Monday, March 25, 2024

Speaker Series event will address antagonism in environmental research tomorrow

There is still time to register for the fourth panel discussion in the Antagonism and Intimidation in Academia Speaker Series. Antagonistic Responses to Environment and Climate Change in the Academy will take place on Tuesday, March 26, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. in the Theatre of the Arts. A reception will follow from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Panel participants include:

• Dr. Nandita Basu, a Tier I Canada Research Chair of Global Water Sustainability and Ecohydrology, and a Professor in the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth and Environmental Sciences;
• Dr. Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher, an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Science, Health, and Technology Communication in the Department of English Language and Literature, in the Faculty of Arts. She is also the inaugural Co-Director, with Donna Strickland, for the Trust in Research Undertaken in Science and Technology (TRuST) network;
• Dr. Juan Moreno-Cruz, an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Energy Transitions at the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) in the Faculty of Environment. Juan Moreno-Cruz is also a Center of Economic Studies (CESifo) Research Affiliate; and
• Dr. Kirsten Müller, Professor and the Department Chair of Biology in the Faculty of Science. 

Moderating the discussion will be Dr. Kelly Grindrod, Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy. The Lead Organizer and Chair of the series is Dr. Suzan  Ilcan, Professor and University Research Chair, Sociology and Legal Studies in the Faculty of Arts.

This event is open to all faculty, staff and students. Register now. 

Lectures in Catholic Experience will feature Brother Guy Consolmagno

A message from St. Jerome's University.

On April 15, St. Jerome’s University will welcome the director of the Vatican Observatory, Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ, as part of this year’s Lectures in Catholic Experience series, “Legacies and Lessons.” He will address the university community and speak about his recent book, “When Science Goes Wrong: The Desire and Search for Truth.” The catalyst for his book was inspired by the pandemic, which culminated in a lack of trust and skepticism of science.

As a gifted storyteller, Brother Guy will illuminate historical texts to demonstrate how scientific theory on the universe and life on earth has evolved throughout human history and that our understanding of science as a fundamental truth needs to be reimagined. 

"St. Jerome's is honoured to have Br. Guy Consolmagno, SJ as this year's final speaker in the 2023 - 2024 Lectures in Catholic Experience. Having experienced his engaging talks in the past, I know that Brother Guy brings a powerful commitment to faith and science to his own pursuit of truth, both as a Jesuit religious brother and as an accomplished scholar and planetary scientist,” stated Peter Meehan, president and vice-chancellor at St. Jerome’s. “I think this will be an important talk here on the campus of a world-renowned STEM university such as the University of Waterloo." 

Brother Guy challenges us to think about science as an imperfect part of the human experience. Science isn’t about empirical truth but about encountering concepts that force us to reflect on and challenge our worldview. Contextualizing science within this framework allows us to explore new ideas and concepts and enjoy the journey of discovery.

Brother Guy earned an undergraduate and master’s degree from MIT and a PhD in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona. He was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard and MIT and has been at the Vatican Observatory since 1993. Pope Francis appointed him director of the Vatican Observatory in 2015.

His research draws connections between meteorites, asteroids and the evolution of small solar system bodies. From the Vatican Observatory, he observed objects within the Kuiper Belt to ascertain the properties of meteorites and better understand their origins and structure. With more than 250 scientific publications, he has also been globally recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), naming an asteroid in his honour, asteroid 4597 Consolmagno. He also received the Carl Sagan Medal in 2014 from the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences for excellence in public communication in planetary sciences. Brother Guy is chair of the IAU Mars Nomenclature Task Group and vice president of the Meteoritical Society.

Please join us in welcoming Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ to St. Jerome’s University on April 15 at 7:30 p.m. This lecture will be in-person and available to stream online. The lecture is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

Pushing Africa's plastic revolution

This is an excerpt of an article originally published on Waterloo News.

Plastics make up more than half of marine litter and, in 2020, over 700 million pounds were dumped worldwide with much of the debris washing up on the shores of Africa.  

Ironically, the biggest polluters are not African nations. It is the largest developed and rapidly developing countries that are propelling this issue, and it will continue to worsen if action is not taken. So how do we safeguard our oceans for future generations and realize a sustainable future? 

Thanks to the generous support of TD, Dr. Denis Aheto was able to share his vision with Waterloo as he was this year’s TD Walter Bean Professor in Environment.

“Plastics is a transboundary issue; one where we don’t currently have a coordinated effort to address the root causes and deal with the levels of trash,” Dr. Aheto said. “We must look at a multistakeholder approach incorporating community, policy, industry and academia.” 

Aheto advocated for five interrelated methods the global community should pursue to tackle plastic pollution: investing in training knowledgeable professionals and transferring knowledge between developed and developing nations, implementing policy at national and international levels, increasing issue awareness through advocacy, building partnerships across sectors to co-design, create and implement activities, and prioritizing intergenerational equity to ensure future generations inherit the same resources that the previous generation had.  

Using examples from African countries like Côte d'Ivoire, he detailed how we can transform challenges into opportunities for growth and simultaneously bolster sustainable development and stimulate socioeconomic transformation.  

Read the rest of the article on Waterloo News

Retirees association to host conference and other notes

The University of Waterloo Retirees Association (UWRA) will be hosting the annual Colleges and Universities Retirees Associations of Canada (CURAC) conference, entitled Thriving In Retirement, from May 22 to 24, at Federation Hall.

The conference will feature practical tips, advice, and motivation for healthy aging. There will be an opening reception, plenary and breakout sessions, lightning tables, roundtable discussions, and exhibits, all with the focus on successful retirement years. Visit the UWRA website for conference information and to register. Space is limited. Register by April 5 for the early-bird discount. Partner/spouse registration is available. 

The Waterloo Climate Institute and the Faculty of Mathematics are hosting a guest lecture entitled Fuelling Forests, Modelling Nutrient Cycling, and Projecting Climate Change on the intricacies of how nitrogen cycling is represented within Earth System Models. Dr. Sian Kou-Giesbrecht from the University of Dalhousie will explore how the terrestrial biosphere currently sequesters a third of human CO2 emissions in plant and soil biomass, and is known as the “terrestrial carbon sink”. The lecture takes place today from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in DC 1302. Refreshments will be provided. There’s still time to register.

The next event in the Menstrual Equity Lunch and Learn Series takes place tomorrow. The Fifth Phase: Taking a closer look at menopause will discuss the complexities of perimenopause and menopause, as well as share important insights and resources. The online session runs from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m.