News

There is an unusual new way to track COVID-19. Researchers in Ontario, including Water Institute member Professor Mark Servos' research group, are actually testing wastewater for traces of the disease in hopes of identifying the hotspots ahead of a potential second wave. The testing is happening in multiple areas including Durham Region, Windsor-Essex, London, Toronto, Waterloo, Kingston and Ottawa.

Two Water Institute members have been named members of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Maria Strack, professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, and Josh Neufeld, professor in the Department of Biology, join three other Waterloo researchers named Royal Society of Canada fellows and members of the College.

In July of 2018, a discussion between Paul General, then-Wildlife Manager at Six Nations of the Grand River, and Elaine Ho, PhD Candidate in Waterloo’s Social and Ecological Sustainability program and Collaborative Water Program, resulted in the idea to engage the Six Nations community through the arts.  Elaine then worked with co-creator Richelle Miller, Coordinator of Music for the Spirit and Indigenous Visual Arts, to develop the Grand Expressions exhibit - a project to capture the perspectives of Indigenous youth in a cultu

Since the 1960s, eutrophication has been a critical problem in Lake Erie. High phosphorus concentrations in lake water are considered to be one of the major drivers that causes eutrophication leading to an overgrowth of algae. After the restriction of phosphorus use in household products, and upgrades of wastewater treatment plants, eutrophication was absent in the lake from 1980 to the mid-1990s.

Water Institute member Neil Thomson, a professor in Waterloo's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, has been awarded the 2020 Keith E Anderson Award for scientists and engineers who make outstanding contributions to the National Ground Water Association (NGWA).

Municipal bylaws that limit when residents are permitted to water lawns and gardens every summer effectively reduce consumption only during particularly hot, dry periods, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo analyzed more than a decade of data from 10 mid-sized Canadian cities that restrict outdoor water use and compared them with five cities that don’t impose limits.

Congratulations to Water Institute member and Canada Research Chair in Ecosystems and Climate Maria Strack from Geography and Environmental Management who has had her NSERC Tier 2 funding renewed at $100,000 over five years.

In September, the Collaborative Water Program will welcome back 36 students to complete Waterloo’s most interdisciplinary graduate program when they participate in the program’s Water 602 course. Traditionally taking place at various locations through the Grand River watershed, this year’s iteration of WATER 602 will take the core elements of the course online.  

Justin Murfitt, PhD student in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management and recipient of the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, is focussing his research on understanding the interaction between radar signals and lake ice in Canada, and how we can better monitor changes in the timing of lake ice cover and ice thickness.

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.