News

The University of Waterloo has claimed the No. 1 position in Canada for water resources and climbed to 24th globally in the 2024 ShanghaiRanking’s Global Rankings of Academic Subjects—its highest position to date. Rising from 25th last year, the ranking underscores the university’s performance and reputation in water resources, a field critical to addressing escalating climate change and water security challenges worldwide.

The 50th Annual Canadian Ecotoxicity Workshop (CEW), themed "Reflecting on the Past, Charting the Future," will take place in downtown Kitchener, Ontario, from October 6-9, 2024. Originally known as the Aquatic Toxicity Workshop (ATW), CEW has grown into Canada’s leading annual gathering for experts in ecological toxicology and related fields.

The University of Waterloo has been awarded federal funding to tackle environmental challenges impacting the ecosystem health of the Great Lakes. Environment and Climate Change Canada recently announced support for 50 partner-led projects through their Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative.

In a proactive move towards enhancing flood resilience planning, researchers from the University of Waterloo and Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) have partnered with the BC Provincial Government's Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (the Ministry) to produce a series of pivotal research reports aimed at helping British Columbia (B.C.) communities to better prepare for and adapt to flooding.

In September, the Collaborative Water Program (CWP) welcomed back graduate students from across the University to join the WATER 602 course, a field course on integrated water management set in the Grand River watershed. The course returned to the Grand River, visiting with partners from the headwaters to Six Nations. The goal was help train the next generation of water leaders by helping students understand the complex trade-offs in water management and the tools for addressing them, learning first-hand from a wide range of partners.

The Water Institute is excited to announce its 2024-25 WaterTalks, a five-part speaker series designed to explore cutting-edge insights into today’s most pressing water challenges. This year’s lineup brings together leading experts who will share innovative approaches to water management, addressing complex issues like environmental risk, water contaminants, environmental justice, and advanced resource recovery.

Water Institute member Helen Jarvie, a professor of water and global environmental change in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, recently shared research demonstrating how local investments in wastewater treatment are improving water quality, in an article published in the Journal of Environmental Quality.

Water Institute member Monica Emelko, Canada Research Chair in Water Science, Technology and Policy, and professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has recently been named section editor for Weather and Climate Change for the new peer-reviewed, open access journal, PLOS Water. 

Sector Impacts and Adaptation chapter of Canada in a Changing Climate: National Issues Report released on June 28^th, 2021

Water Institute and Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3) members and Waterloo Professors Daniel Scott and Jason Thistlethwaite are contributing authors of the Sector Impacts and Adaptation chapter of the Canada in a Changing Climate: National Issues Report, released on June 28^th, 2021 by the Government of Canada.

Climate change poses significant risks to water security in urban settings. Addressing this complex challenge requires collaboration and the incorporation of knowledge and expertise from various disciplines.