Location: via Zoom
You are invited to attend an interdisciplinary workshop to explore synergies among experts engaged in environmental research that encompasses measurements and modelling, along with scientists and engineers developing sensor technology. The environmental measurements include variables typically quantified to assess climate, air and water quality. The sensor technology is based on photonics and nanomaterials. The modelling covers the current status of regional and global scale models and research needs that could motivate new observations and lab experiments to improve the predictive power of environmental models.
The workshop organizers hope that bringing together scientists and engineers across different disciplines will spur cross fertilization of ideas, identify knowledge gaps and limitations of existing technologies and facilitate collaborations among research groups across Waterloo.
Hence, the workshop would contain talks by invited speakers and breakout sessions for discussion among attendees on the following topics: cryosphere processes, greenhouse gases and water quality, nanotechnology in environmental monitoring, and urban air pollution measurements. The confirmed invited speakers are:
- Christine Dow (Department of Geography and Environmental Management, UW)
- Philippe van Cappellen (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, UW)
- Simarjeet Saini (ECE Department, UW)
- Vassili Karanassios (Department of Chemistry, UW)
- Hind Al-Abadleh (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, (Laurier)
The two main deliverables of this workshop would be (a) a final report that summarizes the main takeaways from the invited talks, the research questions/needs that emerged during the breakout sessions, and an outlook/recommendations section for future work, and (b) identification of a core group of individuals who would be interested in launching a UW-Laurier Center to be one of the Canadian nodes affiliated with the Global Environmental Measurement and Modelling (GEMM), which is a joint initiative between the Optical Society (OSA) and the American Geophysical Union.
The workshop is free to attend. Registration is required.
We look forward to seeing you at the workshop.
The Organizers: Donna Strickland (UW), Vassili Karanassios (UW), Nandita Basu (UW), Maria Strack (UW) and Hind Al-Abadleh (Laurier)
Schedule
Morning session: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Session Chair: Donna Strickland (Department of Physics and Astronomy, UW)
| Time | Agenda |
|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. | Opening remarks: Donna Strickland |
| 9:10 |
Talk 1: Christine Dow (Department of Geography and Environmental Management, UW) “Glaciers snap wires: a wireless future for monitoring ice dynamics” |
| 9:30 | Discussion |
| 9:40 |
Talk 2: Vassili Karanassios (Department of Chemistry, UW) “Miniaturization and nanotechnologies in Analytical Chemistry as applied to Global Environmental Measurement and Monitoring” |
| 10:00 | Discussion |
| 10:10 | Break |
| 10:30 |
Breakout session: Networking: Round table introduction Icebreaker Question: What environmental parameters need to be better measured and could be addressed by bringing together Waterloo experts across the spectrum from climate modelling, environmental measurement to sensor technology. |
| 11:15 |
Plenary Session: Chair: Donna Strickland Breakout sessions report back and have further discussion |
| 12:00 p.m. | Break |
Afternoon session: 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Session Chair: Maria Strack (Department of Geography and Environmental Management, UW)
| Time | Agenda |
|---|---|
| 1:00 p.m. |
Talk 3: Simarjeet Saini (ECE Department, UW) “Reducing Food Waste: The role of smart sensors” |
| 1:20 | Discussion |
| 1:30 |
Talk 4: Philippe van Cappellen (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, UW) “Innovation in Water Quality Sensors: From Concept to Real World Applications” |
| 1:50 | Discussion |
| 2:00 |
Talk 4: Hind Al-Abadleh (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, WLU) “Monitoring the status of air quality and climate for improved modelling and evidence-based policy” |
| 2:20 | Discussion |
| 2:30 |
Break |
| 2:45 |
Breakout session: Networking: Round table introduction Follow-up Question: What is the best structure to facilitate broader collaboration - who else should be at the table: public policy, knowledge translation, data management, computer software, health? |
| 3:30 |
Plenary Session: Chair Maria Strack Breakout sessions report back and have further discussion |
| 4:15 | Wrap up discussion – future directions: Donna Strickland |
| 4:30 | End of workshop |