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With more than half of the world's wetlands destroyed over the past century, Canada is home to about a quarter of what's left, and the University of Waterloo is leading the national conversation highlighting the vital economic and environmental role of wetlands.

The University of Waterloo is bringing together international scientists, economists and policy experts to discuss wetland conservation and sustainability on Friday, January 31. As water system experts, the Ecohydrology Research Group in the Faculty of Science at Waterloo is leading the discussion.

The following professors from the University of Waterloo are available to discuss the news that Ontario will raise the minimum wage to $11 per hour, effective June 1.

Professor Thomas Scott, director, School of Accounting and Finance

People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are less able to consider the perspective of their conversational partner, says research from the University of Waterloo. The findings may lead to new remediation that can improve the way individuals with the disorder interact and communicate with others.

The research appears in two published studies. One in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research is focused on children. The other addresses adults and appears in the Journal of Attention Disorders.

Researchers at the Centre for Contact Lens Research (CCLR) at the University of Waterloo are seeking participants to be part of a study to determine the effectiveness of contact lenses for people with high prescriptions.

"There are limited contact lens options for people with extremely high prescriptions," said Dr. Jill Woods, the lead investigator of the study and a manager of the centre’s clinical research studies. "This kind of study helps to develop more products in this category, which will ultimately enable more people to successfully wear contact lenses."

The University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering, Canada’s largest engineering school and a leader in green energy research, will launch a graduate diploma in green energy to provide professional development for working engineers through real-time online learning.

Local students who need to find volunteer jobs and keep track of their hours to graduate from high school will be getting help from a University of Waterloo startup.

Charity Republic has announced that an online tool, Hour Republic, will be rolled out to new high school students in the Waterloo Catholic District School Board this summer.

The University of Waterloo’s Engineering Science Quest (ESQ) outreach program has been awarded the 2013 Actua & GE Canada Award for Leadership and Innovation in science and technology education.

The award recognizes ESQ’s dedication to high impact quality programs, ongoing leadership and supportive engagement of Canada’s most underserved youth.

Canadian music icon, Bruce Cockburn, will play a solo concert at the University of Waterloo campus next month as part of Conrad Grebel University College's 50^th anniversary celebrations this year.

Cockburn will play at the J.G. Hagey Hall of the Humanities at Waterloo at 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 13. Tickets are available for purchase from the theatre box office by calling 519-888-4908, or visiting https://uwaterloo.ca/grebel/cockburn.

As the debate continues in several cities surrounding the potential impact of light rail transit (LRT), a researcher from the University of Waterloo is harnessing the power of big data to help gather new insights into how transit systems might transform urban redevelopment and affect the housing market.

Professor Dawn Parker of the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo is the lead researcher on a project that will also analyze and compare data from computerized simulation models.

The University of Waterloo has launched its new and innovative Doctor of Pharmacy program, giving future pharmacists even more opportunity to meet Ontario's modern health-care needs.

Called PharmD, the new program replaces the previous entry-to-practice degree. It provides students with advanced clinical training to closely align with the recently expanded scope of practice for pharmacists across Canada, and prepares them for the direct patient care roles of today’s practitioners.