Microbiology News Archive

Faculty of Science
Thought compostable PLA plastics was the solution to sustainability? Think again!
December 9, 2024 —
Although sustainability seems to be the new trend, plastic pollution still remains a great threat to the environment and human health. Turns out those compostable coffee cups and food containers are rarely degraded even in standard composting conditions. The UM Prairie iGEM team strives to solve this problem and received the gold medal for the best new basic part award in the 2024 Grand Jamboree - the world expo of synthetic biology!

Research and International
UM researchers receive more than $1.5 million infrastructure investment from the John R. Evans Leaders Fund
September 26, 2024 —
Eight new UM research project have received critical infrastructure funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund.

Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Medscape: Canada’s First Nations Communities Call for Clean Water
September 23, 2024 —
Canada's First Nations Communities Call for Clean Water

Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources
Research for the greater good
September 4, 2024 —
In a collaborative effort to raise awareness about water justice and injustices, Senior Fellow and Distinguished Professor in the Faculty of Arts Dr. Adele Perry spearheads an interdisciplinary research project titled “Just Waters: Thinking with Hydro-Social Relations for a More Just and Sustainable World.”

Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Support Fund recipients announced
August 29, 2024 —
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Support Fund provides opportunities for professors, instructors and librarians to undertake projects that increase knowledge in pedagogy and learning. This year, six awards of $6,000 and one major award of $25,000 were awarded. Learn about Dr. Jason Peeler's research to improve clinical skills training in the area of musculoskeletal medicine.

Faculty of Science
Get to know Peter Pelka and his vision for the future of vaccine research
August 2, 2024 —
In studying how adenovirus interacts with the host cell, Peter Pelka a professor at the department of microbiology and his team, explore how they can learn more about cancer development using the virus. Pelka is one of the prominent researchers who has participated in establishing the Prairie Pandemic Preparedness Hub, including the University of Manitoba, Alberta, Calgary and Saskatchewan. The hub has recently received $57 million for both research and infrastructure aspects from the Government of Canada to lead Canada toward independence in vaccine research and manufacturing.

Faculty of Science
An interdisciplinary lab develops a non-invasive, inexpensive and efficient method to detect an incurable disease in young infants
July 25, 2024 —
The Laboratory for Bioanalytics and Electrochemical Sensing at the University of Manitoba has developed a novel approach to detect an incurable disease in young infants in a non-invasive, inexpensive and efficient manner.

Faculty of Science
From a fundamental discovery in a chemistry lab to a novel product for the market
July 18, 2024 —
It all started when John Sorensen, a chemistry professor, and his research team discovered an enzyme with an interesting reaction, a difficult step in the organic synthesis laboratory. The reaction normally requires multiple steps and many reagents without the same yields. But with the enzyme, it could be done in a single step in great condition. The discovery then sparked conversations about commercialization among the research team and how it could be put somewhere on a store shelf.

Faculty of Science
CBC Manitoba: How a Manitoba beach got E.coli
July 10, 2024 —
How a Manitoba beach got E.coli

Faculty of Science
Stories that instil resilience
June 28, 2024 —
June is National Indigenous History Month, and while at the Faculty of Science, we celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of the Indigenous community on campus throughout the year, we wanted to take this time to listen to the journey, the proud moments, the challenges and the resilience of the Indigenous faculty, students and staff.