Attendance: 9 members in person, plus one on Zoom.
Guests: Dorothy Evans, Past District Governor Ralph Jones, Harry Hakomaki and Dexter Gonsalves of the Scarborough Twilight Club, Ivan Leong of the Agincourt Club, and our Guest Speaker.
President Courtney started the meeting with a ring of the Rotary bell.
Anthem: Frank Allison
Toast to The Queen, Canada, and Rotary. President Courtney
Announcements:
Basil presented cheques for the Agincourt Club and Scarborough Twilight Club To Dexter, Harry, and Ivan for their share of the Donations collected at the recent Scarborough Ribfest, in the amount of $5,017.91 each
President Courtney announced that Suresh Agarwal has been appointed Director of Fund Raising.
President Courtney also expressed his enthusiasm for our Ribfest participation, both from fundraising and community engagement viewpoints.
Basil articulated his disappointment with our turnout for the Foundation walk, as well as the fact that our club was not registered for the walk.
Basil introduced our guest speaker, Dr. Grant Vandenberg, a Professor at Laval University’s Department of Animal Science.
Dr. Grant Vandenberg has a background in animal physiology and aquaculture. Raised on a family farm in Southern Ontario, he attended the University of Guelph, receiving his BSc in animal science and an MSc in fish physiology and aquaculture. After completing his master's degree, he gained academic experience in the United States, followed by work in the private biotechnology sector. In 1996, he moved to Quebec City to pursue his doctoral studies at Laval University, working on polymer encapsulation strategies and fish nutrition. In 2003, Dr. Vandenberg was awarded an NSERC Industrial Chair for the development of Sustainable Aquaculture at Université Laval's Dep. of Animal Science to develop research activities focused on nutritional approaches to minimize the environmental impact of fish production, as well as technological developments related to aquatic animal health, production and physiology.
For the past five years, his laboratory has been working to develop the use of insect larvae to upcycle residual organic matter as an alternative approach to manage organic waste and to develop innovative and high-value ingredients for the animal feed sector.
To see and hear Grant's presentation, please click this link: video1384518731.mp4
SAA Frank collected voluntary contributions for various misdemeanors and happy bucks.