Future students

the shores of a water body with low vegetation, then deciduous trees, limestone rock outcrop, with trees and grass growing on top of the hill

Professor Rob de Loë's new research program brings art and science together to improve environmental awareness and understanding. Working with contacts from Ontario's conservation authorities, he has developed several projects that use photography for environmental storytelling about key watershed processes.

four headshots side by side of Felicitas Egunyu, Helena Shilomboleni, Chantel Markle, Leah Jones-Crank

We are pleased to announce that four new faculty have taken up positions in SERS in the past year. We welcomed Dr. Felicitas Egunyu (August 2022), Dr. Helena Shilomboleni (September 2022), Dr. Chantel Markle (January 2023) and Dr. Leah Jones-Crank (July 2023).

Augusting Osei in a white lab coat in a lab setting using a long pipette to withdraw a sample from a tube.

Augustine Osei discusses his selection of the PhD program in Social and Ecological Sustainability and his research which he is conducting under the supervision of Dr. Maren Oelbermann. He is currently studying greenhouse gas emissions during growing and non-growing seasons and using spectroscopy techniques to measure carbon sequestration.

view down a snowy dirt road with single level small houses on each side. Hydro poles and wires can be seen.

Dr. Kelsey Leonard's WAMPUM Lab partnered with the Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance to co-develop a report to the UN to prioritize Indigenous Peoples in the digital ecosystem. Their submission indicates principles and actions that can be taken to achieve the goal of an open, free and secure digital future for all. It employs the CARE principles, which are well-established in the open data movement.

a fall scene with yellow-leaved trees. a person walks along a path in the fallen leaves below.

Fourth year honours co-op student Ishani Dasgupta reflects on students in Environment, Resources and Sustainability - the values, lessons learned and she provides a window into her experiences in the program.

a sunrise seen over an inlet bay with some rocky tree-covered cliffs in the distance

Kelsey Leonard, along with an international group of Indigenous researchers, has offered a definition of Water Back for Water research. Water Back means the return of Water and kin to Indigenous governance in a way that empowers the resurgent Indigenous Water relationships that are integral to Indigenous cultural, biological, spiritual and political sovereignty; this includes cosmogony, ceremony, access, law and policies.

An instructor wearing a blue cap is talking to a group of 10 people. All are wearing life jackets.They are on a boat located in a harbour.

In August 2022, a group of 12 students and two instructors took part in a new SERS field course titled The Ocean, Human Impacts and Sustainability. This course moved quickly through an overview of the ocean, explored human activities and impacts, particularly in the coastal zone, and then looked at some of the brilliant work that is going on to make our activities more sustainable.

board game called ERS-opoly in mid- play

Fourth year SERS student, Charlie Jou-ter Woort, explains the game they adapted to promote the learning of Canadian plants and their uses and benefits. This game was created for ERS 402, the Senior Honours Research Seminar course.

Masked person in to the side of two rows of desks and chairs with the UN confence logos on screens at the front

In December 2022 SERS 4th year student Emma Kirke attended the 15th meeting of the COP to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity as a youth delegate. Emma reflects on her experience at the COP, her opinion on the outcome and appreciation for the freedoms afforded Canadian activists.

A new study led by University of Waterloo researchers discovered greenhouse gas production during spring freeze-thaw events in cold temperate regions is significantly less when biobased residues like compost replace nitrogen fertilizer.

Future students

Environmental storytelling through photography: bringing art and science together for stronger engagement

Welcome to our four new faculty members

Harnessing the power of plants to fight climate change

WAMPUM lab co-develops report on Indigenous data sovereignty

Reflections from an upper year SERS student

Kelsey Leonard contributes to first definition of Water Back

A new oceans field course for SERS!

Environment-themed game adaptation promotes learning Canadian plants

Witnessing a landmark biodiversity agreement: Reflections on COP15 and the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework

Using compost instead of nitrogen as fertilizer can slow global warming