A leading international expert on the state of the world’s freshwater resources, NASA scientist and University of California professor Jay Famiglietti, will deliver “Water and Sustainability: 21st Century realities and the global groundwater crisis” on Thursday, April 28 at 4p.m. at the University of Waterloo’s Davis Centre.
Presented as the 2016 Water Institute RBC Distinguished Lecture, Famiglietti will discuss how the evolving water cycle of the 21st century will result in the depletion of the world’s major groundwater aquifers, and a global regions of freshwater “haves” and “have-nots”. The lecture will address how water managers might cope with these “new normals”, and how food and energy production will be impacted. Famiglietti, whose work is often featured in the international news media, will also share personal experiences with science communication and water diplomacy.
Jay Famiglietti is the Senior Water Scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology. He is also a professor of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine, where he was Founding Director of the UC Center of Hydrologic Modeling. Famiglietti’s research group uses satellites and develops advanced computer models to track how freshwater availability is changing in California, the western U.S.A. and around the globe. A fellow of the American Geophysical Union and of the Geological Society of America, he is a frequent speaker, an avid writer and he is committed to science communication.
The RBC Distinguished Lecture will be preceded by The Water Institute’s annual Research Symposium, where the breadth and depth of the University of Waterloo’s water-related research and education will be showcased. The symposium will include a high-level panel discussion on designing research for action, talks from Waterloo water researchers whose work was recently in the news, and a several “three minute thesis” presentations from graduate students of The Water Institute.
Building on a tradition of excellence in water research and education, the University of Waterloo established The Water Institute in 2009. The purpose of the Institute is to facilitate collaboration, and to support excellence and innovation in interdisciplinary water research and education. Currently, the Institute includes over 140 faculty and 300 graduate student members, representing 18 departments and all six academic faculties at the University. In 2013, the University of Waterloo’s Water Institute was ranked as the 10th best water research institution in the world.
Water Institute RBC Distinguished Lecture event information can be found at: http://water.uwaterloo.ca/lecture/
Jay Famiglietti publicity photos can be downloaded at: https://jayfamiglietti.com/about-2/publicity-photos-2/
Selected Jay Famiglietti media coverage can be found at: https://jayfamiglietti.com/media/
