News archive - 2012

Monday, November 19, 2012

Pawliszyn wins environmental chemistry award

Congratulations are in order for Faculty of Science researcher Janusz Pawliszyn on being awarded the prestigious Environment Division Research and Development Award. This annual Canadian award recognizes distinguished contributions to research and/or development in the fields of environmental chemistry or environmental chemical engineering. Professor Pawliszyn is being awarded for developing ‘green’ sample preparation technologies.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Waterloo researcher wins Polanyi Prize

Science in the news

From the Record

WATERLOO — Two local researchers are among five recipients of the prestigious Polanyi Prize awarded by the provincial government.

Tao (Toby) Zeng, a post doctoral fellow at the University of Waterloo department of chemistry, and Jennifer Esmail, professor of English at Wilfrid Laurier University, were presented with their awards Friday.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Biology and physics intersect in new UW program

Science in the news

From the Record

WATERLOO — As medical care advances and becomes more technical and specialized, an education that combines both physics and biology is becoming invaluable.

In response, the University of Waterloo launched a new undergraduate program this fall — Life Physics — that integrates life and physical sciences to prepare students for work in the fast-evolving fields of health and biotechnology.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Waterloo researchers manufacture flood to study effects of extreme future

Science in the news

From the Globe and Mail

The Beverly Swamp does not look like a system in drought. The spongy ground, rich and moist and black, is littered with fallen leaves damp with fall drizzle as the Spencer Creek trickles quietly by.

But below the surface, this marsh outside of Cambridge, Ont., is deeply parched in yet another of the extreme weather events hitting this region with increasing regularity.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Study finds little environmental impact from oil sands

Science in the news

From the Globe and Mail

In 2010, a single oil-sands operation run by Suncor Energy released into the atmosphere 28,940 tonnes of volatile organic compounds, 22,210 tonnes of sulphur dioxide and 14,011 tonnes of particulate matter.

With those three types of substances combined, Suncor emitted into the air pollutants equivalent in weight to nearly 4,800 city buses – and the company operates just one of several mines sprawling across the landscape north of Fort McMurray, Alta.