INTERDISCIPLINARY
With the increasing complexity and scale of water challenges, it has never been more important for water researchers to work together to understand and apply the perspectives and contributions from disciplines outside their own.
49
INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PROJECTS
supported through our Seed Grant program
168
FACULTY MEMBERS
from all six Waterloo faculties
24
DEPARTMENTS/SCHOOLS REPRESENTED
16
CANADA RESEARCH CHAIRS
from different Waterloo faculties
Working with Indigenous partners to determine how safe the fish are to eat
In partnership with Fort Albany First Nation, Brian Laird and Kelly Skinner, professors in the School of Public Health and Health Systems, are working alongside Heidi Swanson, professor in the Department of Biology, and Virginia Sutherland, Senior Environmental Co-ordinator of the Mushkegowuk Tribal Council, to study the health concerns and risk perceptions among Indigenous community members as well as examining the environmental determinants of mercury and nutrients in wild-harvested fish.
They are exploring the balance between contaminant risks and nutrient benefits in traditional foods and the links between contaminant levels in the environment, human behaviour patterns, human exposures, and impacts on food security.
“To understand the long-term sustainability of wild-harvested fish as a healthy food resource in the face of climate change, co-located environmental, human behaviour, and food security data are crucial. Through this process, we, together with our partners, will develop a model that predicts how effects of climate-induced change in Canadian lakes will affect fish health, human health, and food security for Indigenous peoples.”
Kelly Skinner, Professor, School of Public Health and Health Systems
Distinguishing roles of climate change and river regulation on lake drying in the Peace-Athabasca Delta
Working with staff at Wood Buffalo National Park (Parks Canada Agency), Roland Hall, professor in the Department of Biology, aims to decipher information preserved in lake sediment cores to identify the timing and causes of reduced flooding and water levels in the Peace-Athabasca Delta. The project addresses a deep-rooted and important environmental challenge for Canada, and will provide valuable input into an action plan and policy being developed by Parks Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Revealing the benefits of sub-surface banding of fertilizer in no-till soils
Working collaboratively, Merrin Macrae, professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management, and Fereidoun Rezanezhad, professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, are providing new insights on the benefits of sub-surface fertilizer banding in no-till soils to the Ontario farming community. Their research shows that there is no reason why no-till and minimal loss of phosphorus have to be an either-or proposition. It just comes down to how and when you apply fertilizer.
Using interdisciplinary knowledge from the Collaborative Water Program in the real world: An engineering perspective
2017 Civil and Environmental Engineering graduate, Robert Chlumsky (MASc-Water '17), is using the knowledge he gained from Waterloo’s most interdisciplinary graduate program to achieve success as a Water Resources Engineer at Ecosystem Recovery Inc. Prior to the Collaborative Water Program, water governance was mostly peripheral to Chlumsky’s understanding of water. In his current role he is frequently working with guidelines provided by Conservation Authorities and Municipalities that need to be considered in design work, as well as preparing materials for Public Information Centre meetings. He attributes his comfort level in navigating these meetings to the Collaborative Water Program which provided him with a basic knowledge on water governance and the importance of public consultation.
“Any serious water practitioner or student should consider enrolling in the Collaborative Water Program to broaden their horizons and understand more about roles other than their own. No water practitioner can operate alone, and this makes it crucial to understand the perspective and piece of the puzzle filled by every other type of water practitioner if one wishes to be successful in the workplace.”
Robert Chlumsky, MASc-Water 2017
International
Learn about Water Institute members who are working with leading water organizations from around the world to tackle complex water problems.
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