News

Targeted wetland restoration in heavily farmed areas would dramatically reduce the amount of nitrogen polluting rivers, lakes and coastal areas, a new study finds.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) examined detailed data on wetland locations and nitrogen loads from fertilizer on farm fields throughout the United States.

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences would like to welcome new faculty member Assistant Professor Tonya DelSontro. She joined the department as an Assistant Professor virtually in July, and then arrived on campus this September. Her research focus is studying greenhouse gases and their interactions with water.

For 10 Earth and Environmental Sciences students graduating this week, who should have graduated this past June, it has taken months of planning and preparation in order to deliver the required field course they needed to take in order to graduate.

Remediation of mercury contaminated soils is an urgent issue affecting the safety of our food supply.  Rivers, lakes, and oceans that were polluted by industrial waste from textile or mining operations in the past can continue to distribute neurotoxic methylmercury into our agricultural environments for decades.  Waterloo PhD student Alana Wang (pictured here) and a team of Waterloo researchers have helped to unlock the process of using biochars to remediate contaminated floodplain soils.

A group of exceptionally talented incoming students are making their way to Waterloo with a prestigious scholarship in tow.

Thanks to a $100+ million investment by businessman and philanthropist Seymour Schulich, Waterloo has more than doubled its recipient pool from previous years allowing selected students pursuing STEM to begin their post-secondary careers with an extra $80,000 or $100,000.

Out of a selection of more than 300,000 potential candidates across Canada, 1,500 high school students are nominated annually, of which 100 received this celebrated award.

A new online module about the scientific method that was created for an introductory Earth Sciences course has been incorporated into a number of courses across the Faculty of Science and the Open Science Framework.

Together, the University of Waterloo’s Science Society, Science departmental clubs and the Psychology Society donated $5,500 to help the local community fight COVID-19. The donation came from unused event funds and was shared among three organizations.

They thought that the biggest challenge of their PhD defence would be controlling their nerves. Instead it was securing a quality Wi-Fi connection. Since mid-March, thesis defences at universities across Canada, like Waterloo's Jessey Rice, have gone online. But while it’s different than what they might have dreamed of, most new doctorates are just glad to find a way forward.

Dave Rudolph, Chair and a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, is the recipient of the 2020 Robert N. Farvolden Award for his research in groundwater management and innovative methods to monitor water resources in the face of changing land use and climate.

Congratulations to Dr. Keith Delaney, Lecturer in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences as being one of 15 recipients from Science of the 2019 Outstanding Performance Award.