“Conventional ultrasound is actually not terribly effective for finding cancer in soft tissue,” says Dr. William Whelan. “We’re working with a promising new tool that uses light to create sound in tissue, and what we’re finding is that cancer makes its own unique sound, making it much easier to target for treatment.”

"In order for cancer to spread from one site in the body to another, the cancer cell needs to free itself from its initial location, and reattach and establish itself somewhere else in the body," says Dr. Robert Hurta. "We're finding certain compounds within lowbush blueberries and cranberries can block cancer cells' ability to do just that."

As Dr. Christian Lacroix takes over the editorship of the influential scientific journal Botany, he can’t help but smile at the colourful photo of lupins on the cover of the January 2011 issue.

“A little nod to the PEI connection, I think,” he says.

“To a kid in Grade Five, scientific topics such as anatomy or medicine might not seem terribly interesting,” says Jessy Livingston-Thomas, a PhD student at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College, and the coordinator of UPEI’s Let’s Talk Science outreach program. “But teach it as Grossology -- the study of burps, scabs, and burns -- and suddenly they’re fascinated.”