On September 25, students of the Collaborative Water Program (CWP), together with Water Institute faculty members and staff, formally recognized and celebrated the contributions of Dr. Mark Servos in developing and delivering the highly successful CWP program over its first six years. The event, organized by the Water Institute’s graduate students association SWIGS, was held at the Huether Hotel.
Jointly delivered by 11 academic units, and co-ordinated by the Water Institute, the CWP is the most interdisciplinary water graduate program in Canada. The program’s unique and innovative design sees students complete specialist training in their home unit, while working with students from a variety of other units and disciplines in two additional interdisciplinary, experiential water courses.
Since 2013, Dr. Servos, Water Institute member and professor in the Department of Biology, has been instrumental in conceptualizing, developing and delivering the CWP. Servos was the CWP’s inaugural program director, led development of its two courses (WATER 601 and WATER 602), taught WATER 601 for two years, and has taught WATER 602 every year since its inception! Each year in WATER 602, a field-based exploration of the Grand River watershed, Dr. Servos has introduced students to a myriad of water stakeholders from the river’s headwaters to its discharge into Lake Erie to explore water issues across disciplinary boundaries. Since 2014, over 300 graduate students have participated in the CWP.
“Prof. Mark Servos’ dedication to and passion for the Collaborative Water Program has been unmatched. His use of innovative experiential, interdisciplianry teaching approaches in WATER 602 has over the years consistently been recognized by students as a highlight of their University of Waterloo experience.” Prof. Roy Brouwer, Executive Director, the Water Institute
Prof. Servos paddling the Grand with the CWP’s first student cohort in 2014