WISE Participation

Professor Bissan Ghaddar (Management Sciences) was invited as a speaker at the University of Bergamo to present her research work in the area of optimization under uncertainty and machine learning. The focus of the workshop was to discuss the modeling and solving of realistic and timely urban goods transportation problems, while explicitly considering their uncertain dimensions, such as Customer Demand (CD), Travel Times (TT), Presence of Customers (PC). The aim of the models would be to facilitate the identification and design of sustainable local authority policies aimed at supporting livability, connectivity, and sustainability.

WISE conducted three information sessions and tours of the Evolv1 building for local high school student groups from Grand River Collegiate Institute, St. John’s-Kilmarnock School, and Laurel Heights Secondary School. Students were working on projects regarding sustainable energy and reached out to WISE for more information. WISE invited them for a tour of the Evolv1 building and an information session on sustainable energy. During these tours, WISE provided information on the passive and active solar technologies, geothermal energy, psychological elements of sustainability, sustainable water systems, living walls, and architectural elements of the Evolv1 building, as well as a demo of WISE staff members’ electric vehicles. 

The 4th International Conference on Solar Technologies & Hybrid Mini Grids to improve energy access, known in short as the S-@ccess conference, occurred from April 26-29, 2023. This conference was run by Trama TecnoAmbiental and the University of the Balearic Islands in Palma, Spain, and WISE was one of the conference partners, sponsors, and on the organizing committee. Prof. Jatin Nathwani, the founding Executive Director and a WISE member, was also on the conference scientific committee. Throughout the 2022-23 year, WISE supported the organization of the conference, and Prof. Nathwani and Ambika Opal attended the conference as representatives from the University of Waterloo.

Engineering Science Quest is a program run by the Faculty of Engineering for high school and elementary school students to get involved in science and engineering. One program is a weekly after school session for students in grades 9-11. Ambika Opal and Professor Jatin Nathwani were invited to conduct a presentation on access to energy for environmental engineering week. Students learned about the Sustainable Development Goals, access to electricity and clean cooking, learned about WISE and AE4H partners and projects, and had a meaningful discussion on how they can contribute to sustainable energy and energy access goals.

WISE, along with Impact Alliance (a student club) and Cooperative and Experiential Education ran a two-day collaborative hackathon for students of all disciplines and years of study. At the hackathon, Rajnish Jain, founder of Avani Bio Energy, presented two real-life sustainability challenges his India-based organization is facing. One challenge was focused on calculations to develop a business case for selling carbon offsets as a revenue stream for Avani, and the other challenge was focused on the development of a resource centre or library to scale the work that Avani does.

In March 2023, AE4H member Rajnish Jain from Avani Bio Energy in Uttarakhand, India, conducted two guest lectures in an Environment and Business class taught by Professor Sean Geobey, and an International Development class taught by Professor Simron Singh. Rajnish shared the work of his social enterprise and discussed corporate social responsibility in the Environment and Business class, and progress towards sustainable development goals in the International Development class.

Sustainable Development Goal week was held in March 2023, at universities across Canada. Impact Alliance, an SDG-focused student club at the University of Waterloo, ran an SDG Mentorship Week to give students access to education and experts related to the SDGs. Impact Alliance invited Ambika Opal to conduct a mentorship week session on SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy on March 7th, 2023. Ambika presented the challenges of access to energy, projects that WISE works on regarding SDG 7, and inspired students to see the connections between SDG 7 and other SDGs such as No Poverty, Good Health and Wellbeing, and Quality Education.

Every year, the Centre for Urban Energy at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) opens its doors to the public for the Clean Energy Expo. The event highlights included: listening to high-profile guest speakers; meeting the researchers and graduate students addressing important energy challenges in energy storage, smart grid, renewables and more; student research awards ceremony sponsored by Toronto Hydro; tour of the one-of-a-kind Schneider Electric Smart Grid Laboratory and learning how to test your products, prototypes and technologies; learning about the professional development programs, including the Professional Master's Diploma in Energy and Innovation and our Electrical Engineering 101 Series; meeting with the Clean Energy Zone startups; and networking with professionals from across the energy sector - randomly as it was not a competitive event.

WISE along with Cooperative and Experiential Education ran a Soup and Bannock Lunch for the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre. WISE staff prepared two soups for WISC staff and students, and presented information about internships and co-op placements with AE4H partners.

Professor Amelia Clarke presented the Municipal Net-Zero Action Research Partnership (N-ZAP) poster at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Sustainable Communities Conference in February of 2023.

Ambika Opal was invited as a guest presenter and judge for the Velocity Innovation Challenge, ran by Velocity. Three global challenges were presented to student participants: energy, food, and health. Ambika led the energy challenge. She conducted a presentation on energy access challenges and technologies to the students teams, including access to electricity, access to clean cooking fuels and technologies, and global statistics on energy access. Four teams chose to focus on the energy challenge, developing solutions such as clean cookstoves, lighting efficiency education programs, and renewable energy policy improvements for specific countries. The overall winner of the event was an energy team who designed a new clean cookstove and venting process to reduce indoor air pollution.

It was held at the National Fuel Cell Research Centre, the University of California Irvine. Professor Xianguo Li (Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering) served as the conference co-chair. It was a multidisciplinary conference that covered the latest developments and advancements in fuel cells, from fundamentals, to advanced materials, design, engineering, products, and applications. It was of a particular value and interest to those in the relevant fields.

As Waterloo continued to advance its Shift: Neutral climate and energy action plan, the University has undertaken a study to determine how it could decarbonize the campus district energy system, which accounted for around 75% of its emissions. The project was led by the Sustainability Office and Plant Operations, and is being completed by Doherty Engineering. The Sustainability Office and Plant Operations had partnered with Waterloo Climate Institute and Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy to host a special open house for researchers with interest and expertise in sustainable energy technologies and policy, climate action planning in an organizational context, or district energy systems. The focus was on: reviewing summary information on the project; reflecting on initial assessments of potential technology solutions and implementation strategies; speaking to the project team members; and submitting thoughts, ideas, and suggestions on technologies and strategies.

The Waterloo Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA) summit was held at the Region of Waterloo International Airport Operations Centre. The summit brought together more than 200 researchers and leaders from academia, industry and government. Experts discussed solutions to build a sustainable future for air travel and advance the aeronautics industry. WISE participated in this event as an exhibitor and showcases its R&D activities in the power and energy area.

N-ZAP is a five-year action research partnership/project led by the University of Waterloo with Professor Amelia Clarke as the PI, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and ICLEI Canada. It is funded by the Government of Canada through the Climate Action and Awareness Fund (CAAF). The focus was to analyze different strategies to support the Canadian municipalities to monitor, measure and achieve net-zero (GHG) mitigation goals. The aim was to ensure emissions reduction projects, policies and programs were aligned with Canada's national reduction commitments. The discussion was on creating improved measurement, analysis and monitoring systems for both municipal and community-wide GHG emissions to advance the quantification of GHG emissions, enable the application of methods to identify mitigation opportunities and evaluate their effectiveness. This would augment national reporting processes and align with international practice. The meeting was the first in-person meeting at the University of Waterloo in October of 2022.

Professor XiaoYu Wu (Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering) participated in the summit. Under the theme, Transition to Net Zero, the 5th annual Canada’s Innovation Corridor Summit highlighted and identified where the Corridor could utilize its strengths and talents to lead Canada’s transitional economy and ensure our region takes on a global leadership position in providing and commercializing solutions. Specifically, programming focused on the challenges and opportunities that decarbonization will bring within the following key themes: industry, infrastructure, transportation, and research.

Professor Ponnambalam (Systems Design Engineering) delivered a talk on “New trends and technology advancement in environmental systems and their effect on nations and societies towards sustainability”.

The conference addressed challenges and issues related to artificial intelligence technologies, cloud computing, the internet of things, quality of life, green and sustainable universities, cybersecurity, automation, robotics, autonomous vehicles, environmental engineering, renewable energy, and water resources management under the cluster of engineering and technological sectors.

Professor Nazar (Chemistry) attended the meeting organized by the “International Battery Materials Association (IBA)”. Her presentation was on “Creating and understanding stable cathode-electrolyte interfaces for solid state batteries”.

The meeting focused on the latest findings that had led to battery materials of enhanced performance and safety, and to deepened understanding of the electrode processes that determine and dictate the electrochemical performance. Scientists and researchers of battery community around the world participated to share recent advances in battery materials and electrolytes for lithium ion batteries and beyond.

Professor Nazar (Chemistry) discussed “Electrochemical energy storage using lithium sulphur conversion chemistry with liquid and solid state electrolytes” at the meeting.

The Molecular Foundry is a nanoscience research facility that provides visiting researchers (“users”) with access to cutting-edge expertise and instrumentation in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment. The Molecular Foundry’s 2021 Annual User Meeting will be hosted virtually with free registration to bring our scientific community together in a safe and accessible format. This annual conference focuses on frontier research topics of interest to that community of users, providing a forum to share results and exchange ideas, and bringing together leading researchers, junior scientists, postdocs, and students.

Professor Li (Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering) served as the President of the Fuel Cell Division, International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE), and the Fuel Cell Division that organized the 2021 World Fuel Cell Conference (WFCC).

The WFCC is a multidisciplinary conference on the latest development and advancement of hydrogen and fuel cells, and provides a forum for the exchange of the latest scientific and technical information, for the dissemination of high-quality research results, and for the debate and shaping of future directions and priorities in hydrogen fuel cell science, technology, engineering, application and commercialization. This conference targets technical issues and interconnections between fuel cells and hydrogen.

Professor. Ghaddar (Management Sciences) gave a keynote talk on “Polynomial optimization in power and water network operations”. She discussed several challenging optimization problems in power and water networks involving both operational decisions and non-linear models of the underlying physics described by the network. However, these networks exhibit a nice sparse structure. This talk provided an overview of approaches that combined recent advances in conic relaxation of polynomial optimization problems along with exploiting the underlying problem. These approaches were demonstrated in applications arising in power and water networks.

Professor Li (Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering) gave a talk on “Development of advanced MEAs for next-generation PEM fuel cells”.

This workshop was held in collaboration with the School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tehran and the Engineering Skills Development Centre (ESDC).

Professor Nazar (Chemistry) participated as a panelist along with a number of acclaimed scholars to discuss the current and future developments in the electrochemical energy and battery sector.

The forum fostered discussions on the next-generation batteries as well as the lithium-ion battery cells. The demand for the next-generation batteries has been on a steady rise because of its key features of light weight and greater energy density. Lithium-ion batteries are widely being used as the power source for electric vehicles around the world. The open forum invited the public into the discussion on the newest trends, product developments and solutions.

Prof. Rowlands (School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability) attended COP25. About 27,000 delegates participated at the conference under the Presidency of the Government of Chile and it was held with logistical support from the Government of Spain.

The summit showcased breakthroughs in green innovation and technology, and explored how cleantech can drive economic growth while ensuring our planet’s future. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and academics came together virtually to discuss the possibilities for a greener economic recovery. The Waterloo Innovation Summit explored the business case for climate capitalism and illuminated the imperative to balance sustainable financial growth with sustainable environmental impact. As we all look for solutions to recover from a global pandemic and a climate in crisis, we asked speakers how we can seize this crisis as an opportunity to rethink our priorities and redesign the global economy, cities and job markets.

Prof. Weber and Prof. Craik (School of Environment, Enterprise and Development) were invited speakers who talked about the role of government policies and investment banking to address the challenges of clean economy.

The theme of this conference was "Hydrogen, Sustainability and Finance: Local Roles for Global Goals”. This event explored the entire suite of clean hydrogen applications as part of a broader effort to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change. The focus was on the emergent and self-sustaining Canadian community of end users, product suppliers, project developers, system integrators, and supporting infrastructure. The emphasis was to discuss strategies to achieve some serious reductions in CO2 emissions and make economical use of off-peak ‘surplus’ power that is derived from low or zero emission sources to make ‘green’ hydrogen.

Prof. Fowler (Chemical Engineering) and Prof. Fraser (Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering) was invited as guest speaker to give a talk on new hydrogen generation and commercialization technologies and the support of hydrogen deployment.

The Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) hosted the “International Workshop on Nanotechnology for a Sustainable Future”. This virtual workshop brought together world leaders in nanotechnology to address current global issues, to meet United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) in nanotechnology and society, policy and science diplomacy, industry and innovation, energy and environment, devices for healthcare and communications, and resource management and the circular economy.

Prof. Nathwani (Executive Director, WISE) and Prof. Nazar (Chemistry) participated as guest speaker. Prof. Nathwani discussed the unique challenges of a global energy transition to a clean energy future, whereas Prof. Nazar talked about the complexities of electrochemical energy storage at the nanoscale.

It was jointly held by University of Strathclyde and University of Waterloo. The principal of University of Strathclyde and president of University of Waterloo, Sir Jim McDonald and Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur, invited paper/abstract submissions for the first virtual research colloquium. The colloquium was for graduate students at any stage in their journey. The colloquium provided an interactive space for graduate students from each university to present to international scholars in the field. Graduate students received constructive feedback from international scholars, and offered an opportunity to be part of international research clusters that enhance research collaborations between the two institutes. Both presidents have committed to the possibility of funding post-doctoral fellowship opportunities to keep collaborations going. The research areas included: Sustainable energy, quantum technologies, nuclear engineering, digital health, and entrepreneurship.

The Balsillie School of International Affairs, in partnership with the Ditchley Foundation, created the first in a three-part series of ‘Critical Conversations’. This ‘Critical Conversations’ series serves as a forum which brings global thought leaders together to bridge important perspectives on intersectional issues currently challenging global world policy. This inaugural event was entitled “Building Resilient Futures: Covid, Climate and the Economy” - a discussion on possible measures to shape a future for global resilience that is economically sustainable and capable of meeting the twin threats of climate stress and the health burdens of COVID-19.

Prof. Nathwani (Executive Director, WISE) moderated a panel consisting of three speakers: (1) Diana Fox-Carney (Climate Policy Expert), (2) John Hancock (Senior Policy Adviser to the Director General, World Trade Organization), and (3) William White (Former Chairman of the OECD Economic and Development Review Committee, Head of the Monetary and Economic Department at the Bank for International Settlements, and Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada). The dialogue at the event was based on three key themes that guided the sessions of the day: Bankability and Finance, International Competitiveness, and Climate Legitimacy. Each session had a thematic speaker who gave an overview of the topic and the key issues, a panel that discussed the topic and offered diverse perspectives and a pathway to an outcome, where roundtable participants discussed the topic in a workshop format and provided recommendations.

COVID-19 has shaken the world, challenging societies and altering life as we know it. But from this crisis, opportunities have emerged calling us to action as we prepare to reboot from the COVID-19 lockdown. In this series of six free, weekly, online panels, experts from the University of Waterloo and representatives from some of Canada's leading companies will share their research, real-world expertise, and experience to help identify the risks and plot the future of adapting to this new normal.

Prof. Nathwani (Executive Director, WISE) and Prof. Olaf Weber (School of Environment, Enterprise and Development) looked at restarting, rebuilding, and reimagining both local and global supply chains. Through a lens of environmental and social sustainability, they discussed changes in governance, the rise of populism, and cost vs. other drivers in building, or rebuilding, supply chains.

Prof. Nathwani (Executive Director, WISE) was invited to give a webinar on the topic of Covid-19 crisis leading to a clean energy future. He discussed the three dimensions of energy, environment, and economy in his talk. He also emphasized on four key, interrelated global trends that not only pose a serious threat to the long-term viability of the oil and gas sector in Canada, but also point to clear pathways for alternatives that will sustain a low-carbon energy future: (1) Divestment of fossil fuel securities and disclosures of carbon liability, (2) Decarbonization, (3) Diversification of supply, and (3) Digitalization and electrification to replace existing energy sources.

The CAST-LASG Workshop was a week-long collaboration between the Living Architecture Systems Group and the Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (CAST) at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, held February 17-22, 2020. The workshop focused on the terminology and form-language of polyhedral and related geometry, culminating in the design and installation of a lightweight architectural scaffold which integrated CAST’s ongoing experiments concerning fabric as form-work for liquid-to-solid casting and shell structures. A new form-making method was advanced during the development of the scaffold installation, by which basic hexagon-to-pentagon geometries were scaled up to produce dramatic changes in surface curvature. The workshop was preceded by preparatory talks and instructional folios as well as an introductory lecture by Prof. Beesley (School of Architecture).

This 1.5 day workshop explored current activity in all geothermal technologies being used or considered in Canada, and generated a short synthesis outlining future pathways to greater adoption of this green energy source. The participants discussed the following topics: technical barriers and the financial viability of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), growth in the installation of ground source heat pump systems (GSHPs), and co-generation options, i.e. geothermal-electricity-combined-heat-power for different regions of Canada.

Prof. Nathwani (Executive Director, WISE) was invited to attend The Waterloo Symposium on Technology and Society, seeking to promote public discourse in Canada and beyond on the societal challenges and opportunities created by innovations in four primary areas: artificial intelligence, robotics, big data and social media.

Prof. Wu (Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering) described novel techniques pioneered in his lab that combine X-ray and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to understand 2-dimensional materials such as graphene at the atomic level, then modify them for practical uses. One such use is an artifical leaf that mimics photosynthesis, converting carbon dioxide into methanol and oxygen, rather than glucose and oxygen as occurs in nature. This “leaf” could be used to capture carbon dioxide from high-yield sources such as thermal power plants, and convert it into methanol as an alternative fuel source.

Prof. Nathwani (Executive Director, WISE) was invited to be a keynote speaker at the 4th IEOM NA Conference with participation from more than 50 countries.

Prof. Nathwani (Executive Director, WISE) chaired the session, "Renewable Energy and Management Systems".

The session examined the challenges of climate change and universal energy access, requiring radical scientific and social innovation. To ensure a cost-effective transition to a low-carbon energy economy, critical factors include a creative approach to new distributed energy technologies, energy storage and battery technology advances, SMEs and entrepreneurs, 37 digitalization and smart energy networks, and the role of electrification, including hydrogen.

Prof. Nathwani (Executive Director, WISE) was invited to this by-invitation-only roundtable, governed under Chatham House Rules, which involved a broad spectrum of energy and environment stakeholders in Canada. The event was specifically structured to foster discussion, which would inform (in non-attributable form) an upcoming Conference Board research briefing.

The dialogue at the event was based on three key themes that guided the sessions of the day: Bankability and Finance, International Competitiveness, and Climate Legitimacy. Each session had a thematic speaker who gave an overview of the topic and the key issues, a panel that discussed the topic and offered diverse perspectives and a pathway to an outcome where roundtable participants discussed the topic in a workshop format and provided recommendations.

On June 19th, 2019,  a public event was held, featuring innovation lab participants discussing cleantech entrepreneurship in Africa. This event was also a part of the TrueNorth Festival, the largest annual gathering of tech leaders in Canada's technology triangle.\

The ‘innovation lab’ is a non-traditional workshop format wherein participants focus more on what they want to do next and how they might work together, rather than on sharing past results. Deep discussions in small groups are a feature. These are invite-only events that feature a highly diverse set of participants (expertise, nationality, age, gender, etc.). 

Prof. Ghaddar (Management Sciences) attended the event. She gave a talk on the global optimization approach for binary polynomial programs. In this talk, she presented branch-and-dig, an algorithm to find global solutions for binary polynomial programming problems. She discussed the inequality generating techniques based on lift-and-project relaxations that are developed to speed up the branch-and-bound process and reduce the number of nodes of the tree. Computational results for problems of degree two and degree three were presented to assess the impact of the proposed approach.

WISE Member Maurice Dusseault gave a Water Institute public lecture presentation on the emission of methane and hydrogen sulphide gas from legacy gas wells in southwestern Ontario as an emerging public-health issue.

WISE Executive Director Jatin Nathwani gave this invited talk at the American Geographical Society Plenary Session held in New York City.

Professor Jatin Nathwani chaired and was a Speaker at the STS Forum, 15th Annual Meeting of Science and Technology in Society.

WISE Member Maurice Dusseault was part of this workshop where he discussed a grid-scale CAES facility and valuable ancillary services that could help to manage electrical grids, and rapid large changes in power inputs, allowing large increases in the percentage of renewable energy use.

WISE Member and University of Waterloo President Feridun Hamdullahpur and Vice President of Research Charmaine Dean participated at the Sustainable Development Network (SDSN) Canada National Launch. J.G. Hagey Hall of the Humanities, Humanities Theatre at University of Waterloo.

WISE members and their research team participated at the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Discovery 2018 event on April 30 and May 1 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to showcase their research.

Neil Craik explored the international legal and ethical dimensions of the important but controversial technology pathways with respect to carbon emission technologies and considered how Canada might approach the governance challenges connected to these technologies. The event Saving the Planet: Overcoming Challenges of Emissions Monitoring and Climate Engineering took place at the CIGI campus auditorium in Waterloo on March 21, 2018.

Ian Rowlands participated at the event of the Ideation Night: Utilizing Alternative Energy for Better Living (in collaboration with UW Energy Network and GreenHouse) held at University of Waterloo on March 8, 2018. The focus was on a greener future in transportation, food production, agriculture and social aspects with the power of renewable energy.

John Straube was invited as a presenter to the Learning About Building Science (LAB) event, titled: Not So Elementary: Towards Net-Zero Schools held at the RDH Building Science Laboratories on August 8, 2017.

Can net-zero energy schools be achieved at a reasonable cost? Yes, with the right approach. Designing or retrofitting a school building is a complex process with many stakeholders and budgetary constraints. But as with any net-zero project, understanding the science behind low-energy buildings can help guide the design process and ensure that project requirements are met. This session focused on balancing requirements for the building enclosure, HVAC, and renewable energy systems, as taking a whole-building perspective is critical.

Assistant Professor Bissan Ghaddar, Management Sciences, presented a talk on energy transmission and distribution at the Conference on Mathematical Optimization in the Decision Support Systems for Efficient and Robust Energy Networks held 29-31 March 17 in Modena, Italy with travel support from WISE. Prof. Ghaddar also provided promotional materials about WISE to participants.

Dr. Jeffrey Sachs and his wife Dr. Sonia Ehrlich Sachs served as discussants on a public panel talk moderated by Associate Vice President, International, Ian Rowlands on the challenges associated with implementing the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. Professor Nathwani was amongst the panelists.

The NSERC Nest Winter School provides an opportunity for smaller groups of Network researchers to come together to share results, to explore potential joint projects, and to build further the collaborative nature of the Network. For the 2017 Winter School, the theme was Economics and Policy.

The Canadian Nuclear Association hosted its annual conference and trade show. The theme for 2017's conference was “Mission Possible: Innovation for a Cleantech Future.” The event featured a variety of speakers and experts from industry, academia and government, addressing the indispensable role of nuclear energy in fostering innovation and maximizing Canada’s contribution to clean tech infrastructure.

Prof. Roydon Fraser, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, was invited to present his research relating to low-carbon energy development and the applications in the area of transportation. Prof. Fraser also presented the role and vision of WISE to help transform our energy future through partnership.

The Canadian Electricity Association held its 125th Anniversary Celebration in Ottawa. The winners of the 2016 Sustainable Electric^TM Awards were announced at this event. Executive Directory of WISE, Prof. Jatin Nathwani, delivered a speech at the Event. 

INTEG 10 is a seminar on interdisciplinary topics and integrative practices which are of special interest to Knowledge Integration students, faculty, and staff. This is the "living room" of the program; a place where the community comes together to share ideas and be inspired.

Each seminar features a workshop for KI students, or a guest speaker that is a public talk open to all students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the public. We encourage sparkling and lively discussion between speakers and audience members.

Executive Director, WISE, Prof. Jatin Nathwani, was invited as a guest speaker on Nov 4, 2016, where he delivered a talk on "Driving a Revolution in Affordable Energy for Humanity".

RCI Science is Canada's oldest scientific organization, and aims to connect people with science through accessible presentations known as RCI Talks. The focus of the RCI Talks is on making complex scientific topics accessible and engaging for the public. 

Executive Directory, WISE, Prof. Jatin Nathwani was invited to deliver a public lecture on Oct 30, 2016 at the Royal Canadian Institute for Science, Toronto.

The Aboriginal Energy Challenge is a Forum that provides timely information on the most recent developments in the energy, economic development and legal sectors that are encouraging aboriginal participation in energy and economic development projects.

Sustainable Campus Initiatives presented the "ECOLOO Environmental Fair".

Key topics covered include: Fair Trade, Sustainable Food, Energy, Transportation, waste, and more! 

The 2016 IEEE Conference on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena (CEIDP 2016) was held October 16 to 19 at the Eaton Chelsea Hotel, Toronto, Canada. The number of attendees was 248, including 18 walk-in registrants, a record for CEIDP. A total of 259 papers were accepted, an acceptance rate of about 80%. The contributions were from 27 countries, representing academia, government, and industry. CEIDP provided financial support to 20 research students, who presented their research and participated in discussions. The total number of registered students was 94.

The Development Impact Lab (DIL), headquartered at UC Berkeley and funded by USAID, has developed a new approach to innovation in the context of global development. The approach – called “Development Engineering (Dev Eng)”–merges advances in engineering with insights from the behavioural and social sciences. In addition to providing a robust, interdisciplinary framework for designing and testing new technologies in the field, DIL encourages researchers to build scale into the R&D process, from the beginning.

Yet the precise barriers to scale are often ill-defined. There are few generalizable mechanisms for scaling evidence-based interventions in emerging markets. To learn from ongoing efforts, DIL hosted their annual State of the Science conference on "The Science of Scaling".

The conference brought together academic researchers, development practitioners, technology developers, and investors to review the evidence on scaling successful anti-poverty innovations–particularly those developed at universities. Are there proven methods for technology transfer from universities to government agencies and non-governmental organizations? Why do some products and interventions scale quicker than others? What facilitates the adoption of new technologies by end-users? This event explored these questions and helped articulate a research agenda for the “Science of Scaling”.

The international character of this conference and exhibition brought together academia, practitioners, industry and development institutions with the aim of sharing experiences and the latest technology developments, learning from each other and networking.

The objective of the event was to :

• Consolidate the knowledge around solutions that have proven to work and their enabling factors,
• Present different models of financing, business models and technologies that enable the fast uptake of such solutions and
• Provide new roads for research and innovation;

The 10th Toronto Global Forum (TGF) took place from September 12–14, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. The forum's theme was "Leading in uncertain times".

Executive Director WISE, Dr. Jatin Nathwani participated in the event. 

In consideration of his achievements in low-carbon development and reputation, Dr. Roydon Fraser was invited to the Taiyuan Energy Low-Carbon Development Forum 2016. Prof. Roydon Fraser, was invited to present his research relating to low-carbon energy development and the applications in the area of transportation. Prof. Fraser also presented the role and vision of WISE to help transform our energy future through partnership.

The forum was jointly sponsored by the People's Government of Shanxi Province, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China and National Energy Administration and was held from Sept 7^th to 9^th, 2016 in Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.

The University of Waterloo's third annual Eco-Summit was titled "Building Networks."  This event celebrated our sustainability progress, with a particular emphasis on the connections that are continuing to strengthen Waterloo's momentum.

Hosted by Sustainable Campus Initiative and the Sustainability Coordinator, this event brought together students, staff, and faculty to form new partnerships, celebrate successes, and be inspired.

The seventh ACM International Conference on Future Energy Systems (ACM e-Energy) aimed to be the premier venue for researchers working in the broad areas of computing and communication for smart energy systems, and in energy-efficient computing and communication systems.

By bringing together researchers in a high-quality single-track conference with significant opportunities for individual and small-group interaction, this event served as a major forum for presentations and discussions to shape the future of this area. It was hosted by Lukasz Golab and Srinivasan Keshav et al.

The Minister of Energy's Emerging Trends Energy Leaders Roundtable was held at the Campbell Conference Facility at the University of Toronto on May 31, 2016. The event was a forum for experts to provide advice to the Ministry of Energy on Ontario's Long Term Energy Plan. Dr. Jatin Nathwani, Executive Director of WISE, was one of the invited speakers. 

A Call to Think Globally and Act Locally. Held at Hart House in Toronto with leaders from the government, community, academic and private sectors. The day included an exhibit of local art and environmental initiatives, a keynote, and two panel discussions. The public was invited to learn about ideas on how to act locally on climate change. WISE participated with a booth at the event.

The Executive Director of WISE participated in this invitation-only gathering that brought together leaders in the energy industry for discussions on issues that are important for today and tomorrow. Each session was introduced by brief presentations from a few thought leaders but dominated by open discussions among participants. A candid exchange of views was facilitated by limiting the number of invitees and having a single “round” table.

The objective of this two-day event was a multi-faceted examination of the challenges, issues, and potential future directions affecting energy infrastructure in Canada. Through the generous support of the Energy Council of Canada, ten Waterloo students, including Energy Council of Canada (ECC) Fellows were able to attend the two-day event.

A closing keynote lecture was given by Jatin Nathwani on ‘Energy Infrastructure: Issues, Opportunities and Implications’.  The discussions at the meeting helped bring into a sharp focus the challenges of investment in energy infrastructure.

The symposium was a one-day event focusing on renewable energies, energy storage, micro-grid technologies, material development for energy applications, policies, strategies, trends and initiatives.

The Sarnia-Lambton Energy Symposium is a Canadian event that explores energy-related topics. The 2016 symposium focused on catalyzing large energy projects to drive Canada's energy strategy.

Hosted by The Ditchley Foundation: Plenary Sessions discussing: Is nuclear power an important part of the path to a lower carbon future, or an expensive and risky dead end? Where is technology likely to take us in the next 20 years? How much has the debate on safety been influenced by what happened at Fukushima? Are we likely to see long term waste solutions coming on stream in the next 20 years? The sessions were followed by Working Group discussions to address the economics and politics of nuclear power; nuclear technology and safety; security risks and solutions.

The Workshop was held at Canadian Standards Association - CSA Group headquarters. 

The objective of this workshop was to detail existing Code and Regulatory barriers impeding the deployment of EVSE technology in Canada and, provide recommendations to overcome the identified barriers. Professor Mehrdad Kazerani attended the worshop.

Five speakers travelled from Waterloo Region to participate in COP21 in Paris. 

• Erik Davies, Manager of Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects, CIGI
• Alexandra Graham, Graduate Student, School of Planning, University of Waterloo 
• Laura Maxwell, Graduate Student, School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, University of Waterloo 
• Ian Rowlands, Professor, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo 
• Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor, City of Kitchener

Organized by The Council for Clean & Reliable Electricity (bythinkingpower.ca) and The Ivey Energy Policy and Management Centre. The Ontario government's decision to partially privatize Hydro One’s transmission and distribution restarted a debate about the appropriate role of the private sector in the electricity industry, and ways in which privatization could affect short- and long-run performance. What will be the impact on costs, infrastructure investment, and rates of a privately-owned and managed entity? What can be learned from other jurisdictions that have also restructured their electricity sectors over the last 20 years? These questions were discussed at the session. 

Eastern Canada Student Energy Conference held at the University of Waterloo and hosted by the UWaterloo Society of Petroleum Engineers Student Chapter. The student conference was an excellent opportunity to learn about and discuss oil and gas industry trends while networking with industry professionals.

Harnessing Innovation to Meet Customer Needs”. During this one-day session, Senior leaders, along with Board Members and Executives, explored through presentations and peer discussions how changes in consumers’ engagement with energy will create opportunities for innovation in Ontario’s energy sector.

Energy Council of Canada Fellow Stephanie Whitney attended the GridSmartCity 2015 Round Table as a student member of WISE. GridSmartCity is a cooperative of utilities, Smart Grid innovators, industry regulators, government, academia and other electricity industry stakeholders. The partner organizations are committed to work collectively towards productivity and efficiency improvements, advancements in self-healing grids, conservation program implementation, the emergence of renewable energy and community energy planning.

Profs. Jatin Nathwani participated in the International Conference for Sustainable Development which was held at Columbia University, New York City, from Sept 23-24, 2015. 

Profs. Jatin Nathwani, Paul Parker, Ian Rowlands and Olaf Weber travelled to China to make presentations at the International Workshop on the Theories and Practices of Green Growth held between 10-12th April 2015.

Profs. Jatin Nathwani was invited to speak to leading energy access researchers and practitioners at the 4th International Conference on Energy Systems, Environment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ICESEEI '15) where he gave a talk titled - "Innovation Pathways to Deliver Affordable Energy to Humanity". The event was held in Dubai from Feb 22 to 24, 2015. 

The Council of Ontario Universities and the Glendon School of Public and International Affairs (York University) presented the Annual Ontario Research Chairs in Public Policy Symposia Series called Tackling Ontario's Challenges.

Experts and Decision-Makers Meet to Explore Ontario's Key Policy Challenges

The United States Energy Association, The Energy Council of Canada and Mexico (Member Committees of the World Energy Council) hosted a North American workshop to consider work to date in the latest WEC Scenarios Study. Input from those attending the workshop (including Professor Nathwani) was used to update and shape the final scenarios report that was presented at the 2013 World Energy Congress, in Daegu, South Korea, in October 2013.

This First Annual Energy Leaders Roundtable brought together leaders in the energy industry for discussions on issues that are important for today and tomorrow. The sessions offered brief presentations followed by open discussion and a candid exchange of views among the participants.

The Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC) 2012 with the theme "Building Bridges for the Future of Science Policy" was a forum where Canadian stakeholders from academia, industry, and government discussed Canada's role and potential strategies in navigating the global shift towards cleaner energy sources and technologies, aiming to build collaborative approaches to address this critical issue through science-based policy decisions.

Jatin Nathwani led the session titled "Global Energy Transitions: A Canadian View"

WISE director, Tracey Forrest, travelled to Japan as part of a smart city mission. The smart city mission to Japan was funded and organized by Toyota Tsusho Canada. The trip focused on 'smart city' related R&D including Smart Grid, Smart Houses/Buildings, Renewable energy, and Next generation mobility and involved travel to three cities in Japan: Yokohama, Tokyo and Nagoya.

Prof. Ian Rowlands (Associate Director, WISE) travelled to China, at the invitation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Smart Grid Canada as part of a Canadian 'Smart Grids' trade mission. In Beijing, he met with a number of Chinese governmental officials, business representatives and academic researchers.

NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) was held in June 2012 in Hella, Iceland. The workshop was attended by 50 scientists, engineers, and policymakers representing 15 different nations and multiple fields of expertise, reflecting the global and interdisciplinary nature of climate change and sustainability research. Professor Jatin Nathwani was Co-Chair of Energy Track. 

The focus of the workshop was on ways in which military installations and small cities can integrate energy, water, and infrastructure sustainability strategies into city and installation management plans that account for climate change uncertainties. 

WISE members were among the participants at June’s Equinox Summit: Energy 2030, a five-day event designed to launch a new conversation about the world’s energy future.

Organized by the Waterloo Global Science Initiative, it brought together scientists, advisors, policymakers and private-sector leaders from around the world to discuss realistic strategies for reducing our global carbon footprint.