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.

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”.

Past and present members of the Faculty of Science community are saddened by the news that William David Taylor passed away on January 24, 2022.

The Earth Sciences Museum is excited to announce the launch of our newest project, a virtual tour of the museum!

Each year, the University of Waterloo choses one PhD student from each Faculty to highlight during convocation. This June, the spotlight was shone on Andrew Wiebe, a 2021 PhD graduate from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences!

Plastics pollution is a global environmental hazard with potentially harmful impacts on wildlife, ecosystem services, and human health and wellbeing. Microplastics in particular are of great concern because of their ability to be transported over great distances and absorb and disperse contaminants widely.

Peter Russell, the University of Waterloo's Earth Science Museum curator emeritus has been awarded the Distinguished Volunteer Award from the Geological Association of Canada!

The Amit & Meena Chakma Awards for Exceptional Teaching by a Student recognize up to four students from across the University of Waterloo for excellence in teaching of all kinds (e.g., teaching assistant, laboratory demonstrator, sessional lecturer) by registered students.

This year, two of the four winners were from the Faculty of Science: Melanie Mungalsingh from the School of Optometry and Vision Science, and Quinn Worthington from Earth and Environmental Sciences.