Canadian Journal of Animal Science

Canadian Journal of Plant Science 

Canadian Journal of Soil Science 

AIC's journals continued to perform strongly in 2012, with overall submissions up by 20% over the previous year. A total of 17 issues were published, including three special issues: Plant Adaptation to Environmental Change (CJPS November 2012), Land Reclamation (CJSS January 2012), and Soil Quality and Management of World Mollisols (CJSS March 2012).

Effective January 2012, the journals became open access for all issues except the previous 12 months. Review papers are open access as soon as they are published on the web and the cost of the immediate open access option for authors was reduced from $1,000 to $750.  

AIC thanks all of the volunteers whose contributions are essential to the success of our journals: the editors, associate editors and reviewers. Special thanks to the members of our Scientific Journals Committee. Dr. Craig Drury (AAFC Harrow), became Chair in January 2012 and has agreed to continue to serve in that position in 2013. He is a Past President and Secretary of the Canadian Society of Soil Science.

Management of the editorial process for the Canadian Journal of Soil Science was changed in 2012. Dr. Drury served in the position of Editor-in-Chief and is succeeded in 2013 by Dr. Joann Whalen (McGill University). She is assisted by Editors Dr. Martin Chantigny (AAFC St-Jean-sur-Richelieu) and Dr. Francis Zvomuya. Dr. Marie Boehm (AAFC Saskatoon) continues as Special Issues Editor.

The Canadian Journal of Plant Science adopted the same editorial management process beginning in 2013. Dr. Shahrokh Khanizadeh (AAFC Ottawa) became Editor-in-Chief. Dr. Alireza Navabi (University of Guelph) and Dr. Robert Nurse (AAFC Harrow) serve as Editors, and Dr. Elroy Cober (AAFC Ottawa) continues as Special Issues Editor.

Each of the Editors will serve a three-year term with one editor retiring each year. In the third year of an Editor's term, s/he will be the Editor-in-Chief.   The changes in management are intended to spread the workload, ensure continuity from one year to the next, and to decrease the turn-around time of papers.  

Dr. Christiane Girard (AAFC Sherbrooke) continues as Editor of the Canadian Journal of Animal Science in 2013.

AIC is making new investments to continue to strengthen the journals in 2013. Further information on these investments will be shared with members following discussions with the scientific societies that cooperate with us in their publication:  Canadian Society of Soil Science, Canadian Society of Agronomy, Canadian Society for Horticultural Science, Canadian Weed Science Society and Canadian Society of Animal Science.

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AIC encourages members to nominate deserving individuals and organizations for our Fellowship, Sustainable Futures Award, and International Recognition Award.  Guidance statements and nomination forms for each of the awards can be viewed in the awards section of our website.  The deadline for submission of nominations is March 31, 2013.

The Sustainable Futures Award recognizes tomorrow's leaders in agricultural innovation:  young women and men who are advancing and applying innovative scientific knowledge on the sustainable use of agricultural resources for societal good.  People who believe agricultural resources can answer challenges in human and animal health, food security, climate change, energy demand and environmental health. 

The International Recognition Award honours individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the improvement of agriculture in the Developing World.  

Jeff Wharton, Dinah Ceplis and James Bezan, MP

AIC member Dinah Ceplis was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal at a ceremony in Gimli, Manitoba on December 7, 2012. The medal, presented by James Bezan, Member of Parliament for Selkirk-Interlake, recognizes Dinah's extensive contributions to international development, many of which have been through her volunteer work with AIC.

The award citation reads:

Dinah Ceplis is a semi-retired adult educator/agricultural extensionist who has done tremendous work throughout her career improving the lives of those less fortunate in Africa.  During her career, Dinah has worked closely with the Canadian Agricultural and Rural Extension Society in partnership with the Tanzanian Society of Agricultural Education and Extension in helping to establish micro-enterprises to aid rural youth and women to lead productive, diversified lives.  In addition, she serves as a volunteer coordinator member with the Canadian Society for Horticultural Science and the Ghana Institute for Horticulturalists partnership to assist farmers in the poorest part of Ghana to improve food security by producing irrigated vegetables during the dry season.  She made 15 trips to Tanzania to do rural agriculture work with Assiniboine Community College, the Agricultural Institute of Canada and other organizations from 1993-2011.  Dinah is a recipient of Agricultural Institute of Canada International Recognition Award. 

Dinah was grateful to receive the award. "I am honoured to be recognized for the 20 years of partnership with Tanzania through various organizations and 12 years with Ghana through AIC.  As a daughter of Latvian immigrants, I have had opportunities for quality education, satisfying employment and enriching volunteerism. As Canadians involved with agriculture, we can use the skills, abilities, political and financial resources available to us to work within our communities, educational, social and professional institutions to build linkages with overseas partners for enhanced equity."

2012 marks the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada. The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal was created to mark this historic event and honour Canadians' significant contributions and achievements. 

Congratulations Dinah!

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Two post-graduate students in soil science and related disciplines are the 2012 recipients of the Agricultural Institute of Canada Foundation (AICF) Dr. Karl C. Ivarson (Soils) Scholarship.

Alex Koiter is a Ph.D. candidate in the Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Program at the University of Northern British Columbia. His current research focuses on better understanding soil erosion and sediment transport at the watershed scale using sediment fingerprinting (sediment source tracing) techniques. The goal of his research is to explore how landscape processes affect (1) particle size and organic matter selectivity and (2) biological, geochemical and physical transformations and how they affect the use of sediment fingerprinting for identifying sources of sediment in watersheds.

Mr. Koiter was awarded his professional designation as an agrologist through the British Columbia Institute of Agrology in 2012 and is a member of the Canadian Society of Soil Science, the Soil Science Society of America and the Soil and Water Conservation Society.

Tariq Munir is working on his PhD in Physical Geography at the University of Calgary. His research is in quantifying the potential effects of warming and water table drawdown expected to occur under climate changes, on carbon dioxide exchange, methane efflux, dissolved organic carbon concentration and discharge, peat chemistry and nutrient status in a peatland complex near the town of Wandering River, Alberta.   Findings of this research will fill the gaps in knowledge on how boreal peatlands respond to global climate changes and will also help to develop environmental policies and practices for better management of boreal peatlands in Alberta and across Canada.

Mr. Munir believes in teaching and practicing his soil and environment profession and currently instructs an undergraduate course in soils and vegetation at the University of Calgary.  He has also supervised several undergraduate research technicians during the summer field season, assisting in their training and providing guidance in the design of their thesis projects.  

In 2005, Mr. Munir became certified as a "Canadian Certified Environmental Professional" (now EP) and recently completed his University Teaching Certificate and Candidacy Examinations.

Dr. Ivarson was a soil scientist with the Soil Research Institute, where he worked to solve problems on the effect of microbial soil activity on mineral transformation in soils. He established this scholarship to support post-graduate students studying soil science and related areas. This scholarship, first awarded in the 2006/07 academic year, is administered by the Agricultural Institute of Canada Foundation. Dr. Ivarson passed away in August 2010 but his legacy will continue through the scholarships established in his name.

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The Board of Directors has voted to reduce the annual membership fees of AIC Fellows to $25.00 in recognition of their significant service to AIC and to agriculture.  We will also be establishing a membership committee to discuss a new policy on fees for retired persons.