Image: Congratulations to Michael Hahn! As a member of an international research team, Plant Biology Professor Michael Hahn was recognized with the Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Science by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) for their significant contributions in the field of carbohydrate research in relation to agriculture. Carbohydrates play a key role in natural ecosystems as well as in agriculture. Carbohydrates can be found in the cell walls of plants, fungi, and microbes; while others protect the surfaces of livestock and human digestive systems or provide energy and information to cells. Knowledge of carbohydrate structure and content are very important lines of study to ensure the safe, secure, and sustainable production of food for humanity. The awarded research provides novel insight on how carbohydrates are synthesized in agricultural environments and how they relate to animal health, it also led to the development of new tools to study carbohydrate structure. These tools are now used by agricultural researchers and by Canadian First Nation peoples to learn more about sacred and native plants.
