By Virginia Capmourteres
Hot off the press, the Ontario Agricultural College’s Newsletter, THE INSIDE SCOOP, features a Q&A with GIER Director Madhur Anand in their Research Spotlights section.
“GIER creates new spaces for interdisciplinary collaboration across all disciplines of environmental research at the University of Guelph”, explains Prof. Anand. Some examples of this are GIER’s Small Grants Program, which provides funding to researchers to solve some of the world’s most pressing environmental problems, and a series of fascinating conversations between researchers across disciplines through GIER webinars and website.
Launched in the Fall 2019, the pandemic hit two months after GIER started working on campus full-time. “We’ve had to be extra creative in how we come together as a community”, says Prof. Anand. Despite some research interruptions, GIER saw a unique opportunity to explore the various links between pandemics and the environment. This resulted in a new Strategic Area for the 2020-21 Small Grants Program, a webinar, and a piece written for the World Economic Forum, in addition to new research projects by GIER Affiliates. During 2020, GIER also started a new Early Career Affiliate network, a space for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to share experiences, thoughts, and resources on interdisciplinary environmental research.
Banner photo credit: Andy Makely on Unsplash
