumni. "We are rebuilding our Web site because we think there is a great opportunity to link electronically with more alumni," says vanEngen. "Eventually, we'd like to work with the University to ensure our current students don't lose their e-mail connection when they graduate."

"Friend-raising" is one of the alumni association's primary objectives, says van Engen, and that may be as easy as helping graduates continue the friendships they began as students.

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atters HIGIILIGIITS ·GRAD NEWS· OBITUARIES • CALENDAR

Alumni Directory in Progress

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On their soth wedding anniversary, Walter and Marian MacDougald of Fullerton, Ont., received an unusual gift that celebrated not only their life together, but also their belief in lifelong learning. Their children surprised them by endowing a U of G scholarship in their name. Members of the MacDougald family are, from left: Bill, B.Sc.(H.K.) '74; Doug, OVC '77; Walter; Marian; Jan, B.A.Sc, '77; Pat; and Ormond, B.Sc.(Agr.) '86.

DON'T FORGET YOUR SHADOW In the last year, severa l U of G alumni each invited a student to "shadow" their careers for a day.

It was a chance for students to experience first-hand a job in their field of interest, and gain valuable advice from a professional who has already experienced the anxiety of deciding which career to follow.

The job Shadow Program is a student-run initiative looking for employers who will spend a day at work with an interested Guelph student. To find out more about job shadowing, contact U of G Career Services

EEP IN TOUCH with Guelph friends and classmates. A new U of G alumni directory is in production and is scheduled to be available as a book or CDROM in August 2000.

Development and Public Affairs has contracted with Virginia-based Harris Publishing to produce the University's new alumni directory, says Michael Somerville, director of alumni affairs. "Harris produced the 1990 U of G directory, and was recommended by the other Canadian universities we called to find an experienced publisher for Guelph's new directory," he says.

More than 20,000 U of G alumni have already called the Harris toll-free number, 1-800550-4762, to verify their listing:

name and address, degree and job title. Other alumni will receive a call to verify their persona l information in the next few weeks. All U of G graduates will be listed in the directory unless they request anonymity.

The directory is offered to U of G alumni only through advance sa les and will not be sold or distributed for commercial purposes.

If you have questions about the directory project, call Somerville at 519-824-4120, Ext. 6544. To verify your address information or to place your order for a 2000 U of G Alumni Directory, call 1-800-5504762. The cost is $79.99 for the softcover version, $89.99 for hardcover or CD-ROM, plus GST and shippi ng.

in the Counselling and Student Resource Centre, 519-824-4120, Ext. 4797, or e-mail shadow@ uoguelph.ca.

LOOKING FOR AN INTERNATIONAL POSITION? U of G's Centre for International Programs regularly receives information about positions overseas or with international organizations in Canada. If you would like to be informed of these opportunities, e-mail jan Walker at jwalker@uoguelph.ca and ask her to add your name to the centre's new international job listing service.

Books are on the minds of Grant Robinson, BA '73, left, and Michael Ridley, BA '75, U of G's chief librarian. They're checking out some of the books purchased through a library endowment fund established by the Class of 1973 as a 25th-anniversary project. Class members can continue to make contributions to the endowment through the U of G Annual Fund. For more information, call Devel· opment and Public Affairs at 519·824·4120, Ext. 6183.

Spring 2000 27

GRAD NEWS 1999 Coming Events March 18 & 19 - College Royal. To volunteer or send a donation, call Ext. 8366.

March 31 & Apri11 - OAC Alumni Association annual bonspiel at the Guelph Curling Club. Call Carla Bradshaw at Ext. 6657 to register.

April 28 - All-Canadian Universities Dinner, Washington, D.C., Press Club, 6 p.m ., hosted by the University of British Columbia. Call Ext. 6657 for details.

May 6 - If you lived in Mil ls Hall in or around 1980, mark this date for a reunion.

Meet old friends, play golf, enjoy a barbecue dinner and stay over for a Saturdaynight party; contact Ross McKenzie at mckenzieross @hotmail.com or 519-8468461.

June 16 to 18 - Alumni Weekend.

July 7 to 9 - B.Sc.(H.K.)'75 25th reunion. Events include Friday night wine and cheese and Saturday campus tour, pancake brunch and eveni ng barbecue. For more information, contact Lynn McFerran at PLM@thehospital.net or Alan Fairweather at 519-8244120, Ext. 2220, or afairwea@ath. uoguelph.ca.

Summer 2ooo - FACS '85 is planning a reun ion gathering. For more information, contact Eleanor Copping at 905-827-6970; e-mail eleanor. copping@sheridanc. on.ca.

For more infor~ation about any alumni event, call the U of G extension listed at 519824-4120 or send e-mail to alumni@uoguelph.ca. Visit the UGAA Web site at www. ugalumni. uoguelph.ca.

28

GUELPH ALUMNUS

From the artist's brush and heart â&#x20AC;˘ Jane (Leach) Eccles, BA '70, painted Willow in 1994 in response to the deaths of her mother and aunt from cancer. It was the same year a Torontobased resource centre called Willow opened to provide support for women with breast cancer.

When Eccles read about the peer support group, she saw a natural connection and started a project to produce poster prints of her painting as a fund-raiser for the centre.

Production costs for the posters were supported, in part, by another Guelph alumnus, Don Ziraldo, B.Sc. (Agr.) '7 1, of lnniskillin Wines, and all proceeds are used to support Willow's cross-Canada programs, which allow women and their families to draw support from breast cancer survivors. The poster can be purchased for $15

from Willow at 785 Queen St. E. in Toronto or ordered from Eccles in Bowmanville. She is married to artist Ron Eccles, BA

'70. To view their work and the painting Willow, visit the Web site http://web home.idi rect.com/ - rec cles/jane/index.html.

19405 â&#x20AC;˘ George McLaughlin, BSA '46, was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame during

the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair last November. A successful dairy and sheep farmer near Oshawa, he devoted a lifetime to

developing Canadian agriculture.

Founding chair of the Ontario Milk Marketing Board, he developed a blueprint for supply man-

U of G Degrees ADA= Associate diploma

B.Sc.(Env.) = Bachelor of

in agriculture BA = Bachelor of arts B.A.Sc. Bachelor of applied science B.Comm. = Bachelor of commerce B.H.Sc. = Bachelor of household science BLA = Bachelor of landscape architecture BSA = Bachelor of science in agriculture (pre-1965) B.Sc.(Agr.) = Bachelor of science in agriculture B.Sc. Bachelor of science B.Sc.(Eng.) Bachelor of science in engineering

science in environmental sciences B.Sc.(H.K.) = Bachelor of science in human kinetics B.Sc.(P.E.) Bachelor of science in physical education DHE = Diploma in home economics D.V.Sc. Doctor of veterinary science DVM Doctor of veterinary medicine GO = Graduate diploma MA = Master of arts M.Agr. Master of agriculture

=

=

=

=

=

=

=

MBA = Master of business admininstration

M.Eng. = Master of engineering MFA = Master of fine art MLA = Master of landscape architecture

MMS = Master of management studies

0

M.Sc. = Master of science M.Sc.(Aqua) = Master of science in aquaculture

ODA = Ontario diploma in

agriculture Ontario diploma in horticulture ODR Ontario diploma in recreation PhD Doctor of philosophy

ODH

=

=

=

agement and the milk marketing system. He also served as president of the Dairy Farmers of Canada, the Holstein Association of Canada and the Ontario Institute of Agrologists, and was founding chair of the Ontario

nomic, climatic, cultural and religious conditions around the world.

She~p

Marketing Agency.

He was awarded the H.R. McMillan Laureate in Agriculture in 1974 and the Order of Canada in 1977 in recognition of his leadership. From 1986 to 1995, he served as chair of the Ontario Farm Debt Review Board.

• Walter Packman, BSA '49, has published a book about his experiences as an international consultant in agriculture and rural development. He was enjoying a progressive career with the Department of Agriculture in Ottawa when, in 1956, he accepted a two-year position with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. After returning to

• Lawrence Massey, BSA '67, and his daughter, Angie, B.Sc.(H.K.) '99, think of U of G's

Let your spirit soar A T A LUMNI WEEKEND 2000

Massey Hall as a family heirloom. They are descendants of Hart Massey, founder of the Massey-Harris Machinery Company, who paid for the construction of Massey Hall as a campus library in 1903.

Lawrence operates the centuryold Massey family farm near Castleton, Ont. His wife, joanne, took this photo at Angie's 1999 convocation. A member of the varsity women's ice hockey team during her student days, Angie is now enrolled in an education program at the University of Toronto.

19705

Canada, he served with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, the National Energy Board and the Agricultural Rehabilitation and Development Administration before turning to private consulting, which took him overseas again to more than 30 underdeveloped countries. His memoirs, 1 Tried to Help, was publi'shed in 1999

by Algonquin College and is priced at $35. The book chronicles Packman's international experiences and reveals many of the problems faced by rural development professionals as they deal with a variety of eco-

• Sylvia Ahermae, B.Sc. '78, went on from Guelph to earn an education degree at the University of Toronto and an M.A.Ed. from the University of Phoenix.

She taught biology and mathematics in Fort Collins, Colo., for 10 years and is now teaching science methods at Colorado State University. She and her husband, Andres Teene, have three children, Eero, )aanu and Maiki.

• John Ghetti, ADFA '79, continued his education at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and earned a degree in petroleum engineering at the University of Southwestern

JUNE 16 TO 18 Check the next issue of the Guelph Alumnus for program details or contact Alumni Affairs at 519-824-4120, Ext. 6544, or vikkit@alumni.uoguelph .ca.

Spring 2000 29

Louisiana in 1988. He was employed by Tru-Tee Services, a Koch Industries Company, as southeast regional manager and is now president of Magna-Tee, a division of Tru-Tee Inc. He has one son, Scott, and lives in Baton Rouge, La. Contact him by email at GhettiJ@kochind.com.

• Robert Michaud, M.Sc. '79, is a veterinarian with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada tn Ottawa. He was recently elected to the Grace Hospital board in Ottawa. He is also serving a third term on the board of the Queensway-Carleton Hospital.

• Gary Whitfield, B.Sc.(Agr.) '75 and M.Sc. '77, earned a PhD in entomology at Michigan State University and has worked since 1982 as a research scientist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, Alta., and in Harrow and Delhi, Ont. He is currently director of the Greenhouse and Processing Crops

Research Centre in Harrow and can be reached by e-mail at whitfieldg@em.agr.ca.

• Graham Worthy, B.Sc. '79, M.Sc. '82 and PhD '85, has been on faculty in the Department of Marine Biology at Texas A&M University since 1990. He is director of the Physiological Ecology and Bioenergetics Laboratory as well as the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network. He and his wife, Tamara, live in League City.

t98os (Stowe) Alba, • Laurie B.Sc.( H.K.) '80, met her husband, Cesar, in Guelph and moved to his native Peru after they were married. They have two daughters, Kelsea and Cody, and Laurie teaches physical and health education at Colegio F.D. Roosevelt, the American school in Lima.

• Tim Allen, B.Sc.(Agr.) '87, and

his wife, Karen, live in Mississauga, Ont., with their infant daughter, Paige Elaine, and twoyear-old, Claire Nicole. They can be reached by e-mail at tdallen@netcom.ca.

• Scott Barden , DVM '83 and MBA '99, is currently working for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Paris, Ont. • Carolyn (Peach), M.Sc. '85, and Doug Brown, B.Sc.(Agr.) '83, left the Democratic Republic of the Congo last summer because of war conditions there.

They have been working in agricultural development for the past 10 years, but are now living with their sons, Nathan and Matthew, in Ithaca, N.Y., where Doug is beginning a graduate program at Cornell University.

• Derin (Aylin) Denham, B.Sc. '87, is director of public relations at Bridge Integrated Communications in Cincinnati, Ohio. She worked previously as a freelance

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She can be reached by e-mail at d.denham@bridgeagency.com .

• Gordon Harvey, BA '80, married Alma Urrutia in August 1998. They live in Vancouver, where he is an instructional/multimedia designer running his own business called guided Design. He can be reached byemail at geharvey@excite.com.

• Michael Ho, BA '88 and MA '89, and his wife, Patricia Tse, BA '89, live in Hong Kong, where Ho is program director of real estate studies in the School of Professional and Con tinuin g Education at the University of Hong Kong. He expanded his economics degrees with a PhD from the University of Toronto and taught there for a year before returning to Hong Kong.

He can be reached by e-mail at drmikeho@hkuspace.hku.hk.

• Michael, BA '89, and Diane

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(Page) Jaeger, B.A.Sc. '87, live in Brantford, Ont., with their children, Jennifer and Sean. Michael practises law with the Hamilton firm Graydon Sheppard, and Diane is a nutritionist at the Brantford General Hospital.

Their e-mail address is mjaeger @attcanada.net.

• Allan Johnston, PhD '83, is the managing general partner of Synergy Partners, a medical technology-focused venture capital firm he founded in 1996 in Menlo Park, Calif.

• J.J. Kavelaars, B.Sc. '89, is a post -doctoral fellow in theoretical physics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., and one of two Canadian scientists who have discovered four new moons circling Uranus. Two planetary objects were spotted in 1997 while the scientists were looking for comets; the last two were discovered July 18, 1999, from photographs.

• Chunzhu Liu, M.Sc. '86, is working in the Economic Research Centre and Information Centre of Qinddao Hi-Tech Park in China as director and professor of economics. He welcomes contact from U of G classmates by e-mail at czl@hitech.chinaqingdao.net.

• William Mann, MLA '80, has a new book published by Laughing Owl Publishing Inc. The Labyrinth of the Grail looks at the pre-Columbian exploration and settlement of North America by the medieval Knights Templar and their Celtic/Norse forefathers and links these early explorers to modern-day Freemasonry. Mann lives in Oakville, Ont., and works as a planning and development consultant.

• John Milligan, BA '86, was recently married to Arlene Hills, and they are the proud parents of a son, Matthew, born in September 1999. Milligan is key

account manager at National Importers in Brampton, Ont. • Kong Hwee Kevin Ooi, BA '89, is an IT consultant with the Singapore National Computer Board. Previously, he was a business analyst with ABN AMRO Bank. He and his wife, Lisa (Choi), B.A.Sc. '91, have two children, Jasmine and Andrew.

Lisa is a nutritionist with the Ministry of Health. They would love to hear from Guelph friends by e-mail at kevinooi@pacific.net.sg.

• Greg Schneider, B.Sc.(Agr.) '81, and his wife, Myrna, live in London, Ont., with their daughter, Molly. He works at Middlesex Mutual Insurance Co. in Ilderton.

• Sue Sibley, B.Sc. '84, lives in Georgetown, Ont., with her husband and three children, Jarrod, Moira and Caleb. She has been employed by Bayer Inc. as a regulatory affairs project manager since 1991 and welcomes e-mail from friends at ijzerman@pathcom.com.

• John Span, B.Sc.(Agr.) '80, and his wife, Anne, have three sons, Joel, Caleb and David, and live in Waterdown, Ont. • Karen (Mcilroy) Stenhouse, B.Sc. '87, worked in agricultural chemical research and marketing for 10 years, but is now running a home-school for her children, Alison, Claire and lain.

The family lives in the Princeton-Trenton area of New Jersey and can be reached via e-mail at kstenhouse@earthlink.net.

• Kyle Urech, BA '87, and his

OTAGO WELCOMES GUELPH KNOW-HOW • The University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, has a number of Guelph alumni and former staff working in its departments of microbiology, human nutrition, mathematics and statistics, food science, chemistry, design studies and surveying, and its Bioethics Research Centre. Front row, from left: Mira (Mihajlovic) Amer, M.Sc. '90; Winsome (Harding) Parnell, M.Sc. '80; former family studies professor Rosalind Gibson; Elaine Ferguson, B.Sc. '84 and PhD '92; and Caryn Thompson, B.Sc.(Agr.) '83 and M.Sc. '87. Back row: Alex Lautensach, former staff member in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Mary Johnson, M.Sc. '89; Sheila (Dunthorne) Skeaff, B.Sc. '84 and M.Sc. '88; Murray Skeaff, PhD '88; Diane Bourn, M.Sc. '84; and Metta and Henrik Kjaergaard, former post -doctoral student and sessional lecturer. U of G alumni not pictured are Peter, BA '87, and Valerie Knight, B.Sc. '89, and Mark McGuire, BA '80.

wife, Kim, live in Singapore, where he is a senior account executive for Policy Management Systems Corporation. He says he would like to hear from some of the old four north guys from Johnston Hall. His e-mail address is kyleurech@pmsc.com.

19905

• Ingrid Ambus, BA '96, worked in psychosocial oncology research in Toronto for three years before beginning a master's program in genetic counselling last September at the University of Manchester in England.

• Elaine Anderson, B.Sc. '96, has worked in the food industry since graduation and is now a production manager with Lipton Monarch in Belleville, Ont. She would like to hear from U

of G friends and can be reached by e-mail at eanderso@kos.net.

• Don Bradford, BA '92, and his wife, Michelle, were married in 1999 and bought a new house in Woodstock, Ont. He is communication manager for the Perth District Health Unit and invites old friends to contact him through e-mail at bradford! @sympatico.ca.

• Kenneth Carson, B.Sc.(Agr.) '93, and his wife, Laura, run a dairy farm near Cameron, Ont. He also works at Sunderland Co-op.

• Karen (Kapusniak), B.Comm.

'92, and Robert Chin announce the birth of their daughter, Olivia Jasmine, born Aug. 18, 1999. They are living in Vancouver.

• Erin Day, BA '95, is a teacher

Spring 2000 31

in Taiwan and ca n be reached through e-mail at dayerin@hotmail.com.

• Mary (Osika), B.Sc. '93, and Stephen Duda, B.Sc. '92, were married in September 1998 and live in Fort Nelson, B.C. She is a biologist running the forest renewal program for Slocan Forest Products, and he is a forestry land information officer with the B.C. Ministry of Forests.

• Christina Epifani, B.Comm.

'97, began her career at the jasper Park Lodge in Alberta, where she used her spare time to coach jasper's first girls' hockey team. She spent time visiting friends Lorin Gaertner, B.Sc '96, in Houston, Texas, and Gwen Thirlwall, B.Sc. '97, in Nu navut before moving back to Ontario.

She now works in reservation sales for Choice Hotels International in Mississauga.

• Laura Green, B.Sc.(Agr.) '99, was the 1999 recipient of a grad-

uating award given in memory of the late Dawn Morris, who launched the Canadian International Farm Equipment Show.

An agricultural economics graduate, Green grew up on a dairy farm near Wain fleet, Ont., was active in OAC student activities and is now an associate agricultural account manager at the TD Bank in Wallaceburg, Ont. • Paul Henderson, B.Comm.

'95, lives in Waterdown, Ont., with his wife and two children.

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GuELPH ALUMNUS

to on-premises wineries in western Ontario. His e-mail address is paul@spectranet.ca.

• Tina Hildenbrand, B.A.Sc. '94, teaches Grade 6 at Downie Central Public School in St. Paul's, Ont., and would like to hear from FACS '94 grads at tinahildenbrand@hotmail.com.

Craig jackson, B.Sc. '94, and Camille Touee, B.Sc. '95, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Alexis jackson, last May. They live in Kapuskasing, Ont., where he is a high school teacher and she runs Sky by Night Web design.

• John Johnston, B.Sc. '95, works for the Indiana Geological Survey Institute at Indiana University in Bloomington. He is working on a global climate change study in the Great Lakes, trying to reconstruct detailed lake-levels curves that can be used to predict future lake levels.

• David Kasserra, B.Sc. '98, and

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his wife, Christine, were married in September 1999 and live in Kingston , Ont. He works for Parks Canada, using both his Guelph degree and a history degree from Queen's University to write a book about historical markers in Kingston. He is also developing a Web site about national historic sites at www.HeritageKingston.on.ca and www.parkscanada.pch.gc.ca /parks/ ontario/ multi2_ e. h tm .

• Kim Markowski, B.Sc. '97, works for Effem Inc. in Pet Care Research and Development/Technical Services in California. She recently completed an assignment at a Kal Kan site in Los Angeles, where she focused on improving the esthetics, palatability and cost savings of canned pet foods (Pedigree and Whiskas varieties ).

• Ginette Mazerolle, BA '93, is a lawyer with the federal Department of justice in Halifax. She

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met her husband, juan Rocha, while working in his native Peru, and they have been married almost three years. She invites Guelph friends from Lambton Hall, French House and international development to e-mail her at gmazerol@justice.gc.ca.

• Paul McEwan, BA '94, earned a master's degree from Wilfrid Laurier and an education degree from the University of Western Ontario. He is now working on a PhD in TV /radio/film at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and is married to )enn Goddu. Send e-mail to p-mcewan @nwu.ed.

• Kari (Heinrichs), B.Comm.

'93, and Peter Norman, MA '93, never knew each other as U of G students, but met while both were working as economists in Toronto. They were married last summer.

• Gerry Prentice, B.Sc. '96, is a lab technician in U of G's

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He was married last summer to Lea Saigle, B.Sc. '97, and can be reached through e-mail at gprentice@uoguelph.ca.

• Andre Raine, B.Sc. '96, recently earned an M.Sc. in conservation from the University of London. He has worked on biodiversity projects in national parks in North Vietnam and Zambia, and has conducted research into the physical characteristics and populations of the critically endangered Bermuda rock lizard.

• Veeraraghavaiah Ravuri, PhD '92, is an associate professor of agronomy at Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University in India and won the university's 1999 Meritorious Teacher Award.

Ravuri has also enjoyed an FAO visiting fellowship at the University of California, Davis, and invites Guelph alumni to visit in India. His e-mail address is

vravuri@hotmail.com.

• Tracy (Irving), B.Sc.(Agr.) '95, and Reade Rintoul, BA '95, live in Napier, New Zealand, with their two-year-old daughter, Amelia Edith. A former zookeeper in Toronto, Tracy volunteers at Marineland New Zealand, and Reade works in software development with Ericsson Communications.

• Tricia (Pella), BA '95, and Gaetano "Guy" Rosa, B.Comm. '96, were married in October 1998, with many U of G friends attending. They live in Mississauga, Ont., where Guy is an account manager for BCI Bank and Tricia is an environmental planner with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.

• Patricia Story, B.Sc.(Agr.) '92, was project co-ordinator of the Eastern Ontario Model Forest, a forestry research project within Natural Resources Canada's model forest program, for six

years before returning to school to complete a graduate diploma in communications at Concordia University in Montreal. She invites OAC resources management grads to write by e-mail to pas@horslimites.qc.ca.

• Michelle Tovell, BA '94, lives in Kitchener, Ont., and works for Correctional Services Canada as a correctional officer in a federal women's prison. She began master's studies at Wilfrid Laurier University last September and can be reached by e-mail at michelle.tov@sympatico.ca.

• Simon, B.Sc. '97, and Tanya (McMillan) Wright, B.Sc. '96, were married last August in the company of family, friends and many Guelph alumni varsity soccer players. They now live in Oakville, Ont., and would like to keep in touch with friends and fellow grads through e-mail. The address is tanya_wright @cp can.ca.

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GuELPH ALUMNus

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OBITUARIES George Dickson, BSA '38, died Oct. 9, 1999, in Guelph. Retired from Canada Packers with over 40 years of service, he was also a past president of the OAC Alumni Association and a founding member of the OAC Alumni Foundation. He is survived by his wife, Margaret, and children, Kent and Beverly Reed.

Herbert Pettipiere, BSA '49, died Jan. 12,1999, in Guelph.

One of the founders of the University of Guelph and its first registrar, he began his career as the youngest OAC dean of men in 1950, and was registrar for the federated colleges of OAC, OVC and Macdonald Institute before the 1964 founding of U of G. In 1972, he left the University to establish the Ontario Applications Centre, where he remained until his retirement in 1990. He was also one of the founders of the Canadian Registrars' Association.

He is survived by his wife, June, three children, Steven, Linda and Keith, and 11 grandchildren.

Olive Thompson, DHE '33, died Dec. 24, 1999. A dedicated member of the class of Mac '35 and a former president of the University of Guelph Alumni Association, she was featured in the Fall/Winter 1999 issue of the Guelph Alum1111S after she celebrated her 85th birthday with a parachute jump. She is survived by four children and three grandchildren.

Alumni Ralph Ainslie, BSA '33, Dec. 4, 1999 William Alford, BA '88, date unknown Gabriel Ankeli, DVM '70, date unknown Margaret Armstrong, DHE '32, Sept. 10, 1-999 Keith Augustine, BSA '46, june 29, 1999 Mary Begley, B.A.Sc. '76, Oct. 3, 1996 William Bovaird, DVM '36, Oct. 25, 1999 George Burton, DVM '37, Aprill998 Evelyn Charles, DHE '37, june 13, 1999 James Cook, BA '75, Sept. 6, 1999

Bruce Coulter, BA '77, jan. 17, 2000 Francis Creech, DVM '49, july 7, 1999 Edithemma Dighton, DHE '33, Dec. 14, 1999 Charles Doane, BSA '49, Nov. 23, 1999 Agnes Dobbin, DHE '30, date unknown Douglas Donaldson, B.Sc. '81, in 1996 Glenn Downing, DVM '45,Aug. 19, \999 Wilson Eberle, BSA '40, April 8, 1998 Perle-Anne Fair, BA '80, Aug. 18, 1998 Angelo Ferraro, BSA '39, jan. \8, 2000 Donald Fletcher, BSA '39, Dec. 18, 1999 Robert Foster, B.Sc. '87, April18, \998 Russell Furness, DVM '52, Dec. 18, 1999 Lisa Gehrs, BA '92, Dec. 21, 1999 james Gillies, DVM '26, Dec. 28, 1999 Jean Gorell, DHE '27, July 6, 1999 Richard Green, B.Sc.(Agr.) '95, Nov.17, 1999 Montgomery Hart, BSA '43, March 31, 1999 Stella Howe, DHE '28, Aug. 10, 1999 Geok Hum, BA '85, Oct. 29, 1998 Carol Jagiello, B.A.Sc. '89, Nov. 10, 1999 Yuzhou Jin, PhD '91, Dec. 7, \999 Cecil Johnson, ADA '36, july 26, 1999 Johann Johnson, DVM '52, Dec. 16, 1999 Albert Kristjanson, BSA 'SO, Dec. 7, 1998 Donald Laughland, BSA '39, Sept. 28, 1999 Gwendoline Lawrie, DHE '37, date unknown Bernice Lee, DHE '26, Oct. 25, 1999 Maureen Leeder, B.Comm. '83, july 27, 1999 James Lennox, DVM '51, Nov. I, 1999 Hector Leroux, BSA '44, Sept. 21, 1999 Craig Leuty, BSA '48, April 21, 1999 Edward Lucking, BSA '61, Nov. 13, 1999 Richard Ludzik, DVM '75, Nov. 6, 1999 Christopher MacGee, BA '74, Dec. 8, \997 Austin Manning, BSA '51, jan. 28,2000 Harry Marshall, BSA '39, Nov. 15, 1999 James Martin, B.Sc. '76, in 1994 Peggy McGonegal, BA '77, Nov. 26, 1994 James Moore, BSA '44, jan. 2, 2000 Ralph Morrison, ADA '79, Dec. 31, 1999 Carrie Mulligan, B.Sc. '97, Dec. 16, \999 Boris Myhal, BSA '55, Sept. 8, 1999

Jeanne Nakagawa, B.H.Sc.'S4, December 1998 James Neil, BSA '47, Oct. 30, 1999 Gerry Peck, DVM 'SO, jan. 27, 2000 Lloyd Pegg, BSA '21, May 12, 1994 Charles Phillips, BSA '42, Nov. 30, 1999 Tom Pollok, BSA '58, May 22, 1999 Awni Raad, PhD '70, May I 0, 1996 Douglas Rawlins, BSA '38, Nov. 1, 1999 John Riehm, BSA '56, Nov. 28, 1999 Mary Rodgers, DHE '31, Apr. 27, 1999 Harriet Rooke, DHE '40, june 14, 1999 Ram Shakya, M.Sc. '86, date unknown Melanie Singer, B.Sc. '78, jan. 3, 2000 Frederick Skelton, BSA '37, Aug. 13, 1999 Robert Smiley, DVM '47, jan. 3, 2000 Elgin Smith, ADA '51, june 18, 1998 Kate Smith, B.Sc.(Agr.) '88, Sept. 13, 1999 Andrew Stewart, B.Sc.(Agr.) '84, Aug. 23, \999 Bruce Teasdale, BSA '34, Dec. 4, 1999 Janice Thachuk, B.Sc. '88, Feb. 6, 1999 Leonard Tovell, DVM '38, Dec. 9, 1999 Norman Vickers, BA '75, Aug. 28, 1998 John Wasylenko, BSA '48, Nov. 18, 1999 Agnes Wharry, DHE '26, in 1997 Eleanor Wiegand, DHE '38, july 1, 1997 Archibald Wilson, BSA '49, july 1999 Harry Zalasky, BSA '52, Nov. 13, 1999 Yuyuan Zhao, PhD '94, june 14, 1999

Friends Thomas Buchanan, Nov. 25, 1999 Eric Colwill, Nov. 29, 1999 Catherine Gunn, May 29, 1999 Merle Gardhouse, Sept. 26, 1999 Aleda Henry, Sept. 28, 1999 Dorothy MacGregor, Oct. 25, 1999 Ella "Billie" McQuinn, Sept. 28, 1999 Bruce Ross, Nov. 22, 1999 Mabel Stevens, Nov. 26, 1999 Effie Wilson, Sept. 27, 1999 Faculty David Piggins, Psychology, jan. 21, 2000 Gerald Rubio, English, jan. 25, 2000

Spring 2000 35

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

the 'Way 'We 'Were FROM THE ARCHIVES

HEN SHE ENROLLED at Macdonald Institute in 1911, Bess Philip began a photo album of her college experience. She took this picture of five classmates in a Macdonald Hall residence room, where they were obviously preparing for the mandatory "lights out" at 10:30 p.m.

W

The schedule for female students in the early days of the college was tightly controlled. The residence itself was built on the edge of the campus and was largely self-contained, with a dining room, gymnasium, medical office and library right in the building.

Women were allowed out only one night a week and had to be in by 7 p.m. unless they were accompanied by a suitable chaperone, who was required to see them to the door by 10:15 p.m.

In Bess Philip's day, a promenade was a favourite social event. A gentleman from OAC would offer his arm to a Mac Institute lady, and they would keep time to the music of an orchestra as they marched through the halls of one of the administration buildings. Dancing wasn't allowed until 1913.

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36 GUELPH ALUMNUS

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