Malcolm Campbell, Vice-President (Research)
COVID-19 turned research on its head.
Since early 2020, we’ve had to rethink how, why, when and where research takes place. Confronting the COVID-19 virus provided University of Guelph with one of its greatest challenges and it has responded in kind. Our researchers have repurposed innovations, conducted cutting-edge research, offered their expertise to pandemic efforts and applied data to help people everywhere understand, manage and react to the unprecedented situations we face.
The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t the only research challenge the world faces. There are a myriad of other challenges that currently threaten global stability, including climate change, food insecurity, social inequities, political unrest, loss of biodiversity, growing global population and environmental degradation. These challenges will require evidence-based solutions based on data generated through research.
One challenge – the production of safe, healthy and abundant food – intensified during the pandemic. A significant consideration for researchers now and in future is the effect of environmental change on agriculture and, conversely, agriculture’s impact on the environment. Farmers need better economic opportunities, especially in regions where farming yields are low and risk to the environment is high.
The proliferation of “smart” technology has made this possible, exponentially increasing the volume of research data and the speed at which it can be generated. Many view data developments as the next revolution—with unprecedented opportunities to tackle global challenges.
Researchers from across U of G are examining key components of global food and environmental issues, applying the tools of big data to develop solutions. For example, U of G’s Food from Thought research project leverages big data to increase food production for the world’s growing population while protecting ecosystems.
One of the greatest challenges of big data for researchers is the sheer volume of information generated by the rapidly expanding number of studies on any given subject. Another is the wide range of conclusions at which seemingly similar studies arrive.
Multiple issues surround the data itself: ownership, privacy, sharing, storage, compatibility of formats, availability of analytics and many others. The University of Guelph advocates for increased sharing and access to publicly funded data. This position aligns with the broader Ontario government mandate of open access and increased transparency. Sharing data encourages third-party collaboration and investment in new research.
We are launching a series of Research News stories that explore the scope of data science at the University of Guelph—from informing pandemic response to documenting contributions in digital humanities, to ensuring data security, to understanding human behaviour. Just as our research program has had to shift, so did these stories which were about to be published in magazine format when the pandemic hit. We’ve taken some time to rethink the stories in the context of new realities including how to present them in a digital-first world.
I hope their stories give you some insight into how the digital landscape is changing and how University of Guelph research will continue to play a central role in harnessing data to improve life.