News

Remediation of mercury contaminated soils is an urgent issue affecting the safety of our food supply.  Rivers, lakes, and oceans that were polluted by industrial waste from textile or mining operations in the past can continue to distribute neurotoxic methylmercury into our agricultural environments for decades.  Waterloo PhD student Alana Wang (pictured here) and a team of Waterloo researchers have helped to unlock the process of using biochars to remediate contaminated floodplain soils.

The Sulzman Award for Excellence in Education and Mentoring is presented annually to a mid-career female scientist in recognition of significant contributions as a role model and mentor for the next generation of biogeoscientsts. 

A group of exceptionally talented incoming students are making their way to Waterloo with a prestigious scholarship in tow.

Thanks to a $100+ million investment by businessman and philanthropist Seymour Schulich, Waterloo has more than doubled its recipient pool from previous years allowing selected students pursuing STEM to begin their post-secondary careers with an extra $80,000 or $100,000.

Out of a selection of more than 300,000 potential candidates across Canada, 1,500 high school students are nominated annually, of which 100 received this celebrated award.

A new online module about the scientific method that was created for an introductory Earth Sciences course has been incorporated into a number of courses across the Faculty of Science and the Open Science Framework.

Together, the University of Waterloo’s Science Society, Science departmental clubs and the Psychology Society donated $5,500 to help the local community fight COVID-19. The donation came from unused event funds and was shared among three organizations.

A new initiative launched by two graduate students seeks to raise awareness and celebrate people of colour in water-related disciplines.

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences would like to welcome new faculty member, Assistant Professor Andrea Brookfield. She was an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas before joining the department in January.

Chris Yakymchuk has won the Jane Lang Excellence in Earth and Environmental Sciences Teaching Award for his high quality teaching, use of current and best teaching practices and contributions to improving the teaching and learning in the Department and University.

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences would like to welcome new faculty member Assistant Professor Jenine McCutcheon. She joined the Department in May and teaches EARTH 321 Introduction to Geomicrobiology.

They thought that the biggest challenge of their PhD defence would be controlling their nerves. Instead it was securing a quality Wi-Fi connection. Since mid-March, thesis defences at universities across Canada, like Waterloo's Jessey Rice, have gone online. But while it’s different than what they might have dreamed of, most new doctorates are just glad to find a way forward.