Case study: SoilSphere - Connecting University College Dublin soil researchers
Photo acknowledgement: SoilSphere UCD
- Tertiary/Higher Education
- Indoor & Outdoor
- Networks
- Ireland
SoilSphere – Connecting University College Dublin soil researchers
Soil is central to many of the global challenges we face today, including food security, climate change, biodiversity collapse and sustainable cities. The study of soil is multidisciplinary and SoilSphere is creating a networking environment for soil researchers across all career stages within University College Dublin (UCD) to collaborate and develop research initiatives and consortia.
SoilSphere is a UCD Earth Institute Strategic Priority Project, led by Dr Saoirse Tracy, Dr Tancredi Caruso and Dr Sharon O’Rourke.
Objective
SoilSphere aims to bring together soil scientists from a range of disciplines across UCD to address the challenges facing soil science. The project will consolidate and support the UCD community of soil researchers, building communication channels and hosting gatherings to facilitate knowledge and resource sharing. It also aims to further develop these collaborations and consortia both nationally and internationally, and to support stakeholder and policy connections.
The project acknowledges the challenge of soil science being a broad and multidisciplinary field, which requires extra effort to connect researchers working in different domains.
Approach
SoilSphere was set up last year and members had their first meeting in January, where feedback from our initial survey was shared and focal points for further development were raised and discussed. Events organised to date have been both outdoors and indoors and have combined making relevant information available with opportunities for informal cross-discipline interaction, for example;
– A lunchtime walk to explore soil on the Belfield campus and hear about soil research in the university was led by experts from the Schools of Biology & Environmental Science and Agriculture & Food Science.
– Lunchtime research presentation and discussion sessions organised by the SoilSphere ECR and Events group.
– A grants and funding information event held in collaboration with the Earth Institute which provided guidance and information to UCD researchers on existing funding streams at national and international levels with a focus on soil research. The aim was to give researchers points of reference and insight to plan their own projects at a variety of scales and with better knowledge of the project funding landscape.
– A walking tour of UCD Lyons Research Farm showcased the breadth of field research experiments with a soil research component with discussion on research infrastructure and research data inventory. The application process for field experimental sites on the Research Farm was outlined.
Methods of addressing soil science community challenges that the SoilSphere project has identified include:
– Bringing researchers together across UCD by creating communication channels and hosting events.
– Promoting careers in soil science by attracting talented students and early career researchers.
– Securing funding by building a strong network and highlighting the potential impact of soil science research.
– Collaborating with policymakers to communicate for better and more sustainable soil management practices.
The SoilSphere initiative has also the general goal of contributing to raising awareness about soil health and promoting its importance as well as encouraging students to take up careers in the soil sciences and related disciplines.