News

When the University’s research labs shut down for quarantine, biology professor and Water Institute member Brian Dixon pivoted some of his research away from blood testing in fish, into looking at blood testing in humans. Instead of sitting around and waiting for his labs to open again, Dixon wanted to use his time and knowledge of biology and immunology to contribute to the global need for understanding and overcoming COVID-19.

Canada’s provinces and territories received a grade of C on flood preparedness, as determined following a two-year national study completed in 2019.

The Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo interviewed 139 provincial and territorial government representatives responsible for managing floods, climate-related risks and emergency services from across all regions of Canada to calculate the grade.

A new initiative launched by two Water Institute students seeks to raise awareness and celebrate people of colour in water-related disciplines. The creators kindly provided the following information on their important initiative.

Spencer Weinstein, PhD student in the Collaborative Water Program and Waterloo’s Department of Biology, has won the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for academic excellence, research potential, and leadership.

Insurance and environmental experts believe that more needs to be done in order to counter the rising risk of flooding across Canada.

According to a study published in June by researchers at Environment and Climate Change Canada, climate change has made rainfall more severe in recent years, and has also made storms with extreme rainfall more frequent.

One of the methods provincial governments have used to address the rising risk of flooding is by offering to buy out properties from homeowners living in high flood risk areas.

Antarctic ice shelves can disappear astonishingly fast — sometimes in minutes or hours — as meltwater surges through cracks in their surface. And as the atmosphere warms, this phenomenon may become more commonplace; at least half of the ice shelves on the continent are vulnerable to this process, a new study suggests.

Lake Futures, a University of Waterloo-led project under the Global Water Futures program, has announced the launch of a new webinar series. This series will be an opportunity for the non-academic community to engage with Lake Futures researchers, as they share their latest findings and discuss implications for water policies, programs, and plans in Ontario.

Water Institute member Monica Emelko, professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, comments on her research on Fort McMurray's water supply in an article written by Bob Weber for CBC News. 

In May 2016, the Fort McMurray wildfire swept through nearly 6,000 square kilometres of boreal forest in northern Alberta. Fort McMurray lost 2,400 buildings, and 88,000 people were forced from their homes.

After three years as the University of Guelph’s Dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Mary Wells has returned to the University of Waterloo to serve as the new Dean of Engineering.

Starting July 1^st, she began her five-year appointment and will be Waterloo Engineering's ninth dean, the second woman to hold the post succeeding Pearl Sullivan, and interim dean Rick Culham.