Innovative and interdisciplinary research is at the forefront of the Faculty of Science. The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) has awarded four Waterloo Science researchers a total of $750,000 to advance groundbreaking research.
Nandita Basu, Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science and Department of Civil
and Environmental Engineering has been awarded $250,000 as the lead researcher for a new project Recoupling the Livestock Nutrient Economy: Developing sustainable and integrative solutions to food-water-energy challenges.
This project will evaluate the feasibility of widespread use of bioreactors improve water quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) emissions from a technological, economic, and policy perspective.
“We will investigate the improved use of manure as both a fertilizer and an input to the biogas energy system, and then quantify its impact on water quality and greenhouse gas emissions,” says Basu. “By directly exploring the interconnections between water quality, environmental change and energy sustainability, we are challenging the current research paradigm, and offering a solution pathway to more efficient allocation of our most vital resources.”
This project is one of the three Faculty of Science projects selected at the University of Waterloo for funding. A total of 117 projects across Canada were funded by the New Frontiers in Research Fund announced this week, totaling $14.5 million awarded to researchers. The fund’s Exploration stream specifically targets interdisciplinary, high-risk, high-reward research that defies current models, bridges disciplines in novel ways, or tackles fundamental problems from new perspectives.
“Research that takes great risks advances the way we think about the issues that impact Canadians,” says The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. “The Government of Canada is supporting researchers who are exploring bold new directions that could change lives and position Canada at the forefront of global research and innovation."