News

Since 1994, the Waterloo Wellington Children’s Groundwater Festival has been a cornerstone of environmental education in the region. Founded by Earth and Environmental Sciences alumnus Peter Grey, this annual event draws approximately 6,000 elementary students each year, fostering a deep understanding of water resources among young learners. 

Congratulations to our alumnus, Mike Cecile, on winning the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists prestigious R.J.W. Douglas Medal. The Douglas Medal is presented annually in recognition of outstanding contributions to the understanding of sedimentary geology in Canada, including major contributions to regional tectonics, petroleum and structural geology.

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and groundwater community is mourning the recent passing of Dr. Emil Frind, Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He passed away on Sunday, December 25, 2022, at the age of 90.

The Government of Canada's Environmental Damages Fund, administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada, is allocating $15.8 million to six University of Waterloo research projects to identify solutions to environmental challenges. One project is led by Dr. Nandita Basu.

Congratulations to Nahyan Rana – PhD student Nahyan Rana (working under the supervision of Professor Steve Evans in the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences) has been awarded the 2022 Gary Salmon Memorial Scholarship of the Canadian Dam Association (CDA). The citation reads ‘in recognition of your academic excellence, quality research advancements in dam safety and the management of dams, and community leadership”.

Scientists from the University of Waterloo have developed a map showing which regions and population centres of Western Canada are likely to experience earthquakes induced by underground energy extraction.

Professor Philippe Van Cappellen from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and a Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureate in Ecohydrology, has been awarded the J. Tuzo Wilson Medal, the Canadian Geophysical Union's (CGU) greatest honour.

We are pleased to announce that Keith Delaney is one of this year’s Faculty of Science Excellence in Science Teaching Award recipients!

Professor Sherry Schiff from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences has been awarded the 2022 Frank Rigler Award, the highest honour given by the Society of Canadian Limnologists.

A study of more than 2,000 streams around North America found that those altered by human activity are at greater risk of flooding.

The study from the University of Waterloo analyzed the seasonal flow patterns of 2,272 streams in Canada and the U.S. and found that human-managed streams – those impacted by developments like dams, canals, or heavy urbanization – had significantly different flow patterns compared to streams in natural watersheds.