This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Farvolden lecture series.
Hosted by the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, this annual lecture honours Dr. Robert Farvolden, who established the department’s world-renowned groundwater research program in the 1970s. It brings together members of the department, alumni of the hydrogeology program, and the groundwater community at large.
What started as a grassroots effort to bring alumni back to campus has evolved into one of the largest alumni events, attracting between 150 and 200 alumni annually. Dr. David Rudolph and Lorraine Albrecht have been organizing the event since its inception. Looking back, they are thrilled at how the event has evolved to serve the Waterloo community over the last three decades.
“When we started, we expected it might last 10 years,” says Rudolph. “Instead, it has grown into something so popular, that if we thought about cancelling it, we would have a riot on our hands!”
When the series went online during the pandemic, Albrecht notes, it was attended by people from around the world. As a result, the series is still streamed live, recorded and posted.
The Farvolden lecture series continues to attract attention from the groundwater community abroad. “To be asked to be a Farvolden lecturer is a prestigious invitation,” says Rudolph. “The series now has an international reputation.”
This year’s lecture, delivered at the end of October by Dr. David Blowes, addressed mineral resource development, a topic particularly relevant today. “David was ideal for our thirtieth anniversary,” says Rudolph. “Not only was his topic timely, he’s also one of our superstars who hasn’t yet been able to give this lecture.”
This will be the last year Rudolph and Albrecht organize the series. Albrecht is retiring in the spring, and Rudolph feels it’s a good time to pass it into fresh hands. With new organizers, they look forward to the series continuing to evolve to stay current and interesting to the next generation of groundwater researchers as well as those outside the field while retaining the character it has come to embody.
“It's important that it gets to transition to a new generation,” Rudoph says. “Lorraine and I are biased, but we think we’re handing off a Ferrari! We hope it maintains its spirit. It’s free. It’s open to everyone. And it’s a super fun afternoon every year.”
Check out the most recent Farvolden lecture.