On September 18th, Dr. Emma Vossen (Knowledge Mobilization and Research Impact Officer) and Carly Turnbull (Managing Director of the Centre for Biotechnology and Bioengineering) participated in the Waterloo Knowledge Mobilization Community of Practice discussion focusing on the knowledge mobilization practices among UW’s research institutes and centres. Joining Dr. Vossen and Turnbull were Nancy Goucher (Knowledge Mobilization Specialist from the Water Institute), Elanor Waslander (Communications Officer at the Waterloo Climate Institute), and Nadine Quehl (Senior Manager of Knowledge Mobilization & Partnerships from the Office of Research). The Community of Practice events demonstrate a broader campus effort to mobilize the research coming out of UWaterloo researchers.
During the discussion, Dr. Vossen showcased the structures and practices the GI has put in place when mobilizing the knowledge produced by GI membership such as collaborative interdisciplinary research projects like Illuminate; and postdoctoral research like DualPanto. Part of Dr. Vossen’s role is translating this knowledge into easily accessible formats to a non-expert audience at a grade 10 reading level. A popular method of this translation are the knowledge mobilization posters that are hung in the GI facility, which are also present on the GI’s website.
Turnbull likewise shared her perspective on how to build community in a way that fosters network and productive discussions between members—especially if those members are from different backgrounds and disciplines. She explained the CBB’s “Lunch and Learn” event series brings CBB members together to discuss a topic—whether this was a student’s research topic, a guest lecture, or conference presentation. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the “Lunch and Learn” series has had to pivot to encourage more participation. In leading these types of events, Turnbull emphasized being responsive and constantly evaluating what’s going on to reassess and continually iterate on what the best practices of knowledge mobilization to engage members are.