Brewster Conant, Jr.

• Groundwater-surface water interactions (streams, rivers, lakes)
• Temperature-as-a-tracer techniques (especially thermal infrared survey methods) for determining groundwater discharges to surface water
• Groundwater flow and contaminant transport
• Field instrumentation and monitoring techniques for hydrogeological and hydrological studies
• Assessing the effectiveness of agricultural best management practices on groundwater quality

Brewster Conant's research interests center on physical and contaminant hydrogeology, field-based investigations, and the development of field monitoring techniques and instrumentation. His primary interest is in the investigation of groundwater/surface-water interactions in rivers, streams, and lakes and the examination of groundwater flow and the transport and fate processes affecting contaminants (e.g., chlorinated solvents, nutrients and organic compounds) that pass through the interface.

Recent work has focused on developing temperature-as-a-tracer techniques (especially thermal infrared surveys) to characterize groundwater discharge to surface waters and diffusion samplers to determine concentrations at the groundwater surface water interface. His long-term goals are to develop rapid, inexpensive, and practical site characterization tools and monitoring approaches that will assist in determining the ecological and human impacts of contaminated groundwater discharging into surface waters and improve decisions with respect to remedial actions.

His research interests also includes assessing the effectiveness of agricultural best management practices on groundwater quality; watershed monitoring and hydrology; and wellhead protection.

Dr. Conant is committed to improving undergraduate learning and teaching and providing professional training. He has served as the department’s first Teaching Fellow. He organized the department’s first teaching retreat to improve teaching.

In collaboration with writing experts, he create a communication course for Earth scientists focused on assisting Chinese 2+2 students entering the program and supervised the adoption of the course in other UW departments.

He has also taught several training sessions for the US Environmental Protection Agency, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, and as part of professional short-courses.

Dr. Conant current course offerings include

• EARTH 10 Enhancing communication skills for Earth Science students
• EARTH 123L Field methods in hydrology
• EARTH 671 Field methods in hydrogeology (contributing instructor)

Past courses taught include

• EARTH 123 Introductory Hydrology
• EARTH 458 Physical Hydrogeology
• GL100 Introduction to Physical and Environmental Geology (at Wilfrid Laurier University)

Refereed journal articles

• Wiebe, A.J., B. Conant Jr., D.L. Rudolph, and K. Korkka-Niemi, 2015. An approach to improve direct runoff estimates and reduce uncertainty in the calculated groundwater component in water balances of large lakes.  Journal of Hydrology, v 531, p. 655-670. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.10.061
• Frey, S.K., D.L. Rudolph, and B. Conant Jr., 2012.  Bromide and chloride tracer movement in macroporous tile drained agricultural soil during an annual climatic cycle. Journal of Hydrology, v 460-461, p. 77-89.
• Brookfield, A,  E. Sudicky, Y-J Park, and B. Conant Jr., 2009.  Thermal transport modelling in a fully-integrated surface/subsurface framework. Hydrological Processes, v. 23, no. 15, p. 2150 - 2164
• Schmidt, C., B. Conant Jr., M.Bayer-Raich, and M. Schirmer, 2007. Evaluation and field-scale application of an analytical method to quantify groundwater discharge using mapped streambed temperatures, Journal of Hydrology, v 347, no. 3-4, p. 292-307.  (doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.08.022)
• Conant Jr., B., J.A. Cherry, and R.W. Gillham, 2004. A PCE groundwater plume discharging to a river: Influence of the streambed and near-river zone on contaminant distributions. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, v. 73, no. 1-4, 238-279.
• Conant Jr., B., 2004. Delineating and quantifying ground-water discharge zones using streambed temperatures, Ground Water, v 42, no. 2, p. 243-257. 

Book chapters

• Conant Jr., B,  S. Danielescu, H. Reeves, P. Coulibaly (2015, in review/public comment). Chapter 2: Groundwater-surface water interactions (GWSWI), in " Groundwater science relevant to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement: A status report."  Prepared for the Great Lakes Executive Committee by the Annex 8 Subcommittee (under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement). p. 6-15. http://binational.net/2015/12/03/groundwater-science/
• Conant Jr., B., J.W. Roy, J. Patzke, C. Smith, L. Nicks (2015, in review/public comment). Chapter 3: Groundwater and Contaminants in the Great Lakes, in " Groundwater science relevant to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement: A status report."  Prepared for the Great Lakes Executive Committee by the Annex 8 Subcommittee (under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement). p. 16-29. http://binational.net/2015/12/03/groundwater-science/

Conference presentations in the field of teaching

• Conant Jr., B., J. Jewinski, and J. Williams, 2015. A Course Template for Integrating Chinese Dual-Degree Students into a Science Program and Enhancing Their Communication Skills.  The Western Conference on Science Education, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, July 7-10, 2015. (presenter)
• Conant Jr., B., J. Witt, C. Bissonnette, R. Jayasundera, and W-K Liu ,2015. Challenges Associated With High School Students Transitioning to University Science – The View From Both Sides. University of Waterloo’s Opportunities and New Directions (OND) Teaching and Learning Conference, Waterloo, Ontario, April 30, 2015. (presenter)
• Jayasundera, R., J. Witt, C. Bissonnette, B. Conant Jr., W-K Liu, 2015. Bridging the Gap: Helping your students transition to University science. Group presentation for Waterloo Regional District School Board (WRDSB) Professional Development day. University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario,  April 17, 2015. (co-presenter)
• Jayasundera, R., J. Witt, C. Bissonnette, B. Conant Jr., W-K Liu, 2014. Bridging the Gap: Helping your students transition to University science. Group presentation at Science Teachers' Association of Ontario (STAO) 2014 Inspiring Innovation Meeting, Toronto, Ontario, Nov 13-15, 2014. (co-presenter)
• Conant Jr., B., J. Jewinski, and J. Williams, 2014. A Course Template for Integrating 2+2 Students and Enhancing their Communication Skills.  University of Waterloo’s Opportunities and New Directions (OND) Teaching and Learning Conference, Waterloo, Ontario, May 1, 2014. (co-presenter)

• 2012-2015 Faculty of Science Teaching Fellow
• 2011 Nominated by Region 5 for the national U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response National Notable Achievement Award
• 1999 Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology
• 1998 Outstanding Student Paper Award. American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting

• Member, The Water Institute

• Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (APGO)
• Geological Society of America (GSA)
• American Geophysical Union (AGU)
• National Ground Water Association (NGWA)

Media and news stories about Professor Conant’s teaching and research include:

August 2014. Centre for Teaching Excellence, Descriptions of LITE Grant Projects. Enhancing Writing and Communications Skills for Earth Sciences Students

Fall 2013 – Spring 2014. Earth and Environmental Sciences department newsletter (PDF). New equipment for first year hydrology laboratory class; Earth 10: Enhancing Writing and Communications Skills for Earth Sciences Students.

Fall 2012 - The Grand: Grand River Conservation Authority Watershed Report. Hunting groundwater from the sky (PDF). 

June 17, 2009 - Today's Farmer. Innovative nitrogen research project launched.

2008 - Better Farming. Tile drains capture less water than expected (PDF).

Fall 2008 - GroundTech Solutions, Geoprobe machines Education Uses brochure. University of Waterloo, Canada.

2001 PhD Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

1991 MSc Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

1984 BSc Geology-Physics/Mathematics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island