ALES in the Community
Collections and Exhibits
ALES Agricultural Museum Artifacts
Curated by retired ALES staff member Jack Francis, this collection includes an eclectic mix of Faculty of ALES artifacts previously housed in a decommissioned barn. Planning is underway to relocate the items.
Clothing and Textiles Collection
The best collection of its kind in a Canadian university, the Clothing and Textiles Collection houses 23,000 artifacts documenting 350 years of fashion. It is used primarily as a teaching and research tool, and tours are available to the general public.
Clothing and Textiles Exhibit
Located in the Human Ecology Building, it typically hosts two public exhibits a year.
The Pig Science Centre
An interpretive centre on South Campus developed in partnership with Alberta Pork, the Pig Science Centre increases the understanding of the Alberta's pork industry proactive approach to production practices, animal care, environmental sustainability, food safety and product quality.
Field Days
Rangelands Research Institute Field Day
Ranchers, farmers, government and industry representatives join researchers at the faculty's Mattheis Ranch in southern Alberta on field day to discuss the research and teaching underway to support the long-term environmental and economic sustainability of rangelands.
Roy Berg Kinsella Research Station Field Day
Ranchers, farmers, government and industry representatives join researchers at the faculty's Roy Berg Kinsella Research Station on field day to discuss the research and teaching taking place to support the Canadian livestock industry through its world-leading animal genomics research and technology development.
Gardens
Green & Gold Garden
A joint project by ALES and the School of Public Health, this two-acre garden on South Campus is run entirely by community volunteers who sell produce twice a week to the public.
Prairie Urban Farm
This one-and-a-half acre garden was established by an ALES faculty member, who works with a group of volunteers to motivate food production and food literacy within Edmonton. Produce is donated to organizations in need.
University of Alberta Botanic Garden
Voted the 2014 Canadian Botanical Garden of the Year, the U of A Botanic Garden hosts visitors from May to September every year. It boasts cultivated gardens, plant collections, indoor show houses and extensive education programming for adults and school children.
Seminars and Lectures
Banff Pork Seminar
This annual technology transfer meeting for the pork industry routinely attracts more than 600 participants. The conference was established in 1972 and is coordinated by ALES in cooperation with Alberta Pork, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, and pork industry representatives.
Biorefining Conversion Network Strategic Retreat
This ALES-based network hosts an annual event that brings together stakeholders to discuss strategies to advance Alberta's bioeconomy, with a focus on developing and commercializing biomass conversion technologies.
Bentley Lecture in Sustainable Agriculture
An annual public lecture on issues related to sustainable agriculture.
Empey Lecture
An annual public lecture on issues related to family studies, material culture, clothing & textiles or nutrition.
Forest Industry Lecture Series
A public lecture delivered by a notable expert on a variety of forestry and forest science issues is delivered twice a year.
Livestock Gentec Annual Conference
An annual event that brings together researchers, producers, industry and government representatives to discuss the latest advances in and applications of livestock genomics.
Western Canadian Dairy Seminar
Held every year in Red Deer, this event brings dairy producers, extension specialists, researchers and dairy service and supply representatives together to share the latest research results. The seminar is regarded as the best of its kind in North America.
Capstone courses
Every program in our faculty offers a capstone course in which students conduct research to help solve a real-world issue or develop a product, typically culminating in a presentation to an audience that includes government, industry and public stakeholders.Internships and practicums
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- ALES Mini-Internship Program - this program matches students with a food or animal science industry organization for a visit and volunteer work over fall or winter reading week.
- Dietetic internship - each student wishing to obtain their designation as a Registered Dietitian must complete a year-long internship composed of five placements, including one in a rural setting.
- Human Ecology practicum - each Human Ecology student must complete a 200-hour practicum in an organization in the community in order to graduate.
Project Serve
Project Serve is an annual September event where first- and second-year ALES students volunteer for half a day in an organization in the community that is related to their studies.
Books
A Century of Solutions
A lively and engaging history of the faculty's first century written by award-winning writer Curtis Gillespie.
Preserving the Future: The story behind the St. Albert Research station
A personal account written by John Bocock, whose family sold the land on which the research station operates.
Pure Prairie Eating Plan
Two ALES nutrition researchers wrote a book that provides a detailed four-week eating menu specifically designed for people living on the Canadian prairies. To date, the book has sold more than 4,000 copies.
Other
Heritage Chicken program
Four hundred members of the community subscribe to the popular Heritage Chicken program, in which they name a heritage chicken and pick up a dozen eggs every other week on South Campus. The membership fees are used to maintain the heritage chicken breeds and their genetic diversity.
Textile Analysis Service
The Textile Analysis Service includes a testing laboratory that offers standardized textile tests and analyses of problems resulting from the use and care of garments and textiles.
Clothing Repair Café
Wearing your clothes for longer is the most impactful way to reduce fashion's carbon footprint, but sometimes, they need to be repaired or altered to wear them for longer. The Human Ecology Clothing Repair Café trains and helps mend garments.
South Campus Tours
Upon request, groups of potential industry partners and students can tour South Campus and its facilities. For more information, please contact us: questions.ales@ualberta.ca.
Tales of ALES
Professor Emeritus Keith G. Briggs describes the faculty's acheivements and the individuals behind them in these articles, with particular insights into his academic home, the Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science.