Year at a glance
March 2019
Water Institute celebrates World Water Day
The Water Institute organizes its annual World Water Day event exploring opportunities to provide marginalized communities with safe water. The Honourable Bob Rae delivers the annual Water Institute RBC Distinguished Lecture on What the challenge of clean water at home and around the world tells us about ourselves, our country, and our planet.
June 2019
Water Institute hosts inaugural interdisciplinary PhD summer school
Thirty students from five continents and 15 countries participate in 10 days of lectures, field trips and lab visits exploring the theme of climate change and water security in urbanized watersheds. Modules include climate and hydrological modelling, ecohydrology of urbanized watersheds, land use impacts, adaptation opportunities, climate risk economics, source water protection, watershed governance, and climate change and public health.
August 2019
Water Institute researcher hosts agricultural farm tour
A group of more than 50 agriculture industry experts, government officials, crop consultants and farmers attend the Ontario phosphorus research for today’s farming agricultural farm tour hosted by Professor Merrin Macrae and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. The farm tour is part of Macrae’s ongoing knowledge mobilization efforts to share her research with the farming community and to translate science into practical solutions for the agricultural sector.
October 2019
Water Institute and the University of São Paulo organize groundwater security workshop
The Water Institute strengthens its ongoing collaboration by hosting several colleagues from the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil to address water security issues facing the Guarani Aquifer. The workshop defines a comprehensive, interdisciplinary research proposal addressing integrated water management solutions for climate resilient cities in urbanized watersheds.
December 2019
Water Institute joins the Global Peatlands Initiative
Leveraging its world-class peatlands researchers, the Water Institute becomes a member of the Global Peatlands Initiative (GPI). Formed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the GPI is an effort by leading experts and institutions to save peatlands as the world’s largest terrestrial organic carbon stock and to prevent it from being emitted into the atmosphere.
October 2019
Water Institute hosts 3rd China-Canada workshop on sustainable water management
The Water Institute welcomes a delegation of 10 researchers from the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES) for the 3rd Sino-Canada workshop on water environment issues. The workshop, also attended by scientists from Environment and Climate Change Canada, is the third in a series between the Water Institute and CRAES under the auspices of the Canada-China Joint Committee on Environmental Co-operation, where the Water Institute is the Canadian contact point on water management.
January 2020
Water Institute welcomes new Collaborative Water Program Director and cohort
Professor Nandita Basu assumes duties as the Collaborative Water Program (CWP) Director and welcomes the 2019-20 cohort of 38 students into the program. The innovative CWP is jointly offered by 11 Waterloo departments and schools from all six academic faculties, making it Waterloo’s, and perhaps Canada’s, most interdisciplinary graduate program on water.
February 2020
Water Institute and Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change co-host climate change evening at THEMUSEUM
The Water Institute and the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change co-hosted Ideas to Shape the Future: Fighting Climate Change at THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener. The community event features seven researchers who shared insights and big ideas on how to confront climate change at the individual, community, and global level.
March 2020
Waterloo professor emeritus awarded Stockholm Water Prize
John Cherry, a distinguished professor emeritus from Waterloo’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, is named the 2020 winner of the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize.
April 2020
The University of Waterloo is recognized for its performance against United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Waterloo ranks 16th best in the world for its overall performance against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including 2nd best in the world against SDG 2 – No Poverty and 5th best in the world against SDG 14 – Life Below Water.
March 2020
Water Institute pivots to on-line platforms
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerates the Water Institute’s use of digital platforms and mechanisms to support faculty and students in research, education and knowledge mobilization activities.
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