Past Events

The Rural Symposium is an annual opportunity for University of Guelph graduate students to showcase their rural research to policymakers, policy analysts, and program staff from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). The event facilitates knowledge mobilization and network building between graduate students at the University of Guelph, researchers, and OMAFRA.

In this advanced session, help your audience understand the patterns and key insights hidden within your datasets by transforming them into meaningful and impactful visuals. After attending this workshop, participants will be able to:

Learn about current graduate research and network with OMAFRA personnel, U of G faculty and graduate students in the department. Register now

Hone your clear communications skills! Get tips on how to structure and write clear language summaries of your research for dissemination to lay audiences. At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

How do you share your research with non-academic audiences? Learn about a number of potential mechanisms you can use for knowledge mobilization, discover how to choose a mechanism that’s appropriate for your audience, and take a deep dive into several popular mechanisms for dissemination, including social media, research summaries, infographics, and media. After attending this workshop, participants will be able to:

Knowledge mobilization 101! Become familiar with knowledge mobilization plans and conceptualize strategies adapted to your goals and audiences. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

Featuring an educational afternoon that includes a keynote from Honorable Michael Crinson and an expert panel with experience using Intellectual Property strategy in the agri-food space, this event will equip attendees with tools and ideas for how to use IP strategy to contribute to their research program or their company. Focused on cultivating a culture of innovation backed by strategic decision-making, this event will stimulate critical dialogue on the role of IP in research excellence and impact.

Join us for a half-day event to learn how the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance is collaborating with Agri-food Data Canada (ADC) to deliver the next generation of research centre data portals, and how new ADC-developed tools will support agri-food researchers and help build an enhanced data ecosystem. This hybrid event will take place virtually (via Microsoft Teams), and in-person at the Ontario Dairy Research Centre in Elora. There are 25 spots available for those wishing to attend in-person. 

Note: this workshop was rescheduled from Tues. Nov. 7. How do you share your research with non-academic audiences? Learn about a number of potential mechanisms you can use for knowledge mobilization, discover how to choose a mechanism that’s appropriate for your audience, and take a deep dive into several popular mechanisms for dissemination, including social media, research summaries, infographics, and media. Join Elizabeth Shantz, Knowledge Mobilization Manager, Arrell Food Institute for this session.

When all is said and done, how do you know it worked? Go beyond the anecdote and learn to use evaluation techniques to assess the impact of your knowledge mobilization efforts. Anne Bergen, Director and Principal, Knowledge to Action Consulting, for this session. After attending this workshop, participants will be able to: