Year at a glance
May 2020
Water Institute member begins tracking COVID through wastewater
The provincial government recognizes Water Institute member and professor of Biology Mark Servos and his team for their contribution to the COVID-19 response. The team has been applying their knowledge of measuring water contamination to help public health officials understand the movement of SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – within municipal wastewater.
September 2020
Water Institute RBC Distinguished Lecture
Inspired by 45 years of lived experience at Canada’s battlefront between the economy, the environment, law, and government, Dr. Dianne Saxe, President of Saxe Facts and Former Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, delivers the 2020 Water Institute RBC Distinguished Lecture: How to Inform Policy with Science.
September 2020
Water Institute introduces WaterLeadership professional development program
WaterLeadership, a series of training sessions to help students and faculty develop research impact skills to help catalyze knowledge into action, is launched.
September 2020
Water Institute External Advisory Board holds 6th meeting
The Water Institute’s External Advisory Board, including representatives from leading water research organizations from around the globe, meets to take stock of Water Institute progress and impact.
September 2020
Water Institute hosts a three-day international conference on COVID and SDG6
Leading water researchers and practitioners from around the world discuss their work in the context of the coronavirus pandemic and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at The Water Institute’s three-day 2020 research conference - Can we achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in a post-COVID world?
October 2020
Towards Reconciliation: 10 Calls for Action for Natural Scientists published
Water Institute member and professor of Biology Heidi Swanson co-authors 10 Calls to Action challenging the scientific community to recognize that reconciliation requires a new way of conducting natural science, one that includes and respects Indigenous communities, rights, and knowledge leading to better scientific and community outcomes.
November 2020
Water Institute Anti-racism Task Force recommendations
The Water Institute commits to taking concrete actions in addressing systemic barriers that have excluded BIPOC communities from our research environment, taking a step forward in embedding anti-racism in our academic culture and operations.
December 2020
Water Institute hosts national Global Peatlands Initiative workshops
The Water Institute, in collaboration with the United Nations’ Environment Programme Global Peatland Initiative, hosts three virtual workshops to catalyze dialogue and exchange among over 150 Canadian peatland researchers, government officials, private sector representatives and non-governmental organizations. The workshops are an important step toward establishing an active Canadian peatlands research network.
January 2021
Water Institute welcomes new Collaborative Water Program cohort
A new cohort of 45 graduate students begins the challenge of the University of Waterloo’s Collaborative Water Program (CWP). The innovative CWP is jointly offered by 11 Waterloo departments and schools from all six academic faculties, making it Waterloo’s most interdisciplinary graduate program.
February 2021
World Wetlands Day
Water Institute member and professor of Biology Rebecca Rooney delivers the Distinguished Lecture Wetland loss when we know better at the Ecohydrology Research Group’s World Wetlands Day 2021 virtual public event.
March 2021
Water Institute celebrates World Water Day
The Water Institute hosts its annual World Water Day celebration with a student-led interactive discussion, exploring ideas around our relationship with water and a keynote lecture by Ogamauh annag qwe (Sue Chiblow) that contrasted Anishinaabek and Western worldviews with a focus on women’s roles and responsibilities in water governance.
January 2021
Roy Brouwer re-appointed Water Institute Executive Director
After extensive consultation with Water Institute members and university leadership, Professor Roy Brouwer is re-appointed as the Water Institute’s Executive Director. Brouwer, who has been in the role since 2016, began his second term as Executive Director on January 1, 2021.
March 2021
Water Institute RBC Distinguished Lecture
The Water Institute presents its 2021 RBC Distinguished Lecture featuring marine biologist, policy expert, and writer Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson in conversation with science communicator Dan Riskin in exploring Healing our Oceans, our Climate, and our Injustices.
Interdisciplinary
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