News

A University of Waterloo press release.

As snow flurries mark the beginning of winter, a team of University of Waterloo researchers have digitized the white stuff into a new model that can be applied to better understand the impact of climate change.

SPLITSnow is a "light transport" model and is part of a larger body of research that simulates how light interacts with complex materials. While previous models exist, SPLITSnow is one of the most comprehensive models to date, which accounts for a variety of snowpack properties, such as density and water content, as well as the size and shape distributions of the individual grains. In addition, SPLITSnow attempts to account for the grains' crystalline makeup.

By Kendra Shields, Lujyne Amro, Diana Pena, Favour Ozordi and Cassandra Sherlock.

The recent Pollution Probe The “Right Here, Right Now” conference and gala was a dynamic and insightful gathering, fostering a shared commitment to environmental stewardship. A delegation from the Water Institute along with attendees from diverse backgrounds came together to collaborate on pressing issues regarding our readiness for a clean economy with a focus on clean air, clean water, and a healthy planet.

Originally published by the Faculty of Science.

Growing up in Swansea, Wales, Dr. Stephen Evans was always interested in geology and geography and was fascinated by maps. When he took home the Royal Geographical Society Prize for the highest mark in Advanced Level Geography in Wales in 1966, it was the first step in a lifetime of involvement in engineering geosciences.   

The University of Waterloo jumped 9 places to rank 25th globally for Water Resources in this year's ShanghaiRanking Global Rankings of Academic Subjects (GRAS).

A University of Waterloo press release

An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Waterloo is using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify microplastics faster and more accurately than ever before.

Microplastics are commonly found in food and are dangerous pollutants that cause severe environmental damage – finding them is the key to getting rid of them.

On November 30th, the University of Waterloo community came together to support eight finalist teams as they pitched their business ideas for their chance at a slice of more than $20,000 in grants.

Maricor Arlos, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, honoured with CWP Alumni Award

The Water Institute is pleased to announce the recipient of the inaugural Collaborative Water Program (CWP) Alumni Achievement Award.

The award, introduced this year at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Collaborative Water Program, recognizes outstanding alumni contributions in their professional careers  and in community service. This year’s winner is Maricor Arlos, Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta.

The Water Institute is a proud participant in the University of Waterloo Green Office Initiative and has recently achieved Gold Certification.

The Green Office program challenges staff and faculty to make a tangible environmental impact on campus and in the home by implementing sustainable behaviors and practices. It recognizes departments for their achievements through a common scorecard, while allowing for new ideas, collaboration, and change.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. By Jovana Radosavljevic, Jiangyue Ju and Water Institute members David L Rudolph, Fereidoun Rezanezhad, Nancy Goucher and Philippe Van Cappellen.

As winter approaches, many communities in Canada and around the world arm themselves against icy roads and sidewalks with a time-honoured ally: road salt. For decades, applying road salt has been regarded as a simple but vital tool in countering the dangers of slippery road conditions, but the downsides of its use are apparent with implications that extend beyond the cold months.

Congratulations to four Water Institute members who have been named on the annual Highly Cited Researchers™ 2023 list from Clarivate.

Highly Cited Researchers™ are influential researchers at universities, research institutes and commercial organizations around the world who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their field(s) of research.

The evaluation and selection process draws on data from the Web of Science™ citation index, together with analysis performed by bibliometric experts and data scientists at the ISI at Clarivate™.