Science lectures
The Faculty of Science hosts many public lectures throughout the year. Several of these are part of annual lectures series, list below:
A. R. Carty lecture
The Arthur J. Carty lecture was established by Dr. Francis W. Karasek to honour Arthur J. Carty, a former Chair of the University of Waterloo Chemistry Department who has returned as the Executive Director of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology. The lectureship is intended to attract an individual with expertise related to the field of Science who will share knowledge and insights with students, staff, and faculty members.
Past Carty lecturers:
- David King (2011)
- Nina Fedoroff (2009)
- Carl Wieman (2007)
- Arthur J. Carty (2006)
Adrian Smith lecture
The Adrian Smith lecture Series on Environmental Geochemistry, an annual lecture in environmental geochemistry, was established in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Waterloo by colleagues and friends in memory of Dr. Adrian Smith. For more than a decade Adrian Smith was a regular visitor to our department, initially as guest speaker and later as an adjunct faculty member, a colleague and a supervisor to our students. Adrian generously gave his time, participating in technical discussions of thesis projects, providing comments and advice for improvements and fostering philosophical debates. These efforts are reflected in new approaches and attitudes that our students take toward research and science.
Past Smith lecturers:
- 2011: D. Kirk Nordstrom, Senior Hydrogeochemist, U.S. Geological Survey, Boulder, Colorado
- 2010: Dr. Michael Hochella Jr., Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech University
- 2009: Dr. Kip Solomon, Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah
- 2008: Dr. Lawrence Cathles, Earth & Atmos. Sciences, Cornell University
- 2007: Dr. Geoffrey S. Plumlee, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado
- 2006: Dr. John Jambor, Leslie Research & Cons., Tsawwassen, BC
- 2005: Dr. Elizabeth Edwards, Dept. of Chemical Eng’ng, University of Toronto
- 2004: Dr. W. Mike Edmunds, Oxford Centre for Water Res, University of Oxford, UK
- 2003: Dr. Tullis C. Onstott, Dept. of Geosciences, Princeton University
- 2002: Dr. Crayton Yapp, Dept. of Geological Sci., Dallas, Texas
- 2001: Dr. Gwendy E.M. Hall, Head, Analy.l Method Dev., Geological Survey of Canada
- 2000: Dr. Warren Wood, Research Hydrogeologist, U.S. Geological Survey
- 1999: Dr. Ann Maest, V-P of Buka Environmental, Boulder, Colorado
- 1998: Dr. Heinrich D. Holland, Earth & Planetary Sciences, Harvard University
- 1997: Dr. Ian Ritchie, Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organization
Gairdner Foundation lecture
The Gairdner Foundation was created in 1957 by James Arthur Gairdner to recognize and reward the achievements of medical researchers whose work contributes significantly to improving the quality of human life. Since the first awards were made in 1959, the Gairdner Awards have become Canada's foremost international award. They hold up the pinnacle of achievement as a mirror to Canadians, and in so doing, play a role in helping Canada achieve its goals of excellence. Each October, as part of the Gairdner's mandate to communicate the work of medical researchers to others, the most recent Canada Gairdner awardees, along with awardees from years past, visit universities across Canada to provide academic lectures on their area of expertise.
Previous Gairdner lectures at the University of Waterloo:
- October 25, 2011 – "CpG Signalling in Health and Disease" by Dr. Adrian Bird
- October 26, 2010 – “How cells sense oxygen” by Dr. Peter Ratcliffe
- October 28, 2009 – “Adventure Cell Biology: A Journey Through the Building Blocks of The Cell” by Dr. Peter Walter
- January 20, 2009 – “The Architecture of Biological Complexity” by Drs. Sydney Brenner & John Bell
- October 22, 2008 – “All the Flowers of All the Tomorrows Are in the Seeds of Today” by Dr. Tak Mak
- April 22, 2008 – “Advances in Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering” by Dr. Robert Langer
Farvolden lecture
The Farvolden lecture series, hosted by the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, was initiated in 1996 as an annual celebration in honour of Dr. Robert N. Farvolden. The lecture series fosters interaction and communication between the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, the alumni of the hydrogeology program and the groundwater community at large.
Upcoming lecturers:
- Robert W. Gillham (2011), "The Waterloo Centre for Groundwater Research: Building a Phenomenon"
Past Farvolden lecturers:
- Anthony D. Daus (2010)
- John A. Cherry (2009)
- Richard (Dick) Jackson (2008)
- Dr. John (Jack) Sharp (2007)
- Garth van der Kamp (2006)
TD Walter Bean lecture on the Environment
The professorship attracts top international research professors on the environment to campus to give public lectures, teach classes, and meet with professors and students. The professorship is named after the late Walter Bean who was president of Waterloo Trust until its merger with Canada Trust in 1968. When the professorship was launched, it was called a "fitting testament" to his legacy of community involvement and commitment to youth, education and community.
Past TD Walter Bean lecturers:
- 2011: Dr. Roger Peilke
- 2010: Dr. Stephen Schneider
- 2009: András Szöllösi-Nagy
- 2008: Prof. Tavi Murray
- 2007: The Honourable Michael Harcourt
- 2006: Dr. Steve Hrudey
- 2005: Dr. Frank W. Schwartz
- 2004: The Honourable Flora MacDonald
- 2003: Kelly Thambimuthu
- 2002: Jörg Imberger
- 2001: Dr. Naresh Singh
- 2000: Jeff Luvall
- 1999: Joseph MacInnis
- 1998: David Schindler
- 1997: Ursula Franklin
