Award-winning UTM researchers emphasize importance of data preservation

UTM scholars feted at this year’s Annual Research Prize Symposium shared a common message: the importance of data preservation.

The event, held virtually this year, celebrated researchers who demonstrate significant and sustained impact through discovery and advancements of new knowledge and contributions to training future investigators, problem-solvers, and creative thinkers.

Laura Brown, an associate professor of geography, geomatics and the environment, explained that data preservation is integral to her work.

Her research is focused on remote sensing and lake ice modelling, which her team undertakes to make projections about future ice coverage.

“Though the models told us we should have just over two metres of ice, on one of our research trips to Nunavut in 2016, when we drilled through the ice, what we found was the average measurements of ice that year was roughly 1.8 metres thick,” said Brown. 

“From the 1950s and ‘60s, our modelling work suggested the ice should be about 2.5 metres, and it’s projected to thin to 1.5 metres by the end of this century.

“So far our data is showing that it is thinning much faster than we expected.”

Brown said that without data dating back to the 1950s, they would be unable to build a complete picture, which is crucial for understanding environmental changes. 

Liye Xie, who studies agricultural implements and urban construction from about 6000 to 1500 BCE, echoed the need to preserve information, especially before it’s gone.

Her research takes her to archaeological sites in China and involves local farmers who possess rich knowledge of pre-industrial life. With China’s rapid industrialized economy, new generations no longer have the same knowledge. Xie says there’s an urgent need to preserve the cultural heritage by engaging young people in recording and learning the knowledge and skills of the elderly.

Xie was awarded the Research Prize in Social Sciences. Joining her were Brown and biology professor Shannon McCauley, who each won the Research Prize in Sciences. Boris Chrubasik, an associate professor of historical studies, received the Research Prize in Humanities.

More information on the UTM Annual Research Prizes can be found on UTM’s Research page.