Touring the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) facilities are (l to r): R.W. Begg, University President; Dr. Christopher H. Bigland, director of VIDO; and Allan Blakeney, Premier of Saskatchewan.

Bio/Historical Note: The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) is a research organization of the University of Saskatchewan that operates with financial support from the Government of Canada, the government of Saskatchewan, livestock industry councils and agencies, foundations and human and animal health companies. VIDO worked to find cures for common infectious diseases in cattle, swine and poultry. VIDO scientists carved out an international reputation for their pioneering work in the 1980's on vaccines aimed at combating shipping fever and a disease which produces pneumonia and arthritis in cattle. In addition to the 2,500,000 sq ft facility on campus, VIDO-InterVac also operates a 160-acre research station. The laboratory took on its current name, International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac), in March 2003. In October 2003 a large expansion was completed. In March 2004, VIDO received funding for the construction one of the world's largest and most advanced biosafety level 3 facilities, the International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), for research into emerging and reemerging human and animal diseases. In 2020, VIDO-InterVac began developing a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

R.W. Begg, University President, speaking from podium during an outdoor ceremony marking the opening of the Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization lab. Attendees seated behind Begg are Dr. Niels O. Nielson, dean, Western College of Veterinary Medicine; W. Weir, E. Kaeding, Dr. Chris Bigland, director of VIDO; and George Shepherd.

Bio/Historical Note: The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) is a research organization of the University of Saskatchewan that operates with financial support from the Government of Canada, the government of Saskatchewan, livestock industry councils and agencies, foundations and human and animal health companies. VIDO worked to find cures for common infectious diseases in cattle, swine and poultry. VIDO scientists carved out an international reputation for their pioneering work in the 1980's on vaccines aimed at combating shipping fever and a disease which produces pneumonia and arthritis in cattle. In addition to the 2,500,000 sq ft facility on campus, VIDO-InterVac also operates a 160-acre research station. The laboratory took on its current name, International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac), in March 2003. In October 2003 a large expansion was completed. In March 2004, VIDO received funding for the construction one of the world's largest and most advanced biosafety level 3 facilities, the International Vaccine Centre (InterVac), for research into emerging and reemerging human and animal diseases. In 2020, VIDO-InterVac began developing a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An empty Thorvaldson Lab.

The Science Service Laboratory for the Department of Agriculture. Taken from the southwest just after completion.

T.C. Douglas, Premier of Saskatchewan, cuts the ribbon at the opening of the Saskatchewan Cancer and Medical Research Institute.

Bio/Historical Note: The Saskatchewan Cancer and Medical Research Institute was officially opened on 10 May 1958 by Premier T.C. Douglas. Clad in locally quarried greystone with limestone panels, it was the.last of the buildings that constituted the University’s Medical Complex’s initial phase. Designed by Izumi, Arnott and Sugiyama and completed at a cost of $783,000, the building’s purpose was to provide shared accommodation for both general medical research and cancer specific investigations. Funding came from the federal and provincial governments and the provincial and national branches of the Canadian Cancer Society. A planned third floor was added in 1966. The building was "deconstructed" in 2009, with much of the building's material recycled including the greystone cladding for use with the E Wing that opened in 2013.

Unidentified speaker at the opening of the Saskatchewan Cancer and Medical Research Institute. Crowd in foreground and platform of dignitaries in background. View from behind the crowd looking towards the platform.

Bio/Historical Note: The Saskatchewan Cancer and Medical Research Institute was officially opened on 10 May 1958 by Premier T.C. Douglas. Clad in locally quarried greystone with limestone panels, it was the.last of the buildings that constituted the University’s Medical Complex’s initial phase. Designed by Izumi, Arnott and Sugiyama and completed at a cost of $783,000, the building’s purpose was to provide shared accommodation for both general medical research and cancer specific investigations. Funding came from the federal and provincial governments and the provincial and national branches of the Canadian Cancer Society. A planned third floor was added in 1966. The building was "deconstructed" in 2009, with much of the building's material recycled including the greystone cladding for use with the E Wing that opened in 2013.

Robert (Bob) Teed operating Kjeldahl nitrogen analysis apparatus at the Cereal Chemistry Research Lab. The first stage of the two-step process shown entailed the boiling of concentrated sulfuric acid.

Bio/Historical Note: Robert Gordon Teed was born in Humboldt on 21 Dec.1924, He moved to Saskatoon and graduated from Nutana Collegiate. He joined the Royal Canadian Army in 1943, serving overseas from 1944 until July 1946, the last year as part of the Army of Occupation. In 1947 Teed joined the Department of Chemistry, where he worked as a technician until sickness forced him to retire. Teed died on 29 Dec. 1985 in Saskatoon.

M. Siddigueullab and W.W. Cram investigating the chemistry of natural products.

Elevated view looking northeast at National Research Council building, with Engineering Building in background.

Bio/Historical Note: In 1916 the National Research Council legislation was enacted and the institution was formed with the mandate to advise the government on matters of science and industrial research. For the first 15 or 16 years of its existence the NRC consisted of offices and borrowed lab space. It launched Canada’s first research journal, “Canadian Journal of Research” and funded research for human and bovine tuberculosis – a significant domestic problem in the 1920s. In 1932, NRC’s first dedicated lab was built in Ottawa. The NRC established a laboratory on the east side of the University of Saskatchewan campus in 1948. The original purpose of the facility was to “use chemistry and biology to diversify Canadian agriculture.” Originally called the “Prairie Regional Lab” then the “Plant Biotechnology Institute,” the facility is now known as “NRC Saskatoon.”

R.T. Coupland, Director of Matador Project (1966-1976) and professor of plant ecology, examines grain in a field.

Bio/Historical Note: From 1967 to 1972, plant ecologists at the University of Saskatchewan participated in the International Biological Program. As part of this worldwide study of agricultural productivity, ecologists established the Matador field station for grassland research carried out by scientists from thirty-four countries. The field station was located near Kyle, thirty miles north of Swift Current, in an area of natural grassland that was potentially the best wheat growing soil in the brown soil zone of Saskatchewan. The land (three square miles) was originally leased for 21 years from the Government of Saskatchewan; the lease (for $1/year) has since been renewed and currently expires in 2009. The Matador Project involved the study of the total grasslands ecosystem, including the interaction of animals, plants, microorganisms, soils and the atmosphere. Robert T. Coupland, Head of the Department of Plant Ecology, served as Director of the Matador Project.

A technician stands beside the Linear Accelerator.

Bio/Historical Note: The building of the Linear Accelerator (Linac) was not a random event but rather the result of a series of developments on campus. The Department of Physics had over the previous decades built a reputation for experimentation and innovation. The post-war period saw the University of Saskatchewan in the forefront of nuclear physics in Canada. In 1948, Canada’s first betatron (and the world’s first used in the treatment of cancer) was installed on campus. It was used for research programs in nuclear physics, radiation chemistry, cancer therapy and radiation biology. Next the world’s first non-commercial cobalt-60 therapy unit for the treatment of cancer was officially opened in 1951. With this unit research was undertaken in the areas of radiological physics, radiation chemistry and the effects of high energy radiation on plants and animals. When the construction of the Linear Accelerator was announced in the fall of 1961, it was portrayed as the next logical step on the University’s research path. Varian Associates, Palo Alto, California, designed and built the accelerator with Poole Construction of Saskatoon employed as the general contractor. The 80 foot electron accelerator tube was to create energy six times that of the betatron. The cost of the $1,750,000 facility was split between the National Research Council and the University of Saskatchewan with the NRC meeting the cost of the equipment and the University assuming the costs of the building. The official opening in early November of 1964 was more than just a few speeches and the cutting of a ribbon. It was a physics-fest, with 75 visiting scientist from around the world in attendance presenting papers and giving lectures over the period of several days. Three eminent physicists were granted honorary degrees at the fall convocation and hundreds of people showed up for the public open house. For three decades the Linac has served the campus research community and will continue to do so as it has become incorporated into the Canadian Light Source synchrotron.

View of heat exchangers.

Bio/Historical Note: The building of the Linear Accelerator (Linac) was not a random event but rather the result of a series of developments on campus. The Department of Physics had over the previous decades built a reputation for experimentation and innovation. The post-war period saw the University of Saskatchewan in the forefront of nuclear physics in Canada. In 1948, Canada’s first betatron (and the world’s first used in the treatment of cancer) was installed on campus. It was used for research programs in nuclear physics, radiation chemistry, cancer therapy and radiation biology. Next the world’s first non-commercial cobalt-60 therapy unit for the treatment of cancer was officially opened in 1951. With this unit research was undertaken in the areas of radiological physics, radiation chemistry and the effects of high energy radiation on plants and animals. When the construction of the Linear Accelerator was announced in the fall of 1961, it was portrayed as the next logical step on the University’s research path. Varian Associates, Palo Alto, California, designed and built the accelerator with Poole Construction of Saskatoon employed as the general contractor. The 80 foot electron accelerator tube was to create energy six times that of the betatron. The cost of the $1,750,000 facility was split between the National Research Council and the University of Saskatchewan with the NRC meeting the cost of the equipment and the University assuming the costs of the building. The official opening in early November of 1964 was more than just a few speeches and the cutting of a ribbon. It was a physics-fest, with 75 visiting scientist from around the world in attendance presenting papers and giving lectures over the period of several days. Three eminent physicists were granted honorary degrees at the fall convocation and hundreds of people showed up for the public open house. For three decades the Linac has served the campus research community and will continue to do so as it has become incorporated into the Canadian Light Source synchrotron.

Looking at some equipment in the Linear Accelerator Lab are (l to r): Dr. Leon Katz, Director of Linear Accelerator Laboratory and Professor of Physics; Dr. Vasilii Vasilevich Vladimirskii, Russian nuclear physicist and Director of the Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Moscow; and J.W.T. Spinks, University President and Professor of Chemistry.