The International Association of GeoChemistry (IAGC) has chosen two Waterloo Faculty of Science faculty members as winners in the 2024 award class. Ramon Aravena has been awarded the Vernadsky Medal and Carol Ptacek was named an IAGC Fellow. The IAGC is an international geochemistry organization that fosters cooperation and advancement in geochemistry in the broadest sense. Their awards program highlights those in all stages of their careers from PhD students to senior scientists.
The IAGC Vernadsky Medal was awarded to Dr. Aravena because of a distinguished record of scientific accomplishment in geochemistry throughout his career. Now retired, Dr. Aravena was a research professor who focused on the application of isotope techniques in hydrology. He has been involved in numerous groundwater studies in Latin America, Canada and the U.S. related to the evaluation of groundwater resources and groundwater protection.
The honorary title of IAGC Fellow was bestowed upon Dr. Ptacek this year for the significant contributions she has made to the field of geochemistry. Dr. Ptacek conducts research on a variety of topics in contaminant hydrogeology and geochemistry, including studies on mechanisms controlling the fate and transport of metals, nutrients, pathogens, organic compounds in groundwater, and the development of passive methods for remediating contaminated groundwater.
She conducts field and laboratory studies and complements these with numerical modelling techniques. Her current research focuses on passive groundwater remediation technologies, the release and transport of metals at northern mine sites, the fate of wastewater contaminants in shallow sand aquifers, and the fate of emerging contaminants in the environment.
Join us in congratulating Dr. Aravena and Dr. Ptacek on their accomplishments!