Faculty

The School of Environment, Enterprise and Development is delighted to introduce Professor Rosella Carè, who joined SEED on May 1st as Assistant Professor and the holder of the RBC Professorship in Sustainability and Financial Management.

Professor Carè joins us from the University of Cagliari, where she was Assistant Professor of Banking and Finance. She received a Ph.D. in Sciences de Gestion at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) of Paris and a Ph.D. in Healthcare Management and Economics at the University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro (Italy). She currently holds a Marie Curie Research (Global) Fellowship, a prestigious and highly competitive award administered by the European Commission. Dr. Carè was a visiting researcher at the University of Waterloo in 2021/22.

Dr. Carè has served as the Principal Investigator of the research project "COPERNICUS - Social Finance for Social Enterprises: Theory and Practice to build a more inclusive society," which was funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellowship. Her expertise lies in the areas of social and sustainable finance, alternative finance (fintech), impact investing, sustainable banking, ESG, climate risks, and financial stability. Dr Carè has a strong record of publications, including three books in the sustainable finance area.

We look forward to the contributions Rosella will make to our department and programs, and to through the initiatives and outreach associated with the RBC Professorship in Sustainability and Financial Management.

Most people try to understand ‘happiness’ from a purely philosophical perspective since it is believed that scientific exactitude has little to do with this construct. While the art of happiness (or the route to happiness) has a rich tradition in Eastern and Western literature, the scientific aspect of it (or the root of happiness) has often been neglected. Besides, the positive emotion of happiness is a far less emphasized area of research, in comparison to research on negative emotions like anxiety or depression.  

Given this backdrop, the present talk will address issues like: (a) challenges in understanding happiness as a construct, (b) observed evidence in scientific domain, and (c) establishing happiness as a transdisciplinary field of study.

Date: Thursday, June 08, 2023 

Time: 
11:00 am - 12:30 pm: Main event (Talk)
12:30 pm -   2:00 pm: Lunch

Location:
Alumni Hall (201), United College, University of Waterloo, 190 Westmount Rd N, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G5

Speaker: Prof. Manas Kumar Mandal | Cognitive neuropsychologist serving as a distinguished professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

Chair: Prof. Bruce Frayne | Dean, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo

Free Registration. Seats are limited. Please register here 

Based on a recently concluded study Illuminating Hidden Harvests (IHH): the contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development, this webinar uncovers the contributions and impacts of small-scale fisheries through a multidisciplinary approach to data collection and analysis. It aims to contribute to a more holistic understanding of what small-scale fisheries are, their importance, why they are essential for efforts to achieve the SDGs. By using this knowledge wisely within a human rights-based approach in line with the SSF Guidelines, and by empowering small-scale fishers and fishworkers, a more inclusive, equitable, sustainable and resilient small-scale scale fisheries subsector can be achieved, supporting the transition from vulnerability to viability. Click here to view an infographic on this context.

Title of the Webinar: The Transition From Vulnerability to Viability Through Illuminating Hidden Harvests
Date: May 26, 2023 (Friday)
Time: 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM UTC (8:00 AM to 9:15 AM EDT - 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM CEST - Convert to your local time here)
Speaker: Nicole Franz | Equitable Livelihoods Team Leader at FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) Fisheries Division
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdr0tNWk_hM (watch this webinar live and participate in its Q&A session)

Click HERE or see the attached poster for more details about this webinar.

Dr. Neil Craik, law professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development and Waterloo Climate Interventions Strategies Lab member, is part of a growing area of research critically assessing the impacts and governance challenges of large-scale climate interventions in the world’s oceans. Recently, he was part of a team of experts assembled by the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative that were tasked with assessing and recommending paths on how to tackle this emerging challenge. Their new paper, Deep-sea impacts of climate interventions, which appears in the journal Science, explores the environmental risks of climate interventions, the current ocean governance challenges and what needs to be done to address them.

Originally posted on Waterloo News

New research finds that Canada’s electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) has more than tripled in the last two decades, the equivalent of filling the CN tower 110 times and generating close to a million tons in 2020 alone. 

The University of Waterloo researchers completed the first comprehensive estimate of e-waste in Canada to understand its lifecycle, from sales of electronic items to e-waste generation. Their findings reveal that the e-waste generation per person has increased from 8.3 kg in 2000 to 25.3 kg in 2020. The e-waste in Canada is expected to continue rising in the near future and underscores the need for proactive forecasts to better manage the evolving electronics sector.

“This study provides useful insights to policymakers for setting up targets for e-waste reduction and recycling to recover valuable resources from e-waste,” said Komal Habib, professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development and Waterloo Industrial Ecology Group. “E-waste could also help to create a secondary supply chain of critical materials, reducing the risks of potential supply disruptions.”

The estimated growth of e-waste is attributed to consumer habits and Canada’s growing population. As the number of households increases, so does consumption. The study found that large household appliances, such as refrigerators and washing machines, dominate the e-waste stream considering mass. However, the less bulky items dominate in quantity; household lighting is the top item, followed by toys and sports equipment, and information technology (IT) and telecommunications equipment, such as cellphones and laptops.

There are pros and cons of the expected increase in e-waste for the recycling industry. When it comes to IT and telecommunication equipment, the industry’s efforts to make lightweight products are leading to the dilution of precious and critical materials per product, creating a challenge for recyclers to recover. However, increasing quantities of this e-waste could lead to potential incentives for the continuous operation of the recycling industries.

“The findings will be beneficial for stakeholders to explore possible material and revenue generation opportunities from e-waste,” said Habib. “For example, it can help electronic manufacturers and recyclers to understand the potential for urban mining, plan for future extractions of critical materials, and identify the need for safe handling of any hazardous materials.”

The study also indicates that more attention should be given to improving repair, refurbishment, and product life extension opportunities rather than focusing solely on recycling and material recovery. In the future, the researchers indicated that assessing consumer behaviour data to create a more accurate and complete picture of e-waste management in Canada is necessary to better inform sustainable management practices.

The study, A first comprehensive estimate of electronic waste in Canada, appears in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

“Look beyond the beauty of our coastal wetlands, and you’ll find this habitat is hard at work,” starts the short video by Navya Vikraman Nair, PhD candidate in Sustainability Management (Water). Her work has been selected as one of this year’s top 25 Storytelling Challenge finalists; a national competition run by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

The annual contest, now in its 10^th edition, challenges postsecondary students from across the country to show Canadians, in up to three minutes or 300 words, how social sciences and humanities research is affecting our lives, our world and our future for the better. Navya submitted a video about her current research on linkages among water quality, blue carbon ecosystems and coastal fisheries.

"I am beyond thrilled and honored to be selected as a finalist among the Top 25 in 2023 SSHRC Storytellers challenge” she said. “It's an honour to have the opportunity to share my research and its importance with a wider audience, and I am grateful for the chance to inspire others to take action towards a more sustainable future."

The top 25 storytellers were selected from a pool of nearly 200 applicants and represent 14 postsecondary institutions. Each finalist is awarded a cash prize and will compete for a top five spot in this year’s showcase.

Finalists will present their story at the Storytellers Showcase at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences on Monday, May 29, 2023, at 9 a.m. E.T.at York University. The final five winners will be chosen from among the 25 finalists and will be revealed at a Big Thinking event the same day.  

SEED wishes to congratulate L. Feor and D. V. Jones on receiving the Best SEED PhD Qualifying exam. The Qualifying Exam Committee recognized both of these papers for their unique and ambitious answers, depth and breadth of knowledge, critical thinking and writing quality.

If anyone is interested in reading the papers, please contact the authors.

Updated March 28, 2023 - Application deadline extended to June 1^st for MEDI program. Please contact meb-mdp-medi.graduateinquiries@uwaterloo.ca prior to applying to discuss your interest in this program.