News

Four researchers from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences are the co-recipients of a $672,000 USD grant from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) to study the fate of groundwater pollutants in arid regions.

The Waterloo team, all members of the Water Institute, are part of a consortium including researchers from Qatar University, United Arab Emirates University, Utrecht University, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, and Université Libre de Bruxelles.

CBC News recently featured a story on the rising cost of providing clean drinking water to Fort McMurray after the 2016 wildfire. The city's water treatment plant is spending more on food-grade chemicals to remove burnt forest-floor ash that's flushing into the municipality's drinking water supply.

Water Institute member Monica Emelko has been working with the province and the municipality since day one to monitor the wildfire's impact on the Athabasca River.

The story includes an interview by Emelko an, Associate Professor in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and her team. 

Kicking off the Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters dialogues on Sunday, the University of Waterloo’s research strengths in climate change, natural disasters and flood mitigation were highlighted by Jean Andrey, dean of the Faculty of Environment, during her opening remarks at the launch event.

As Ontario reviews water-taking permit charges for bottled water companies like Nestlé, Water Institute member Rob de Loë urges us to think beyond the bottle.

A diagram representing Hug's "tree of life."

Biology professor Laura Hug’s A New View of the Tree of Life is ranked one of the most-discussed journal articles of 2016, according to Altmetric’s top 100 articles of 2016 list.

Minister Chagger (far right) announces Waterloo grant winners, including Water Institute members David Blowes (second from right) and James R. Craig (third from right).

Water research was among several areas to receive substantial government support this past week from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Canada Research Chairs (CRC) grants. The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Minister of Small Business and Tourism, and member of parliament for Waterloo, revealed seven University of Waterloo award recipients — including Water Institute members David Blowes and James R. Craig — Friday during a special announcement in the University’s Science Teaching Complex.

Two Water Institute members have been elected to the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

Members have reached a high level of achievement at an early stage of their careers. They represent the emerging generation of scholars and leaders in science and the arts in the country. Membership is for seven years.

Water - On Exhibition drew Waterloo students, across a wide range of disciplines, eager to showcase their research and designs on water as a renewable resource.

Held on Oct. 6 at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture in Cambridge, ON, the exhibition was a collaboration between Students of the Water Institute Graduate Section (SWIGS) and the BRIDGE Centre of Architecture + Design.

The Waterloo Chronicle and the Waterloo Region Record published an op-ed by Water Institute member and Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Barry Warner.

Warner studies the dynamics of natural, restored, and created wetlands using a variety of ecological and paleoecological indicators. These methods are used to study wetland ecosystems across a variety of spatial scales and temporal scales.