Dr. Colin Laroque (PhD) listens to what the trees tell him.

Laroque, a professor in USask’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources and the head of the Department of Soil Sciences, is an expert dendrochronologist. Or, in other words, he is an expert in “tree-ring analysis,” which allows him to read the rings of trees to get a better understanding of the environment over years, decades and centuries.

In recent years, the number of wildfires in Canada and around the world have increased, with more area being burned and more effort being put into dealing with them. As Laroque puts it, the environment is changing, but those changes take long periods of time before they can be understood as trends or a “new normal.”

For Laroque, the questions are not whether or not this more regular and severe wildfire season is here to stay, but whether or not we’ve reached the apex of what this “new normal” looks like for wildfires.

On this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast, we answer the question “What will increasing wildfires do to our environment, and is there anything we can do about it?”

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email research.communications@usask.ca
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

Public health is something that has an impact on all of us - but over recent years, public health has been thrust into a bigger spotlight.

Trust in science, academia and public health is critical to maintain strong public health for the future. We explore how trust in public health has changed, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what can be done to address those changes, on this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast.

Guests this episode:

• Dr. Thilina Bandara (PhD)
• Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine (PhD)
• Dr. Cory Neudorf (MD)

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email research.communications@usask.ca
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

How often do you think about the environment you live in?

Our houses, our towns, our cities, our communities - we have surrounded ourselves with our "built environment."

But as populations grow and move, the we have to ask ourselves: how do we make sure our built environment is healthy, safe and sustainable for us and for future generations?

We explore a few of the facets of a sustainable built environment in this episode of the USask Signature Series Podcast.

Guests:

• Dr. Wanda Martin (PhD)
• Dr. Daniel Fuller (PhD)

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email research.communications@usask.ca
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

The University of Saskatchewan (USask) is home to Canada's only synchrotron.

The Canadian Light Source at USask gives researchers at the university and around the world an opportunity to explore scientific questions down to the molecular and atomic level with the help of the synchrotron's beamlines.

But what exactly does a synchrotron do, and how does it advance scientific curiosity and innovation?

We shine a light on the power of the synchrotron in this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast.

Guests:

• Dr. Ingrid Pickering (PhD)
• Dr. Matt Lindsay (PhD)

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email research.communications@usask.ca
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

Water is a vital part of life.

Water is constantly flowing all around us - in our streams and rivers, into our lakes, through our deltas and in pipes in our cities. Our waterways are interconnected, often in ways we never think of. But how are those waterscapes changing, and what role do we play in those changes?

We explore all the things you didn't know about our changing waterscapes on this episode of the USask Signature Series podcast.

Guests:

• Dr. Corinne Schuster-Wallace (PhD)
• Dr. Grant Ferguson (PhD)
• Dr. Tim Jardine (PhD)

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email research.communications@usask.ca
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

Farming and Saskatchewan are practically synonymous, and agriculture research from the University of Saskatchewan is second to none. USask research has supported Saskatchewan producers and the agriculture industry for decades and has helped make Saskatchewan - and Canada - a bastion of agricultural efficiency and sustainability.

But what makes an efficient farmer, and what helps Saskatchewan stand out among the rest?

Join us on this episode of the Signature Series Podcast to learn more!

Guests:
Dr. Curtis Pozniak
Dr. Steve Shirtliffe
Dr. Jill Hobbs

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email research.communications@usask.ca
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

Quantum technology isn't science fiction - it's science fact.

We're surrounded by more quantum technology than you'd expect, and with the quantum computers growing in size and power we are looking at new and exciting developments on the horizon for how our daily lives are impacted by quantum-influenced technology.

How fast are quantum computers? What are quantum materials? These questions and more are answered on this episode of the USask Signature Series Podcast.

Guests:

Dr. Steven Rayan (PhD)
Dr. Gordon Sarty (PhD)

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email research.communications@usask.ca
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!

Do you ever think about where your power comes from when you turn on your lights?

The world is looking for new sources of energy - but the global energy transition won't happen with the flick of a switch. The research and the resources has to come from somewhere, and Saskatchewan is home to both.

On this episode we explore how the energy transition will take shape, the future of critical minerals and nuclear power - and the role both Saskatchewan and Canada will play.

Guests:
Dr. Greg Poelzer (PhD)
Dr. Alaz Munzur (PhD)
Dr. Andrew Grosvenor (PhD)

• Host: Matt Olson
• Producers: Matt Olson and Leslie-Ann Schlosser
• Editor: Matt Olson
• Graphics and Marketing: USask Research Profile and Impact office
• Original Music created by Silas Friesen

Questions? Email research.communications@usask.ca
Check out USask research on Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn and on the University of Saskatchewan's web pages!