raduate students at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo will mark World Water Day next week with a day-long celebration.
WATERLOO, Ont. (Wednesday, March 16, 2011) - Graduate students at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo will mark World Water Day next week with a day-long celebration that includes talks on water science, technology and policy.
In 1992, the United Nations declared March 22 as World Water Day, an international day of observance for the importance of freshwater resources.
"Our World Water Day event will highlight university water research and raise awareness about local and global water issues," said James Craig, communications chair of the University of Waterloo’s Water Institute and a professor of civil and environmental engineering.
The day begins at 10:30 a.m. in Waterloo's Centre for Environmental and Information Technology with networking and opening ceremonies led by David Rudolph, executive director of the Water Institute.
Thomas Homer-Dixon, environment professor and chair of global systems at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, will give a keynote address entitled Water, Climate and Energy: Addressing Global Challenges with Local Resilience.
Following lunch, a graduate student research fair will be held featuring research seminars and poster presentations. There will also be more than 25 exhibitors attending the event, including local government, community groups and industry.
"Given that Canada has nine per cent of global freshwater resources, hosting collaborative events like World Water Day is an important step towards the sustainable management of water," said graduate student organizer Jana Tondu.
The day will end with closing ceremonies at 4 p.m., followed by food and refreshments at the University of Waterloo’s Grad House at 5:00 p.m.
For more information on the day’s activities, visit water.uwaterloo.ca.
The event is sponsored and organized by the Water Institute, Students of the Water Institute Graduate Section, Laurier Institute for Water Science and Laurier Cold Regions Research Centre.
About the University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada's Technology Triangle, is one of Canada's leading comprehensive universities. Waterloo is home to 30,000 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students who are dedicated to making the future better and brighter. Waterloo, known for the largest post-secondary co-operative education program in the world, supports enterprising partnerships in learning, research and discovery. For more information about Waterloo, visit www.uwaterloo.ca.
Contacts:
James Craig, professor, civil and environmental engineering, 519-888-4567 ext. 37554 or jrcraig@uwaterloo.ca
Joanna Magee, communications officer, faculty of science, 519-888-4567 ext. 38983 or jmagee@uwaterloo.ca
John Morris, Waterloo media relations, 519-888-4435 or john.morris@uwaterloo.ca
Waterloo news release no. 15
