News archive - September 2020

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Nandita Basu receives AGU's Sulzman Award for Excellence in Education and Mentoring Award

The Sulzman Award for Excellence in Education and Mentoring is presented annually to a mid-career female scientist in recognition of significant contributions as a role model and mentor for the next generation of biogeoscientsts.

Monday, September 28, 2020

Protecting our soil and food from mercury contamination

Mercury is used in a variety of industries, including textile manufacturing and gold and silver mining. When released into the environment, this highly toxic element causes widespread contamination of soil. As mercury enters rivers, lakes and oceans, it is converted to methylmercury, a neurotoxin that moves into the food chain through fish and seafood, posing a serious risk to human health.

Friday, September 25, 2020

Showing leadership on water in the Speech from the Throne

The Water Institute's executive director, Professor Roy Brouwer, was part of a joint submission from 38 leading water organizations, calling on the federal government to highlight the critical importance of water and promote the Canada Water Agency as a key priority in the Speech from the Throne.

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Water Institute member receives outstanding engineer recognition

Water Institute member John Yeow, a Waterloo Engineering faculty member and the Canada Research Chair in Micro and Nanodevices, has been honoured with IEEE Canada’s Outstanding Engineer Award for 2020.

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Most Canadians don’t know they are living in high-risk flood areas

Most Canadians living in flood risk areas do not know their homes are in danger, which could cost Canadian taxpayers billions in population resettlement.

In a survey of 2,500 people living in designated flood-risk areas across the country, only six per cent knew their homes were at risk, according to a new report from the University of Waterloo’s Partners for Action, with funding support from The Co-operators Group Ltd. Only a quarter of respondents said their insurance representative had discussed flood coverage options with them.