Future students

Victoria Steblaj, a recent Master of Science graduate from the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, has always been interested in wetlands and the species within them. Her master’s research compared spatial interpolation approaches for mapping habitat and peatland ecohydrological metrics. Robust spatial modelling has practical applications for conservation and quantifying carbon storage. Accurate models can lead to better conservation decisions, and utilizing the best interpolation method will ensure these decisions are accurate and impactful.

Twenty Faculty of Environment graduate students gained hands-on consulting experience through a pilot GradWIL capstone course that combined academic learning with real-world client projects. Working with industry and community partners, including the City of Kitchener, students developed workplace-ready skills while delivering practical recommendations that addressed organizational challenges and opportunities.

From changing how children learn about the world around them to rethinking how cities grow, strengthening connections between research and practice and investing in the next generation of environmental leaders, the 2026 Faculty of Environment Alumni Award recipients demonstrate the many ways knowledge can create change when put into action.

KEEN Footwear is a long-standing partner of the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Environment, helping students turn environmental knowledge into action through scholarships, internships and experiential learning. 

Jo Fitzgibbons (MES ’19) is a planner and researcher turning environmental research into practical change in Canadian cities. She currently works in urban ecology with the City of Vancouver where she demonstrates how research, community knowledge and municipal practice can work together to create more room for nature in growing cities. 

Tracy Tran, an Honours Planning student, reflects on her friendships and how they are one of the lasting benefits of an Orientation experience that helped turn a new campus into a community. 

Douglas Jones (BES ’93) has spent his career reimagining where and how children learn. As principal of Limehouse Public School, he has helped embed outdoor and sustainability-focused learning throughout school life, building on an interest first sparked during a Waterloo co-op term in outdoor education. His leadership has helped Limehouse earn EcoSchools Platinum certification for five consecutive years while influencing educators and school leaders well beyond his own school.  

Dr. Kate Linden (PhD ’18) is an ecological economist, educator and community-engaged researcher challenging conventional ideas about how we define progress. Now an associate professor at Cape Breton University, she works alongside communities on issues ranging from rural aging to ecological footprints. Across her work, she returns to the same idea: lasting change depends less on speed and optimization than on care, relationships and the communities that sustain them. 

Adam Clark (BAS ’06, MArch ’09) has created a bridge between Waterloo classrooms and real-world city building. Through years of collaboration as a project client, guest lecturer, critic and mentor, the City of Kitchener urban designer has given students opportunities to tackle active planning challenges while bringing their research and ideas into municipal decision-making. That relationship has contributed to projects including Growing Together, Kitchener’s award-winning framework for growth around its ION light rail stations.