On April 11, 2025, over 60 people gathered at the annual John Abbott Sustainability Through Science Symposium to hear how the research of three Macdonald Campus graduate students contributes to a more sustainable future. Honours and science students from John Abbott College, as well as members of ĢƵ's Macdonald Campus community, were inspired by short talks followed by a panel discussion on the students' university experience and their chosen career paths.

Royal Brinkman Canada has appointed Mohammed Antar (PhD, P.Ag) as head of its agronomy department, noting in that he "will play a key role in helping growers enhance crop productivity and quality through innovative, science-based solutions."
Mohammed earned his Ph.D. in Plant Science (Agronomy) from ĢƵ in 2024. His expertise spans agronomy, microbe-coated fertilizers, nutrient management, sustainable agriculture, and biological products.

On March 27, ĢƵ honoured 141 laureates at the 20th annual , celebrating researchers who received prestigious provincial, national or international awards in 2024, including eight researchers in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
In his opening remarks, ĢƵ President and Vice-Chancellor, Deep Saini, applauded the honourees for their efforts, underlining the importance of ĢƵ’s research contributions.

An orange tinted snowy owl in Michigan has baffled scientists with its orange colouring, . Experts say it could be a genetic mutation, an accident, or human mischief.
Ornithologist and Professor Emeritus at ĢƵ, David Bird, expressed some doubts about the strange colouration being caused by genetics.

After DDT use nearly wiped out peregrine falcons in the 20th century, numbers are collapsing again in many countries,
Though scientists have yet to determine a definite cause, many—including ĢƵ Professor Emeritus David Bird, who formerly led the University's Avian Science and Conservation Centre—think highly pathogenic bird flu may be largely to blame.

Single-use plastics are everywhere—but two ĢƵ researchers are redefining the norm and championing sustainability.
"Although plastic pollution wasn’t the main focus of our research, safeguarding water bodies is essential to our work, and we knew we had to address the disconnect between our values and laboratory practices."

Wild turkey sightings in Montreal are on the rise,
Experts told them wild turkey populations in southern Quebec have steadily climbed over the past two decades due to warming temperatures.
This has raised concern that predators could be following close behind.

Collecting data on tufted puffins thanks to the Vivian Lewin and BELF Awards
In the eerie stillness of a misty Alaskan dawn, Cassandra Ciafro was already on the move by 3 a.m. Clad in camouflage, she melded seamlessly with the rugged cliffs, joining the seabirds in their lofty perches. Her mission? To deploy trackers and observe deitary patterns of the tufted puffin, a key indicator of the region’s fish stocks.
“I’ve always wanted to work with something related to marine science,” said Ciafro. “This experience has helped me grow so much as a person.”

On November 27, the Macdonald Campus Office of Student Academic Services hosted the annual Lister Family Engaged Science Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, an event open to master’s and doctoral students from all disciplines in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Killer whales off Canada’s Atlantic coast continue to be contaminated with dangerously high levels of toxic chemicals that put them at elevated risk of severe immune-system and reproductive problems, a recent ĢƵ-led study has found.

While climate change may not dictate the arrival of Fall colors, it does affect this phenomenon... and its eventual disappearance.

As spooky decorations go up around Montreal this October, real spiders are also becoming more prevalent.
Entomologist Chris Buddle, ĢƵ's Associate Provost (Teaching and Academic Programs) and Professor in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences, that spiders become bigger than normal and are seen more often as winter approaches.

New research from ĢƵ graduate shows how toxic chemicals hitch a ride with seabirds flying from southern latitudes to the Arctic
Between March and May each year, 15 million gather from across the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to nest and breed on rocky Arctic cliffs—some making the journey from as far as Florida or North Africa.

Anaïs Remili, PhD(AgEnvSc)'23, an ecotoxicologist and postdoctoral researcher, tracks contaminants that threaten the health of North Atlantic orcas. While Pacific orca populations are well studied, little is known about those that swim off the Canadian and European east coasts, and they are less protected.

The reports that a nesting pair of peregrine falcons, along with a juvenile born this year, have been landing on the upper decks and rooftop of the Promontory residential tower in Victoria, BC, where penthouse owner Fred Welter has set up a nesting box complete with cameras poised to stream any action.