The top stories of 2025

It was another year of stellar successes and inspiring ventures by students, alumni, faculty and staff of the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Arts and Science.

We did the math and rounded up the 10 most-read articles of the year. Here are the College of Arts and Science stories that readers connected to most in 2025.

10. USask team wins international teaching award for Canadian history game

In the spring, a team of five USask educators won a D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning for creating a tabletop game called Homesteaders that teaches players about Canadian prairie history.

9. Unpacking the black box of AI

At Stanford University, USask computer science graduate Dr. Sakib Mostafa (MSc’20, PhD’24) is building AI models to detect cancer.

8. USask student leader named Rhodes Scholar

Emma Wintermute, president of the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union and a double honours student in the College of Arts and Science, became the latest USask student awarded a Rhodes Scholarship.

7. The impact of Rossmo’s Formula

While working as a police officer, Department of Sociology graduate Dr. Kim Rossmo (BA’78, PhD) developed a mathematical model to help locate serial criminals. His work changed modern policing.

6. USask top graduate encourages students to step out of comfort zones

“(University is) a time for exploration,” said biomedical science graduate Grayson Tourney, winner of the Governor General’s Silver Medal at USask Spring Convocation.

5. Four USask researchers recognized by Royal Society of Canada

In September, four USask researchers were recognized with one of Canada’s highest academic honours. They included Dr. Steven Rayan (PhD) and Dr. Allyson Stevenson (PhD) of the College of Arts and Science.

4. A match made at USask

Rhodes Scholars Rachel Andres and Colin Dyck discovered their love for science—and their love for each other—while pursuing undergraduate degrees at USask.

3. Three USask students recognized nationally with Vanier scholarships

This year’s recipients of Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships—some of the most prestigious awards for doctoral students in Canada—included clinical psychology student Arianna Gibson and biology student Jinnath Rehana Ritu.

2. USask student masters the transition from Nigeria to Canada

Basirat Liadi-Azeez had to leave her husband and three-year-old daughter behind for eight months when she traveled to Saskatoon to start her master’s degree in biology. She celebrated her graduation in the fall of 2025.

1. 11,000-year-old Indigenous village uncovered near Sturgeon Lake

In a story that went viral around the world, Dr. Glenn Stuart (PhD) of the Department of Anthropology was among the archaeologists who worked with Sturgeon Lake First Nation to discover a human settlement in Saskatchewan much older than Stonehenge.

Related Articles