News

We are delighted to announce that Professor Roy Brouwer has been re-appointed as the Water Institute’s Executive Director, after extensive consultation of all Water Institute members last year. Brouwer, who has been in the role since 2016, began his second term as Executive Director on January 1, 2021.

The Water Institute together with the Gordon Foundation and the Lake Futures project recently released a report that documents outcomes of a “Data Needs in the Great Lakes” workshop held virtually on December 2-3, 2020.

Susan Elliott, a researcher in Geography and Environmental Management joins an esteemed group of international health researchers in receiving the 2020 Melinda S. Meade Distinguished Scholarship Award in Health and Medical Geography.

Researchers have answered key questions to help prevent damage and improve the safety of hydraulic systems used for pipelines, water turbines and other applications.

The work, led by engineers at the University of Waterloo, investigates a phenomenon known as cavitation, or the formation and collapse of destructive gas-filled bubbles resulting from rapid pressure changes in liquids.

Cavitation is behind a well-known party trick that involves shattering the bottom of a liquid-filled bottle by striking its open top with the palm of your hand.

Established in 2012 by Dean Doug Peers, the Arts Awards for Service, Teaching and Research recognize exceptional contributions made by faculty, staff and students in the Faculty of Arts. This year, two Water Institute members were awarded the Arts Award for Excellence in Research:  Roy Brouwer, professor in Economics and the executive director of the Water Institute, and Daniel Henstra, professor in Political Science. 

The Faculty of Arts wrote:

Professor Michel Fich helps paint the most complete picture ever of how water ends up on newly forming planets

Water is essential for life as we know it – water makes up around 70% of the human body, covers about 70% of the planet Earth, has been found in the far reaches of our universe, and is at the centre of our search for habitable planets around other stars.

Agricultural phosphorus losses contributing to eutrophication of surface water is a global concern. The re-eutrophication of Lake Erie over recent decades has emerged as a cautionary lesson in long-term watershed management. Despite controls on phosphorus discharges from point sources, particularly agriculture, and the application of conservation practices on farm fields, harmful and nuisance algal blooms are again common in Lake Erie and affect tourism, recreation, commercial fisheries and property owners in communities in USA and Canada alike.

On Monday, Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced funding for almost $3M to study the effects of contaminants on aquatic ecosystems across Canada.

Four Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Masters students are the latest winners of UWaterloo's Concept $5K challenge.

In February 2021, Students of the Water Institute Graduate Section invited students in grades 4-7 in the Kitchener-Waterloo area to participate in an art contest called, Water and You. The goal of the contest was to provide students with an opportunity to learn about water-related issues while expressing their creativity by creating original artwork that directly relates to a current water issue here in Canada or globally. This year's theme was WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene).