News

Our heartfelt congratulations to our new alumni who had their accomplishments celebrated at this week’s convocation ceremony. With their degrees now in hand, these new alumni are ready to make meaningful contributions to the world’s most pressing challenges. From tackling climate change and shaping sustainable cities to safeguarding natural environments and forging unique partnerships, we are confident they are ready to take on the world — and make it better.

Third-year Knowledge Integration students showcased their final museum-style projects touching on reimagining the future of our health and society.  

We are thrilled to share that Natasha Serrao, PhD candidate in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, was selected as a finalist in the 2025 SSHRC’s Storytellers Challenge! The SSHRC challenges postsecondary students nationwide to demonstrate, in up to three minutes or 300 words, how their research is positively impacting our lives, our world, and our future. 

Two PhD students in the Faculty of Environment are among the recipients of the 2025 Flight 302 Legacy Award. The award, valued at $10,000, is named for Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 that crashed in March 2019 near Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.

We are thrilled to share that Faculty of Environment graduate students, Adwoa Appiah, Bhargav Singh Thakur, Jake E. Ferguson, and Kate Manninger were selected as finalists in the 2025 GRADflix competition. They were recognized for their exceptional ability to convey their innovative research in just 60 seconds.

After more than four decades of dedicated service, Faye Schultz is stepping away from her role, leaving a lasting impact on the University of Waterloo. As she departs, Tara Charlton has been appointed executive officer, and Tyler Batchelor joins as faculty financial officer, ensuring strong leadership for the Faculty of Environment’s future.

The dean of the Faculty of Environment, Bruce Frayne,  reflects on 2024’s achievements, including the launch of Environment 2035, transformative student experiences, and groundbreaking initiatives like the Future Cities Institute. He expresses gratitude to the community and leadership for their resilience and collaboration. Looking ahead to 2025, he shares optimism for a sustainable and equitable future.

Satveer Dhillon, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Environment, was honoured for impactful research on aging with HIV/AIDs in Sub-Saharan Africa at the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) Ontario Division Conference.

Keely Stenberg, a PhD candidate in the School of Planning, was recently honoured with two prestigious awards at the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) Annual Conference for a presentation on her health equity and community collaboration research.

McKenzie Huneke, PhD student in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, reflects on his time as a delegate at the World Food Forum 2024. He outlines what's needed to transform the current agri-food system landscape, highlighting collaborative strategies to empower local communities and ensure sustainable food systems for future generations.