A power outage lasting four days at Western University in London, Ontario, has resulted in the loss of valuable research samples, disruptions to experiments, and concerns among biology students and faculty about the university’s ability to safeguard millions of dollars worth of scientific research assets. The Biological & Geological Sciences Building, Materials Sciences Addition, Chemistry Building, and Natural Sciences Centre have been relying on backup power since Friday due to an issue at a campus power substation.
While power has been restored to most buildings, the four affected structures continue to operate on backup power as repair work continues. Access to these buildings has been restricted as a precautionary measure, with the university working closely with students, faculty, and staff to address individual concerns and ensure research needs are met. This recent outage marks the fifth major power disruption impacting biology research facilities since August 2025.
According to Beth MacDougall-Shackleton, a biology professor at Western University, the unreliable power supply has had severe implications on biology research, particularly in maintaining stable conditions for living organisms and temperature-sensitive materials. As a result of the outages, growth chambers housing insects and plants are overheating, research sample freezers are thawing due to inadequate backup power, and researchers have faced challenges accessing animals used in studies.
The power interruptions have compelled the department to replace significant amounts of reagents, enzymes, and other research materials, resulting in substantial financial losses. However, the most significant losses are the irreplaceable research samples, including specimens from extinct species, collections dating back to the 1970s, and crucial materials from ongoing cohort studies that cannot be replicated.
Graduate students, who have invested months or even years in breeding insects, growing plants, and cultivating bacterial strains, now face the potential loss of their work due to the outages. Matheus Sanita Lima, a fifth-year PhD candidate and chair of the Society of Biology Graduate Students at Western University, emphasized the incalculable value of the lost samples and the additional months or years of work that may be required to recover from the setback.
Expressing dissatisfaction with Western’s response to the ongoing outages, Sanita Lima and MacDougall-Shackleton have called for action, including improved communication during outages and long-term investments in upgrading the campus electrical system and maintenance staffing levels. Concerns have been raised regarding the university’s reputation among research partners, donors, and potential funding losses, with MacDougall-Shackleton highlighting the potential risk to approximately $60 million in annual Tri-Council funding if Western’s standing with the Canadian Council on Animal Care is compromised.
The power outages have not only disrupted research activities but have also hindered access to essential animal facilities, requiring researchers to seek assistance from campus security to ensure the well-being of research animals. MacDougall-Shackleton expressed grave concerns about the risks posed by the continued power outages to the university’s research endeavors.