A power outage lasting four days at Western University in London, Ontario, has resulted in the destruction of valuable research samples, caused delays in experiments, and raised concerns among biology students and faculty about the university’s ability to safeguard millions of dollars’ worth of scientific research.
The Biological & Geological Sciences Building, Materials Sciences Addition, Chemistry Building, and Natural Sciences Centre have been relying on backup power since Friday following a disruption at a campus power substation. While power was restored to most buildings on Friday evening, the four affected buildings are still on backup power as repair work continues. Access to these buildings has been restricted as a precaution, with the university collaborating with students, faculty, and staff to address individual concerns and ensure research needs are met.
This recent outage marks the fifth major disruption to biology research facilities since August 2025, causing frustration among the university’s academic community. Beth MacDougall-Shackleton, a biology professor, expressed concerns about the university’s reputation, highlighting the challenges faced by researchers in maintaining stable conditions for living organisms and sensitive materials. The outages have led to overheating in growth chambers, thawing of research samples in freezers due to inadequate backup power, and hindered access to animals used in studies.
The impact of these outages extends beyond financial losses, with graduate students facing setbacks in their research progress. Irreplaceable samples, including specimens from extinct species, collections dating back to the 1970s, and data from long-term studies, have been compromised. Matheus Sanita Lima, a fifth-year PhD candidate in biology, emphasized the significant losses incurred by the department, stressing the difficulty in quantifying the value of the affected samples.
In response to the ongoing challenges, students and faculty are calling for action from Western University’s administration. Concerns have been raised regarding the university’s responsibility to maintain a reliable power supply to support teaching and research activities. Efforts are underway to improve communication during outages, seek upgrades to the campus electrical system, and enhance maintenance staffing levels to prevent future disruptions.
The repeated power outages not only pose reputational risks to Western University but also raise concerns about potential impacts on research funding. MacDougall-Shackleton highlighted the importance of maintaining regulatory compliance for research involving vertebrate animals, which could impact the university’s eligibility for significant funding sources. The disruptions have also hindered researchers’ access to essential facilities, prompting calls for urgent measures to address the underlying issues and ensure the continuity of scientific endeavors.
