Foreword

WELCOME TO THE FIRST EDITION of Humber SPARK!

We are now one and a half years into the COVID-19 pandemic. This tragic point in history has resulted in significant loss of life, demonstrated the inequities in health care and education systems, and the rise of PPE waste. Though we are seeing economic recovery, it is K-shaped (Chen, 2021). Some industries such as technology, retail and software are recovering to pre-pandemic levels. Others, such as travel, entertainment and hospitality, in which socio-economically disadvantaged groups are disproportionately employed, will need significant assistance to become re-established.

This has also been a time of significant transition and rapid implementation of innovation. Many positive words have come to the forefront, such as hope, pivot, resilience, recovery and build back better and greener! The postsecondary sector—and Humber is no exception—is also experiencing these transitions with the quick moves to online learning, virtual workplaces for faculty and staff and the continuation of applied research (AR) in remote or socially distant environments. You may be asking: Why? Why bother with applied research in a pandemic?

The simple answer is…applied research is important for people and our communities! AR solves real-world challenges in collaboration with our community and industry partners, cocreating knowledge and improving products and services. Not only does AR provide wonderful experiential learning opportunities for the thousands of students working on projects across Canada but it also enhances the faculty experience which bolsters curriculum and improves the quality of our academic programming.

Humber Spark will share the stories of the research being done, the people championing it, and the impacts the research has in our communities. We’d love to hear your feedback and are open to collaborating with you. Enjoy and stay safe my friends!

- Tania Massa, PhD Associate Dean, Applied Research and Innovation

References

Chen, J. (2021, May 10). K-shaped recovery. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/kshaped-recovery-5080086