Call for proposals: Apply to be an Urban Farm Living Lab research partner
To: Urban Farm collaborators,
We’re emailing members of the Ryerson community to inform you of our open call for Ryerson* Urban Farm Living Lab research project proposals.
Open from February 1 to 28, 2022, we’re inviting Ryerson community members with ideas for research projects that support the Urban Farm’s mission to build capacity for rooftop farming to submit a Living Lab research project proposal. In particular, we’re interested in supporting research projects that directly respond to our community-informed research priorities listed on the research applications and requests page on our website.
What is the Living Lab?
The Urban Farm Living Lab is a collaborative, interdisciplinary research platform that brings together academics, urban farmers and community partners to conduct research that addresses the challenges of designing and operating rooftop farms using green roof technologies.
By becoming a Living Lab member, our research partners may receive ongoing access to the Urban Farm’s rooftop locations to conduct their research and will be able to draw upon the expertise of our staff and other Living Lab members.
Research partner responsibilities
As a Living Lab member, researchers are required to provide a Research Abstract upon acceptance into the Living Lab outlining the scope of their project and must complete a Research Activity Update Report at the end of the growing season. Research teams are expected to attend a minimum of three meetings per year with at least one member of the research team present.
Learn more about Living Lab research partner responsibilities and the 2022 Living Lab research schedule.
Apply to be a Living Lab research partner
Are you a Ryerson community member with an idea for a research project that aligns with the Living Lab’s research priorities? Calls for Living Lab research proposals open February 1 and close February 28, 2022.
Visit the research applications and request page on our website for instructions on how to apply.
Highlights from the 2021 Living Lab season
Prior to applying, we encourage you to review the Living Lab research projects we supported during the 2021 growing season, including:
- Rooftop Urban Farms for Ecosystem Services: Environmental Monitoring Using Commercial Off-the-Shelf IoT Components by Tamer Almaaitah, a PhD student supervised by professor Dr. Darko Joksimovic in the Department of Civil Engineering
- (PDF file) Biochar as an Amendment for Engineered Green Roof Soil Blend (external link) , a study in partnership with the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario, Michelle Dang, graduate research assistant, and Ines Lacarne, lead field assistant
- Meteorological monitoring of the Urban Farm by Claire Oswald, assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies
Learn more about our 2021 Living Lab season by checking out this December 2021 Ryerson Today article.
New Urban Farm resources
In response to the priorities developed through our 2019/2020 community consultations, the Urban Farm has developed a number of resources available to the community. You can view the free resources developed through our farmer-led research initiatives by visiting the resources page on our website.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the Living Lab research proposal process, please email Sharene Shafie, Living Lab research coordinator, at sharene.shafie@torontomu.ca.
*In August 2021, the university announced that it would begin a renaming process to address the legacy of Egerton Ryerson for a more inclusive future. Let's write the next chapter together.