News archive - 2023

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Using AI to find microplastics

A University of Waterloo press release

An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Waterloo is using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify microplastics faster and more accurately than ever before.

Microplastics are commonly found in food and are dangerous pollutants that cause severe environmental damage – finding them is the key to getting rid of them.

Monday, December 4, 2023

Blackbird flood mapping solution takes home 5K at the Velocity Pitch Competition

On November 30th, the University of Waterloo community came together to support eight finalist teams as they pitched their business ideas for their chance at a slice of more than $20,000 in grants.

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Collaborative Water Program 2023 Alumni Achievement Award

Maricor Arlos, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, honoured with CWP Alumni Award

The Water Institute is pleased to announce the recipient of the inaugural Collaborative Water Program (CWP) Alumni Achievement Award.

The award, introduced this year at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Collaborative Water Program, recognizes outstanding alumni contributions in their professional careers and in community service. This year’s winner is Maricor Arlos, Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta.

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Water Institute certified GOLD in Green Office program

The Water Institute is a proud participant in the University of Waterloo Green Office Initiative and has recently achieved Gold Certification.

The Green Office program challenges staff and faculty to make a tangible environmental impact on campus and in the home by implementing sustainable behaviors and practices. It recognizes departments for their achievements through a common scorecard, while allowing for new ideas, collaboration, and change.

Monday, November 20, 2023

‘Forever contaminant’ road salts pose an icy dilemma: Do we protect drivers or our fresh water?

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. By Jovana Radosavljevic, Jiangyue Ju and Water Institute members David L Rudolph, Fereidoun Rezanezhad, Nancy Goucher and Philippe Van Cappellen.

As winter approaches, many communities in Canada and around the world arm themselves against icy roads and sidewalks with a time-honoured ally: road salt. For decades, applying road salt has been regarded as a simple but vital tool in countering the dangers of slippery road conditions, but the downsides of its use are apparent with implications that extend beyond the cold months.