Biology

You have probably seen Phragmites australis in the wild—but did you know it is Ontario’s worst invasive plant species? Jersey Fontz, a PhD student in Biology (Water) is developing a seed mix to promote the growth of native species instead of invasive species after invasive species removal.

Abiola Olaitan wins Gairdner Early Career Investigator Award

Sumaya Nur (BioMed '21) knows the impact an award can make.  She received the Collective Movement Award for Community Leadership during her final year at Waterloo and founded The Rights Project.

Chemistry instructor Julie Goll and Biology lecturer Sarah Ruffell have both been awarded the 2023 Excellence in Science Teaching Award for their excellence in teaching.

Two science-led companies will take the stage this week and pitch at Velocity’s $5K Winter 2023 semi-finals for their chance to advance to the finals later this month.

The World Health Organization recently stated that the spillover to mammals of H5N1 influenza—commonly known as bird flu—should be monitored closely, and we need to be prepared to face infection in humans. Dr. Christine Dupont, a continuing lecturer in the Department of Biology at the University of Waterloo, is an expert on infectious disease in animals. 

Biology master's student Joud Abu Farah won the best poster presentation award at the Wastewater Surveillance Conference in Toronto last week. She is developing a wastewater surveillance method for influenza A, B and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). 

This week, Mr. Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario and MPP for Guelph, visited the Waterloo Wetland lab to discuss Bill 23 and the importance of wetlands in Ontario. 

Thursday, February 2nd marks World Wetlands Day, an international government agreement acknowledging the importance of wetlands and their ecological role in conserving our ecosystems. Waterloo's Dr. Rebecca Rooney discusses the value of wetlands and the risk they face in Ontario.