News

The United Nations University - Institute for Water, Environment, and Health (UNU-INWEH), together with the Walter and Duncan Gordan Foundation and the InterAction Council, has produced a book entitled The Global Water Crisis: Addressing an Urgent Security Issue.

A new rural-urban partnership was launched to protect water quality in the Grand River Watershed and support the sustainable intensification of agriculture in the region. A unique network to facilitate sharing of Best Management Practices (BMP) guidelines will be created with the program. The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program will suport the adoption of BMP on farms. The 4R concept guides farmers in using the Right fertilizer source, at theRight rate, at the Right time, and in the Right place.

The Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund is aimed to help communities take action to protect and restore Ontario's Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River Basin. The fund provides grants of up to $25,000 to community groups for grassroots activities such as cleaning up a beach or shoreline, restoring a wetland, or creating a coastal or riverside trail. Not-for-profit groups such as service clubs, environmental groups and scout troops are eligible.
The deadline for applications is Friday October 12, 2012 at 5:00 EDT

The field research activity of graduate students Jeff Muirhead, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Andrienne Smith, Biology, was recently featured in the Fort Francis Times newspaper. Both are Master's students who are spending the summer along the Rainy River collecting data for research purposes. The research projects include assessing the food web in the river and the effects of hydroelectric dam discharge practices on the fishery.

Dr. Niels Bols, Professor, Department of Biology, was honoured by the Society for In Vitro Biology with their Lifetime Achivement Award. The award recognizes those who have achieved academic excellence in their field of study and honours those who have made significant contributions to the field of in vitro biology. The area of Niels Bols' research is cell biology and toxicology. The award was presented to Dr.

Numerous scientists and others held a rally on July 10th on Parliament Hill to raise public awareness and show their concern related to recent changes enacted and proposed by the federal government. Numerous students and faculty from the University of Waterloo participated in the event. It included a procession from the Ottawa Convention Centre, followed by a rally at Parliament Hill. Many attendees wore white lab coats or dressed in black. The march and rally plans were for a mock funeral for the 'death of evidence'. 

An unique exhibit showcasing the ecological importance of Canada's diverse and complex aquatic ecosystems is being hosted at the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory from June 1 to September 4, 2012. Canada's Waterscapes: Yours to Enjoy, Explore and Protect is the newest travelling exhibition from the Canadian Museum of Nature and its partners. This interactive exhibit showcases the ecological importance of Canada's waters and wetlands and the need to protect them.

Dr. Janusz Pawliszyn, Department of Chemistry, was recently honoured by the Canadian Society for Chemistry with the 2012 E.W.R. Steacie Award. The award is presented annually to a scientist who has made a distinguished contribution to chemistry while working in Canada.

The Government of Canada has decided to close the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA). This closure is contained within legislation that is currently before the House of Commons. 
The ELA is a long-running freshwater research facility located in northwestern Ontario. During its over 40 years of activity, research conducted at ELA has included a wide range of topics, often studied at a large scale, including studies of algal blooms, climate change, mercury pollution, hydroelectric reservoir development, endocrine-disrupting chemicals and nano-silver particles.