Research

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.

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.

Claims by cigar distributor Casa Cubana that flavoured tobacco products are not a threat to today’s youth are at odds with research, say researchers at the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo.

On Tuesday the Quebec-based company issued a press release claiming that anti-tobacco groups and health organizations are misleading the public and governments on the dangers of flavoured tobacco use among youth by promoting a limited interpretation of Heath Canada’s Youth Smoking Survey (YSS), conducted by Propel.

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."

André Linhares is a University of Waterloo doctoral student who uses mathematical models to help children with facial deformities.

Linhares, a PhD student in the Faculty of Math, is working with surgeons at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children to help ensure the best possible outcome for children who undergo skull surgery.

Only six of the previous Winter Olympics host cities will be cold enough to reliably host the Games by the end of this century if global warming projections prove accurate, a new Waterloo study has found.

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.

Only six of the previous Winter Olympics host cities will be cold enough to reliably host the Games by the end of this century if global warming projections prove accurate.

A man carries his skis as snow melts at the limit of the ski slopes in Whistler on February 8, 2010. (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Teenagers – the much-maligned group with a bad rap for making poor choices – have lower smoking rates than virtually all other adults, according to a new report published by the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo.

The report shows that smoking prevalence is highest - 22 per cent - among young adults aged 25-34-years old. That’s double the smoking rate for teens. The report shows about 11 per cent of youth aged 15-19-years old reported smoking in 2012.