Media releases

• CCOVI’s agricultural impact earns provincial nod

  Monday, November 11, 2024 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE – November 11, 2024 – R0136

  Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) has recognized Brock University for outstanding efforts that advance the province’s agriculture and food sector.

  Brock’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) captured the top spot in the Research and Innovation Excellence category of OMAFA’s Excellence in Agriculture Awards, presented Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.

  “Research projects and initiatives at CCOVI are guided by grower needs in solving industry challenges and identifying new opportunities for increased yields, lower costs and emissions, and stronger sustainability,” says Member of Provincial Parliament for Niagara West Sam Oosterhoff.

  In addition to research, the award speaks to the quality and productivity of CCOVI’s many partnerships locally, provincially and nationally, says CCOVI Director Debbie Inglis.

  “This award is a recognition to the industry that their investments in, and collaborations with, CCOVI are paying off,” she says. “The Ontario government is indicating, yes, this is a model worth investing in and moving forward with.”

  Established in 1996, CCOVI works with an array of provincial and national organizations to serve the grape and wine industry’s needs in such areas as vine health, pest management, sustainable wine grape varieties, fruit and wine quality, consumer behaviour and wine marketing, among others.

  This is done through CCOVI’s research, services, technology transfer and professional education programs.

  Grape Growers of Ontario CEO Debbie Zimmerman says CCOVI’s crop loss prevention and crop loss conversion initiatives save the grape and wine industry in Ontario $58 million each year in costs related to cold weather, pests, new wine styles and testing services.

  “These services, amongst many offered by CCOVI, provide valuable savings to grape growers and enhance Ontario’s agriculture in quality and in commercial output,” she says.

  Zimmerman also notes CCOVI’s leadership role in the Clean Plant Program, which tests and ensures plant material growers use is virus-free, minimizing crop loss and avoiding contamination of otherwise healthy vines.

  The Clean Plant Program is one of several research areas being explored in the new, Brock-led Research Farm under the national Clean Agriculture for Sustainable Production (CASP) Field Infrastructure project.

  Acting Vice-President, Research Michelle McGinn says the Excellence in Agriculture Award testifies not only to CCOVI’s leadership in the grape and wine industry but also Brock’s broader engagement in agriculture work.

  “CCOVI’s proven track record of facilitating world-class innovations, efficiencies and growth in the grape and wine industry is foundational to Brock University’s present and future leadership in the field of sustainable agriculture,” she says.

  Some of CCOVI’s accomplishments include:

  • A 2016 study found CCOVI contributed more than $91 million and the equivalent of 307 jobs to Ontario’s economy in 2014-15.
  • Nearly $2 million in Ontario and federal government funding for the Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Sensory Reality Consumer Laboratory, a world first, to study the science of consumer choice in the wine industry.
  • CCOVI leading the Ontario research portion of the federal government-funded, national collaborative Canadian Grape and Wine Science Cluster
  • Launching Ontario’s first winemaking and cider production micro-credentials, Foundations in Winemaking and Cider and Perry Production: A Foundation.

  Inglis says she’s particularly proud of CCOVI’s role in increasing the number of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers through the science of winemaking and grape growing, along with providing opportunities for high school students to learn about grape and wine science.

  For these and other leadership and education efforts, Inglis was honoured with the Wine Industry Champion Award in 2022, with Professional Studies and Outreach Manager Barb Tatarnic receiving the Outstanding Service Award from the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education last year.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  *Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University sackles@brocku.ca or 289-241-5483

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  Categories: Media releases

• Being kind is good for your emotional health, says Brock expert

  Monday, November 11, 2024 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY – November 11, 2024 – R0135

  Be kind — both for the betterment of humanity and for your own well-being, says Sandra Bosacki.

  As World Kindness Day nears on Nov. 13, the Brock University Professor of Educational Studies is reminding people of the benefits of practising kindness towards themselves and others.

  The message, Bosacki says, comes at a pertinent time, with contentious global events filling news feeds and difficult conversations spilling into day-to-day interactions.

  The Director of Brock’s Theory of Mind in Education (ToME) Lab explores how having a kind and controlled mindset can help people to treat others with compassion and feel better emotionally.

  “Our research team is learning more about emotional regulation and control and investigating if our ability to control our emotions guides our kind behaviours — such as being generous, helpful or comforting — or is it the other way around?” Bosacki says.

  Bosacki’s research, which focuses on cognition and emotional well-being in teens, shows that people can act kind and show self-control for different reasons.

  Some people control their emotions for the benefit of others, such as being friendly and helpful to friends, she says. Others control their emotions to benefit themselves — often at the cost of others —to acquire things or achieve desired goals, potentially acting in manipulative or coercive ways.

  Bosacki says the exploration of the complex links between self-control and kindness can provide valuable insight into how people, especially youth, can learn to balance “self-skills,” such as self-regulation and emotional control, as a way to be kinder and more compassionate to oneself.

  “Our research builds on past data that shows when children and adolescents have a kind, gentle and compassionate mindset towards themselves and others, they are more likely to be able to regulate their emotions and actions, and experience well-being and competence in school,” she says.

  Bosacki hopes her research will shed light on ways to balance self-control and kind thoughts and actions, and how developing a kind mindset during the teenage years will ultimately lead to a mindful and compassionate new generation of young adults.

  “With many feeling the often-heavy emotional weight of global events, understanding as much as we can about how we regulate our emotions will help shape a better, kinder future for us all,” Bosacki said.

  Currently underway, the Mentalization, Kindness and Self-Control and Well-being Teen Study is part of a larger five-year research project led by Bosacki.

  Adolescents between the ages of 11 and 18 years old are invited to participate in the on-line study. Each participant is required to have informed parental consent, and for the child and their parent to have a personal email address.

  Parents who think their children may be interested in taking part can contact the Theory of Mind in Education lab at tomelab@brocku.ca

  Brock University Professor of Educational Studies Sandra Bosacki is available for media interviews on this topic.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  *Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University sackles@brocku.ca or 289-241-5483

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  Categories: Media releases