News

Twelve innovative projects will share a US$10 million competition pool to tackle flooding in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. The partnership between the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) and Z Zurich Foundation of Zurich Insurance, will see grants of up to US$1m awarded to teams offering innovative solutions to issues affecting flood-prone communities in the Horn of Africa and South and Southeast Asia. Almost 400 initial Challenge entries were whittled down to a final 12 solutions considered to have the greatest potential impact.

Several scholars (faculty and graduate student researchers) from the Department of Geography and Environmental Management will be presenting papers, leading sessions or will be members of expert panels at the American Association of Geographers meeting to be held in Boston, MA, from 5-9 April, 2017.

Two geography professors, Susan Elliott and Johanna Wandel, were awarded funds as part of Waterloo’s submission to the Queen Elizabeth Advanced Scholars (QES-AS) 2016 call, which funded projects at 23 Canadian universities.

Toronto's hot housing market has more young adults living at home with their parents. Geography and Environmental Management professor Nancy Worth spoke with The New York Times on the trend that shows 56.5 percent of people in their 20s (PDF) in the Toronto area still live with their parents, compared with 42 percent nationwide. Professor Worth said, despite negative stereotypes of lazy millennials free-loading in their parents' basements, many of these educated young professionals are actually making smart, strategic choices.

Susan J. Elliott, Professor of Geography, has been appointed to the Federal Food Expert Advisory Committee (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/consult/frac-ccra/index-eng.php).  The Food Expert Advisory Committee (FEAC) was established to provide Health Canada's Food Directorate (FD) with broad expert advice on its regulatory and administrative oversight of foods.

Five undergraduate and three graduate students recently attended the annual Canadian Risks and Hazards network (CRHnet) symposium on 22-25 November in Montreal. Students presented results from research carried out as part of the “Indonesia field course” (Geog 430C/692) run by Dr. Brent Doberstein in May 2016. 

GEM Distinguished Professor Emeritus honoured with UNWTO’s prestigious Ulysses Prize. Read the full story on the Faculty of Environment website.

More than 200 geographers and interdisciplinary scholars converged at the University of Waterloo this past weekend for the 2016 Canadian Association of Geographers - Ontario Division (CAGONT) Annual Meeting.

This year’s event breaks records as the largest CAGONT conference in the history of the organization, with participants from 19 universities.

Morgan Book, who graduated as part of the very first Master of Climate Change cohort in 2014, has been named one of Canada's Top 30 under 30 by Corporate Knights magazine. Morgan heads up the Youth Conservation Corps of Nova Scotia's Clean Foundation. Read more about Morgan and the rest of the 30 Under 30 here: http://www.corporateknights.com/reports/2016-30-under-30/meet-canadian-top-30-30-2-14763312/.