News Update May 2016

GIWS launches a joint Twitter account with the School of Environment and Sustainability, members speak on slumping Saskatoon river area and a visit by delegates from the Beijing Normal University.

News

Publications

CCRN Newsletter
The Changing Cold Regions Network has published its latest newsletter, which is loaded with interesting and important information on their recent activities, progress and upcoming events. The newsletter can be read in full here.

Douglas Clark Publishes Paper on Bison Re-Introduction
GIWS member Douglas Clark has co-authored "Impacts of reintroduced bison on first nations people in Yukon, Canada: Finding common ground through participatory research and social learning" in Conservation and Society. The paper, which explores the impact that bison transplantation to the southwest Yukon had on the area's First Nations, can be read in full here.

Article on Freshwater Ecosystems
GIWS member Chrystal Mantyka-Pringle has had a new article, "We all live downstream — it's time to restore our freshwater ecosystems," published in The Conversation.  The article touches on several important topics in freshwater, including biodiversity loss, threats facing these areas, and the many benefits of investing in the health of freshwater systems. Visit online to read the article in full. 

Alaskan Energy Security
SENS professor Phil Loring has co-authored a paper that may be of interest to GIWS members: "Defining energy security in the rural North—historical and contemporary perspectives from Alaska," that has been published in Science Direct. 

Orchestrating a Powerful Group
Jeff McDonnell has had an article, "Orchestrating a powerful group," published in Science Magazine.  The article, which examines the strength of a research group as a cohesive whole, is available to read here. 

Announcements

GIWS & SENS Launch Twitter Account
The Global Institute for Water Security and the School of Environment and Sustainability have unveiled a shared twitter account. Follow along here to keep up to date on the goings-on at both institutions, including leading news on publications, events, an inside look at researchers' work and more. 

Lake Diefenbaker the focus of GIWS collaborative research project
An associate professor of GIWS has published an article on Lake Diefenbaker that represents the first comprehensive examination of the reservoir in 30 years. Showcasing the reservoir’s limnology and susceptibility to a changing climate, Jeff Hudson with the Department of Biology is featured in the Newsletter of the Society of Canadian Limnologists in a special issue of the Journal of Great Lakes Research. Click here to read the article. 

Be Part of the GIWS Kickball Team!
It's summer time, so get out there and soak up the sun while you can! Nicholas Dylla is looking to jumpstart a GIWS kickball team, and he wants you to join in. Those interested in getting some fresh air, exercise and enjoying some friendly competition with the rest of the team can get involved through the sign up sheet in the GIWS kitchen or by emailing Nicholas here. 

UnivRS Notification – Internal Approvals for Projects and Amendments
Internal approvals for research projects and amendments that have traditionally been obtained using a PI Memo or a Request for Research Fund form will now be obtained via the University Research System (UnivRS).   The rollout of this functionality is intended to reduce the amount of time spent obtaining actual signatures by replacing them with electronic approvals.  Physical signatures will only be sought when required by the funding agency. For more information on UnivRS, please visit www.usask.ca/univrs-resources.

GIWS member delivers distinguished lecture at international water resources conference
An internationally-recognized affiliated faculty member of the Global Institute for Water Security was invited to the International Conference on Integrated Water Resources Management 2016 in Bochum, Germany, where she delivered The Peter Loucks Lecture. Patricia Gober, a professor of Public Policy in the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, gave a talk entitled “Why we need a new paradigm for water resources modelling and management.”  More information on the conference can be found here.

GIWS to hold annual workshop June 13-14 
Our annual GIWS Workshop is scheduled for June 13-14 at the Park Town Hotel. The workshop is intended to communicate research, training and outreach outcomes while identifying synergies among various research groups associated with GIWS. We also look forward to sharing our future plans with you at this event. See the attached agenda for more information. Please confirm your attendance to Sherry Olauson by sending an email to water.security@usask.ca by June 6.

Elvis Asong Attends Workshop as Keynote
On May 3, GIWS postdoctoral fellow Elvis Asong was invited as keynote speaker for a Water Security Workshop, Interactions between Communities and Scientists, in Prince Albert. His keynote, which addressed water security issues in Saskatchewan, including the existing hazards and how society and science have been working together, was prepared with support from Graham Strickert. 

Delta Days Revisited
Collaboration. Challenge. Research. Life. These were some of the themes that emerged from this year’s Delta Days, which featured GIWS members among its coordinators In total, two universities, one industry organization, three government agencies (provincial, territorial and federal), one environmental non-governmental organization, fifteen Métis and First Nations organizations and three community organizations were represented. The group was made up of youth, elders, community leaders, researchers, decision-makers, and other stakeholders involved with deltas and delta communities. Please visit the Delta Days page for further details that have arisen since the event's conclusion, including a PDF summary report, group photo gallery and links to a Delta Action Facebook group created by Michela Carriere. 

Delegates from the Beijing Normal University, China visit the Global Institute for Water Security
A delegation from the BNU visited GIWS on April 20 and 21 to discuss the creation of a joint research and training institute between the BNU and U of S, and to promote disciplinary cooperation on climate and water sciences. The visit comes after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the BNU and U of S from October 2015 in order to foster additional academic and scholarly collaboration. The BNU, acknowledged as one of China's first ten key universities, has great potential as a strategic partner and hosts a number of lab facilities with links to water. Look forward to more news on this exciting collaboration. ​

GIWS Member Awarded Scholarship
Congratulations to Shahabul Alam, a GIWS member supervised by Lee Barber, who has been awarded the 2016 SK Innovation & Opportunity Scholarship.

NSERC Fellowship Awarded to GIWS Member
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) has awarded a postdoctoral fellowship to GIWS member Kabir Rasouli, whom the organization said was chosen based on his research ability and on his communication, interpersonal and leadership abilities. Congratulations to Rasouli from GIWS. 

Research Internship Accepting Faculty Submissions
The Mitacs Globalink Research Internship (GRI) is now accepting faculty submissions for summer 2017. GRI program pairs faculty in Canada with international undergrads for 12-week research projects from May to September, 2017. For further information, and to submit a student, please visit the Mitacs website.