We are living in critical times. Among the things Covid19 has taught us is the importance of collaboration. Unless we all work together towards guaranteeing the wellbeing of all inhabitants of our planet we will not be safe, we will not thrive. In the LUGE lab we want to strengthen our commitment to science communication and the translation of our collective academic work into meaningful contribution for the betterment of people and the planet. We are far from having all the answers, but we love our work and we want to share it. 
A highlight of our outreach projects at a glance:
We run a blog called "The Nature of Food". Check it out for updates on our research, topics in environment, agriculture, the food system, and academia.
Balsher has created this Ted Ed video on water use. It currently has nearly 1.5 million views!
As a group and led by Zia, we created an art gallery exhibit called the Colours of Food Security. The website alone has been viewed by over 4000 unique visitors in over 117 countries.
​Watch, listen and read more of our collective contributions here:
Watch
​Susanna was a panelist for #VoicesofFoodSystems, the UN Food Systems Summit's 24-hour Global Relay Conversation for World Food Day, hosted by the Global Alliance for the Future of Food
Navin received the Wihuri International Prize for his work on global sustainability
Navin was interviewed by the CBC on the IPCC report on climate change and land, and how this relates to Canadians' diets.
Laura was a panelist in the UBC alumni webinar: How Covid-19 Reveals Gaps in Food Security 
Navin gave a lecture at Simon Fraser University on climate change and agriculture
Navin was invited to discuss agriculture in the context of climate change on TVOs The Agenda
Listen
Zia discussed the environmental impacts of plant-based diets on BC Today with Michelle Eliot.
Julie was interviewed by KTUH radio station about a project she and Zia are working on, along with collaborators from the University of Hawai'i Manoa, related to gender bias in academia
Read
Balsher was quoted in an article by Global News on recent protests by farmers in India.
Navin was quoted in an article in the National Observer on the sustainability of new plant-based meats.
Balsher was quoted in an AP news article about the deepening water crisis in India
Ginni, Balsher, Juan and Vinny contributed to Chapter 13: Climate Change in the SDG Atlas 2020
A new paper led by Zia and featuring Juan, Christian, Vinny, Navin and others is out in Nature Sustainability, and has been covered by NatGeo and Forbes.
​Susanna worked with Fuerza Migrante to produce a practical info sheet for organic farmers and migrant workers on organic farms to support workers' well being and rights during Covid19. Available in English and Español.
Balsher wrote a piece featured in CGIAR's blog on groundwater depletion in Punjab.
Zia wrote a post that was originally posted on The Conversation and also shared by The National Post, summarizing a recent paper on how synchronizing food production can have disastrous effects.
Ginni and Navin contributed to Team Canada's portion of the FABLE Report, and PhD alumna Charlotte contributed to Team Mexico.
Laura is featured in the Ubyssey commenting on UBC's approach to help food insecure students.
Balsher has written an article for The Tribune on who is (and is not) to blame for poor air quality in North India
Vinny wrote a post for AAAS on the importance of science communication.
Ginni and Juan's blog post on the EAT Lancet diet was cited in this Plant Ag Biosciences post.
Zia wrote a piece for The Conversation on how to conserve half the planet without going hungry.
Vinny collaborated with a graphic artist to produce infographics on his PhD work. See a publication about the partnership. The full infographic is available on the Dryad Digital Repository.
Matt's research looking at how soybeans are affected by nearby forests has been featured in Grainews.
Zia was interviewed for an article in Anthropocene Magazine on the half Earth debate.
A CBC story on how droughts will impact production in developed countries interviewed Navin.
Susanna's research on organic plant breeding and gene editing  has been featured in Canada's National Observer
Corey's research on how extreme weather is impacting global cereal production was featured in Vice News and the NYTimes
Verena's work on organic agriculture was covered in this Organic Biz post.
Jordan's work on mapping recent cropland and pasture trends in Latin America was featured by UBC news
Navin's blog post on the CGIAR website, Charting the agricultural land of South America, discusses the relevance (and challenges) of mapping agricultural land
Verena's work comparing organic versus conventional yields was covered by McGill, the BBC, the New York Times, the LA Times, Scientific American, Time Magazine, CNN, Radio Canada International, AFP, Voice of America and the Montreal Gazette.
A paper Navin worked on with Erle Ellis on anthropogenic biomes was covered by several agencies: McGill, Encyclopedia of Earth, Science Magazine, Wired News, Discovery Channel, ESA News & Views, Anthromes Project Website, Scientific American, US News and World Report