Waterloo, Laurier and AquaHacking mark World Water Day with shared celebration

The University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University will mark World Water Day March 22 with their eighth annual Graduate Research Fair and Water Celebration. As part of the event, UWaterloo will announce an exciting partnership. The Water Institute at Waterloo will announce a three-year partnership with the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation involving its innovative AquaHacking initiative. AquaHacking challenges young digital designers and coders, aspiring water experts and entrepreneurs to develop applications that raise awareness about and provide solutions for water problems. The United Nations established World Water Day in 1993 to increase global awareness of the importance of water to the environment, agriculture, energy, health and trade. Each year, the students from the UWaterloo Water Institute and the Laurier Institute for Water Science two co-host a full day of activities to highlight the breadth and depth of their water research. This year more than 60 students will be presenting details on their water-related research and it will be an excellent opportunity for researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders to share information with the community. The keynote speaker for the World Water Day event will be Frank Wolf, a Canadian filmmaker, adventurer, writer and environmentalist who has canoed across Canada, cycled on the frozen Yukon River, and sea kayaked the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline and supertanker route from Alberta’s oilsands to the Pacific Ocean. The day will also feature a panel discussion on achievements and challenges in Canada’s wastewater system, research poster presentations and a photo contest. The student-organized celebration takes place Wednesday, March 22, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Lazaridis Hall, 75 University Avenue West, on Laurier’s Waterloo campus. Key Events 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Opening and partnership announcement, main atrium. 10:30 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. Keynote speaker Frank Wolf: “Wild Waters: Advocating for Wilderness Waterways Through Adventure.” LH1011. 1 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. Panel discussion: “Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities in Canada’s Wastewater System.” LH1009.