Faculty of Environment Update 2014-15

Students discussing city plan model

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Strategic Initiatives: Research

  • Faculty of Environment research funding reached a record high amount ($7.2M) in 2014/15. The proportion from industrial and other non-governmental sources was also unprecedented.
  • With $1.1M funding from the Co-operators and Farm Mutual Reinsurance Plan, Waterloo’s Faculty of Environment became the lead academic institution in the Partners for Action (P4A) Network. This Network is working to improve flood resiliency in Canada in the face of a changing climate.
  • Professor Sarah Burch was awarded a Canada Research Chair in Sustainability Governance and Innovation. She also has been appointed as the North American coordinator of the Earth System Governance project’s Research Fellows.
  • Professor Brendon Larson’s research on the ethics of assisted migration – that is, moving trees to more habitable climates in the face of climate change — was cited in the New York Times.
  • Youthification — a term coined by Professor Markus Moos — refers to the process by which amenity-rich neighbourhoods experience an influx of young adults, aged 25 to 34, and remain young over time as older populations move out. His Generationed City project classifies cites and neighbourhoods on this measure. Moos’ project received media coverage in Austin, Edmonton, Houston, Seattle and Vancouver, among other cities.
  • Professor Simon Singh's research on examining the impact of humanitarian aid on the sustainability of the Nicobar Islands in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami is featured in the documentary film Aftermath, the second flood, which premiered in Vienna, Austria in October 2014.
  • Professor Susan Elliott received funding from the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships to develop a global wellbeing index (nicknamed GLOWING).
  • Professors Jennifer Clapp and Bruce Frayne participate in the newly-launched Hungry Cities Partnership. Supported by the International Development Research Council, this international network of researchers seeks to promote inclusive growth in the informal food sector in large cities across the Global South.
  • At the invitation of Electricité de France, Professor Ian Rowlands traveled to Paris to contribute his expertise on customer experiences with dynamic electricity pricing systems to an international workshop.
  • Professor Stephen Murphy addressed world leaders at a United Nations meeting in Sydney in Brisbane Australia on resilience and adaptation in novel ecosystems.
  • As Scientific Director of the Canadian Water Network, Professor Simon Courtenay contributed to the management of a record 51 projects across the country. The Network has established itself as the national leader driving progress on Canada’s critical water management challenges.
  • The Toronto Planning Dinner, an annual industry event organized by alumni, attracted more than 800 professionals in 2014. The dinner is but one illustration of the strong and mutually beneficial connection among the School of Planning, its researchers and practitioners.
  • Professors Steve Quilley and Rob Gorbet participated in a Metcalf Foundation-funded collaborative research project which focused on the Impact of Maker technologies (the technologies which allow individuals to create and build innovations) on ordinary people.
  • Professor Peter Johnson’s work on the impact of open data was recognized with an Ontario Early Researcher Award.
  • The Dean’s Office established an internal College of Reviewers to provide faculty members – particularly early-career academics – timely and strategic feedback on their research grant applications from peers before final submission.

  • The School of Environment and Enterprise Development (SEED) hosted the Communicating Sustainability in a Polarized World event in October 2014 where Canada’s 16th prime minister, the Right Honourable Joe Clark addressed over 300 people.

Strategic Initiatives: Academic Programming

  • Commander Chris Hadfield made his University of Waterloo debut as Professor Hadfield, teaching geography and aviation students in a third-year geography class on advanced remote sensing techniques.
  • In collaboration with Anishanaabe Elder Peter Schuler from Mississauga’s of the New Credit First Nation, Professor Dan McCarthy developed and launched a new course on introduction to Indigenous Knowledge. Co-taught with Elder Peter, the course Integrated traditional Anishanaabe teachings on the land, invasive species, time and knowledge with conventional scientific themes.
  • Doctoral student Michael McTavish’s research on the ecosystem impact of invasive earthworms was recognized for its national excellence through Natural Science and Engineering Research Council's André Hamer Postgraduate Prize for the most outstanding candidate in the master’s and doctoral scholarship competitions.
  • The Waterloo Summit Centre for the Environment hosted a series of student field courses and professional development courses – some were relatively both broad in scope (e.g., Conservation and Restoration Practice) while others were quite specific in their focus (e.g., Backpack Electrofishing).
  • Professor Chris Fletcher introduced user-friendly software into a course on climate modelling in order to help integrate lectures and labs, and to promote better knowledge retention of climate science concepts.
  • Working with the University of Bordeaux, Professor Steve Young is collaborating in a binational academic program for graduate students to examine the sustainability aspects of multifunctional materials like those found in cellphones and solar panels.
  • The new Master of Planning (MPlan) program, a three year part-time online coursework degree, received its first applications for a September 2015 launch.
  • Waterloo's Faculty of the Environment’s Teaching and Learning Committee released a report on Undergraduate Perspectives on Teaching and Learning to better understand the critical elements that contribute to a supportive learning environment. It focused on three themes: the key attributes of an effective instructor; the qualities that characterize an effective teaching assistant; and the most important elements in a high-quality course.
  • Professor Mary Louise McAllister’s commitment to experiential learning was recognized by REEP Green Solutions with the ‘Energetic Educator Award – Post Secondary’.
  • The economic development marketing firm DCI named Waterloo’s Local Economic Development program’s blog, ‘Higher ED: Insights for the Next Economy’, one of the top blogs in North America (and the only Canadian one on the list).
  • Faculty of Environment undergraduate students were exposed to international learning opportunities in each of the Faculty’s five units, including:
    • Environment and Resource Studies: student-centred Jamaica field course focused upon environmental change and policy in a coastal-marine context;
    • Geography and Environmental Management: Waterloo students spent several weeks in Nanjing on projects related to food security and tourism planning;
    • International Development: 27 undergraduates participated in eight-month field placements in eight different countries, contributing to development projects Vietnam, Nepal, Peru, Malawi, Botswana, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Senegal;
    • Knowledge Integration: the annual museum course was in Berlin, Germany; and
    • Planning: an Oxford course gave students a first-hand experience of planning in the United Kingdom.