The renewed alliance focuses on sustainable food systems, environmental health challenges, Artificial Intelligence and climate change
By ROBIN FRANKLIN — campus@theaggie.org
Aside from acronyms, UC Davis and University College Dublin have much in common, one of which is a shared vision for academic excellence and research in tackling global problems. The two universities recently renewed an agreement, affectionately titled UCD Squared, which affirms their connection and collaboration.
Dolores O’Riordan, University College Dublin’s vice president for global engagement, said the most exciting part for her in this alliance is addressing the global challenges of sustainable food systems and climate change together.
“There has been a long-term connection with [UC Davis],” O’Riordan said. “It was through those relationships that it was very obvious that our universities had an awful lot in common, across the disciplines, but overall from an agriculture, food and medicine perspective.”
University College Dublin is currently the only university in Ireland with such an interdisciplinary approach in assessing all of those areas of focus together. Both Ireland and the United States are major food producers for the rest of the world, elevating the impact of a university partnership supporting agricultural research and addressing climate change.
“We shared very much a mindset long before it was popular to have a collaborative interdisciplinary approach,” O’Riordan said. “It’s very critical in terms of building the long-term trust to get to where we got at the signing of the renewal of the treaty.”
The latest agreement was signed by UC Davis Chancellor Gary May and University College Dublin President Orla Feely at the UC Davis campus in early May, during the Universitas 21 — an international group of research universities — Annual Network Meeting.
“This latest agreement between our universities marks an important step forward in the enduring and fruitful partnership which has existed for over a decade,” Feely said at the signing.
“At UC Davis, we believe that global collaboration is essential to creating equitable, sustainable solutions to the world’s most complex problems,” May said. “We’re excited about what the future holds and look forward to what our institutions can achieve together in the years ahead.”
O’Riordan, like many other academics at the University College Dublin, has maintained professional connections to UC Davis for a long time. O’Riordan’s began when her doctorate degree advisor moved to Davis. Later, once she became a faculty member, students from her own lab traveled to Davis to complete their studies there as well.
One way the revamped alliance will help drive research is by helping to explain how diet-driven diseases and crop field health trends can be predicted with the use of Artificial Intelligence. This helps researchers prevent problems in food systems and step in quickly to remediate agricultural issues before it’s too late.
As recent energy costs in Ireland have soared and impacted their food systems, they have also been able to learn sustainable energy practices from UC Davis. Homeside, the agreement allows UC Davis to view sustainability from the broader cultural, political and economic perspective that the University College Dublin offers.
Funding is always tricky when it comes to global agreements, but the universities are striving to support one another. The reaffirmed partnership also strengthens and safeguards international research so that jurisdictions can continue to provide the necessary research funding for both universities.
For O’Riordan, the interdisciplinary nature of combining expertise is what makes partnerships like these so important.
“There’s synergy in terms of where we have strengths and where UC Davis has strengths,” O’Riordan said. “We were speaking the same language when others were more one-sided with their approach. That’s an exciting part of the strategy — learning from each other.”
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article, printed in the May 30 issue, incorrectly gave the title of University College Dublin’s Dolores O’Riordan. She is the school’s vice president for global engagement, not director of the Institute of Food and Health.
By: Robin Franklin — campus@theaggie.org
