News archive - August 2020

Monday, August 17, 2020

Collaborative Water Program takes interdisciplinary learning online

In September, the Collaborative Water Program will welcome back 36 students to complete Waterloo’s most interdisciplinary graduate program when they participate in the program’s Water 602 course. Traditionally taking place at various locations through the Grand River watershed, this year’s iteration of WATER 602 will take the core elements of the course online.

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Vanier Scholarship winner uses remote sensing to understand the impact climate change is having on Canada's lakes

Justin Murfitt, PhD student in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management and recipient of the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, is focussing his research on understanding the interaction between radar signals and lake ice in Canada, and how we can better monitor changes in the timing of lake ice cover and ice thickness.

Monday, August 10, 2020

The tell-tale sign of antibodies: Determining COVID-19 immunity with blood testing

When the University’s research labs shut down for quarantine, biology professor and Water Institute member Brian Dixon pivoted some of his research away from blood testing in fish, into looking at blood testing in humans. Instead of sitting around and waiting for his labs to open again, Dixon wanted to use his time and knowledge of biology and immunology to contribute to the global need for understanding and overcoming COVID-19.

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Canada’s grade on flood preparedness: C

Canada’s provinces and territories received a grade of C on flood preparedness, as determined following a two-year national study completed in 2019.

The Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo interviewed 139 provincial and territorial government representatives responsible for managing floods, climate-related risks and emergency services from across all regions of Canada to calculate the grade.

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Water Institute students launch Water Researchers of Colour database

A new initiative launched by two Water Institute students seeks to raise awareness and celebrate people of colour in water-related disciplines. The creators kindly provided the following information on their important initiative.