Media releases

• Registration now open for International Cool Climate Wine Symposium

  Tuesday, October 22, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 22 October 2019 – R00165

  With more than 50 confirmed speakers, registration is now open for the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium (ICCWS), which takes place in Canada from July 12 to 16, 2020 and is being planned by Brock’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) alongside its research and industry partners across the country.

  Confirmed speakers include acclaimed international wine academics and experts from around the world. The 10th installment of the symposium will focus on how climate change is driving innovation in the grape and wine industry, with conference sessions including viticulture, oenology, wine business and science communication.

  Nobel prize-winning physicist Brian Schmidt has been named as the opening keynote speaker. Schmidt is an expert in issues of climate change and has his own cool climate vineyard and winery.

  This is the first time the conference has come to Canada. The federal government is supporting ICCWS with $250,000 in funding through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

  In addition to the conference sessions at Brock, those attending will also have the opportunity to participate in pre- and post-conference programming that will showcase Canada’s wine regions and be introduced to Canadian wines and local culinary offerings through a number of special events.

  Early bird pricing is now available at $800, which gives delegates the chance to save $350 off the total conference fee and includes access to research seminars, masterclasses, wine tastings and workshops.

  There are also a number of sponsorship and tradeshow opportunities throughout the conference listed on the sponsorship page.

  QUOTES:

  “The ICCWS committees are thrilled to provide a world-class conference that attracts delegates who are influential in the global wine market and will advance our knowledge base forward. This symposium will give the foremost experts in viticulture, oenology, wine business, sustainability and science communications the chance to share their cutting-edge research findings.” – Debbie Inglis, Director, Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI)

  “Ontario’s wine industry is thrilled that Canada is hosting the 2020 International Cool Climate Wine Symposium. We are especially proud that Niagara’s gorgeous wine country will provide the backdrop for this important gathering of local and international wine communities. VQA Wines of Ontario are truly on the cutting edge of cool, embracing our cool climate wine region and rising status as an internationally acclaimed New World wine destination. We look forward to showcasing Ontario VQA wines alongside wines from across Canada.” – Sylvia Augaitis, Executive Director, Wine Marketing Association of Ontario

  “The Wines of British Columbia is thrilled to be working together with industry colleagues and wine and grape growers from across Canada to bring the ICCWS 2020 to Wine Country Ontario. At a time when our region is gaining major recognition from our international peers, this is an opportunity for us to showcase our diverse wine regions, quality wines and research to the world.” – Laura Kittmer, Communications Director, British Columbia Wine Institute

  “The Wine Council of Quebec (Conseil des Vins du Québec) is proud to be a partner of the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium 2020. Innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement are at the heart of our values and we are proud to be involved in the growth of the Canadian grape and wine industry. The ICCWS is a unique chance to join the international wine community and to meet the best scientists to discuss innovative opportunities regarding the wine production.” – Yvan Quirion, President, Wine Council of Quebec (Conseil des Vins du Québec)

  Register and learn more about the conference at iccws2020.ca

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Britt Dixon, Communications Officer, Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, Brock University bdixon@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x4471

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases

• Grad student throws change up for baseball injury research

  Tuesday, October 22, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 22 October 2019 – R00164

  With the World Series set to get underway tonight in Houston, a team of Brock University researchers have uncovered information that could help teams understand what leads to fatigue and injuries in pitchers.

  Richard Birfer (MSc ’19) led the research with his co-supervisors, Associate Professor Michael Holmes and Adjunct Professor Mike Sonne in the Department of Kinesiology which detailed fatigue in baseball pitchers as a process linked to lowered physical and mental performance, injury and changes in kinematics.

  Their findings included a systematic review outlining the consequences of fatigue in baseball pitchers that was published in the open-access journal PeerJ. Birfer’s thesis also focused on the development of a tool to evaluate pitching mechanics.

  Both have garnered lots of attention, including attracting potential partnerships from several Major League Baseball (MLB) teams and baseball development facilities.

  “We provided coaches and scouts with photos of pitchers at a certain part of the throw that we know causes the most stress at the elbow,” said Holmes, who is the Canada Research Chair in Neuromuscular Mechanics and Ergonomics. “The coaches evaluated a pitcher’s posture and we compare the coach’s ability to determine joint angles to our gold standard motion capture system.”

  The result was an easy-to-use, low-cost approach to assessing pitching mechanics.

  The team created a pitching mound in the Neuromechanics and Ergonomics Lab at Brock and put reflective markers on a pitcher’s body, allowing them to track the three-dimensional motion of the markers to accurately capture movements, postures and joint angles.

  They created a system where the coaches would categorize a pitcher’s posture into a range of joint angles. The end goal is to develop a scoring system to suggest optimal pitching mechanics to maximize performance and minimize injury risk.

  “If you do the same physical thing multiple times a day with minimal rest, eventually the tolerance level of our tissues get reduced, putting us at an increased risk for cumulative loading and injury,” said Holmes. “Pitchers throw hundreds of pitches a day and injuries can develop as a result of that. We’ve been applying a lot of what we know about ergonomics to baseball, which hasn’t really been done before.”

  Sonne said Birfer’s connections to the baseball industry and general love for the game made him an invaluable addition to the project, which was sparked by an ergonomics-based model for understanding injury he created in 2016.

  Birfer, who now works as a pitch design engineer for the Baseball Development Group in Toronto, said their findings allowed them to understand pitcher fatigue in a new light.

  “With each pitch thrown, fatigue continues to accumulate,” he said. “Our research has shown that pitchers are willing to sacrifice optimal movement for maintaining performance, ultimately increasing the likelihood of injury.”

  With Birfer now graduated and additional research needed, Ryan Bench, a master’s student in Kinesiology and varsity baseball player at Brock, is continuing the work under Holmes and Sonne.

  “It has been incredibly rewarding to see the interest surrounding our pitching research at Brock University grow around the game of baseball,” said Birfer. “The attention we’ve been receiving from individuals within MLB organizations and baseball developmental facilities has been awesome.”

  Members of the research team are available for media interviews regarding their research.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases