Phil Graniero had a fairly simple motive when he shaved off the goatee he normally wears on the weekend and started growing a new moustache.

“My family hasn’t been touched by prostate cancer and I’d like to keep it that way,” says the associate professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Dr. Graniero is participating in an annual event called Movember. Organized by the Movember Foundation, it calls on men to grow moustaches throughout the month of November to help raise awareness and much-needed funds for prostate cancer research.

Funds from the event go to Prostate Cancer Canada which provides support resources for men and their families, and strives to improve patient care and develop a national research strategy. Additionally, Movember funds have enabled PCC to start a comprehensive survivor support program.

Since it began in Australia in 2003, more than a million people around the world have participated in the campaign, raising more than $176 million. This is the third time Graniero is participating in the campaign and he said he’s raised “a couple of hundred bucks” in each of the other years he’s been involved.

“There’s this major culture that’s developed around it,” Graniero said of the campaign.

More than 25,000 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, but according to Graniero, it’s one of the easiest to treat provided it’s detected early enough. Besides raising money for research, he hopes the campaign will raise awareness among men about the importance of getting regularly screened for the disease.

DailyNews will post a photo of Graniero every Wednesday so you can monitor his growth and at the end of the month we’ll provide a time-lapsed video of the entire process. If you’d like to contribute to Graniero’s effort, you can sponsor him here.

Watch a short video interview of Graniero explaining his involvement in the campaign.