News Update August 2016

John Giesy discusses SK oil spill in media; Tim Jardine featured by the Globe & Mail; and the upcoming launch of our Distinguished Lecture Series.

News

Announcements

John Giesy discusses SK oil spill with media
GIWS member John Giesy has been featured in sveral media outlets, wherein he commented on the ongoing issues being faced by Saskatchewan in the wake of the recent oil spill near Prince Albert. John's comments can be read in CKOM News, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and at Saskatoon Homepage.

Media features GIWS work with Cumberland House
The Saskatoon StarPhoenix has published an article highlighting the work of GIWS members members Graham Strickert and Tim Jardine, who have been coordinating in efforts to research the Saskatchewan River Delta with members of Cumberland House. The article has been re-posted on the GIWS website, and can be viewed at its original source here. 

Federal Government Seeks Input on Innovation
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) is seeking input on its Innovation Agenda, which includes priority areas such as clean growth and science excellence. This is a great opportunity to share your expertise through a channel that may have some policy influence. Visit ISED online to contribute.

Striking Balance Doc Sets Premiere Date
Most of the time when Canadians think about nature, we think about far off places — wilderness areas, untouched by humans. But people have been a part of nearly every Canadian landscape for thousands of years, so what if our concept of nature included people? Narrated by Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy, Striking Balance is an documentary series that goes coast to coast in cinematic 4K — combining aerial, motion capture time-lapse, and nature photography to create a stunning picture of Canada’s Biosphere Reserves. Please see accompanying link for further details.

Christy Morrissey to speak on U of S NSERC successes
The U of S and GIWS will be on hand to celebrate recent research successes from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) at an event taking place on Wednesday, August 10, at 11:30 am at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. 

GIWS member Christy Morrissey will be speaking on the funding that will see 57 U of S scientists receiving more than $9.2 million. Morrissey will also be giving a tour of the new Facility for Applied Avian Research, one of only two such facilities in Canada capable of advanced research on birds, as well as the only facility of its kind dedicated to the studies of avian wildlife ecotoxicology and medicine.

Robert Patrick discusses potable water protection in media editorial
GIWS member Robert Patrick has had an editorial published in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, in which he argues that the recent 200,000-litre pipeline spill in the North Saskatchewan River should be a wake-up call to enact protective measures for potable water sources. The article can be read in full here. 

GIWS Associate Director pens article on 1-hour workday
The secret to productive writing is making sure to do small amounts of focused writing every day. That’s according to an article by Jeff McDonnell, Professor of Hydrology and Associate Director of GIWS, who writes in Science Magazine that the “one-hour workday” is the key to being productive. Read the full take at the above link. 

Contribute to Canada's Fundamental Science Review
The Fundamental Science Review has received over 400 initial submissions and has moved on to a second phase. Researchers, students, administrators, and other interested persons are now encouraged to answer a set of specific survey questions, based on the initial submissions. The deadline for this phase is Sept. 30.

Distinguished Lecture Series launching soon
GIWs and the School of Environment and Sustainability are proud to present a weekly seminar series featuring top water experts from around the world. These lectures are free and open to the public. Graduate students are encouraged to also enroll in the series for credit (as part of ENVS 898, Breakthroughs in Water Security Research). Please see the above link for a full list of upcoming speakers. 

Tim Jardine feature in Globe and Mail
Tim Jardine was tapped by the Globe and Mail to discuss the recent Husky Oil spill in northern Saskatchewan. The article, a feature-length piece exploring the event in great detail, can be read here.

Publications

Doug Clark Published in Conservation Biology
GIWS member Doug Clark has had a new article, "Mainstreaming the social sciences in conservation," published in the latest edition of Conservation Biology. The piece, which discusses how the conservation social sciences can provide unique and important contributions to society's understanding of the relationships between humans and nature and to improving conservation practice and outcomes, can be read here. 

Irrigation Developments and Economic Trade-Offs
GIWS postdoctoral fellow Michael Kehoe has had a new paper, "A Method for comprehensively Assessing Economic Trade-Offs of New Irrigation Developments," published in Water Resources Management. The paper, which explains a novel method for integration of river network models with agriculture production models in order to perform financial tradeoff analysis for a wide range of possible farm configurations and management decisions, can be read in full here.

Special Issue of Sustainable Journal Seeks Submissions
Elaine Wheaton has been invited to co-edit a special issue of the Sustainability Journal on the theme of Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change. She would like to invite GIWS members and graduate students to submit to the publication, the details of which can be found in the attached letter of invitation. Contact Elaine if you have further questions.