research

WaterTalk | Hydrogeology: What's the Use?

Julie Grant — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 19:17:26 +0000

WaterTalk | Hydrogeology: What's the Use? Julie Grant Tue, 12/12/2023 - 14:17

As part of the Water Institute's WaterTalks lecture series, Dr. Ty Ferré, Distinguished Professor, Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, will present: Hydrogeology: What's the Use?

This event is in person in DC 1302 with a lunch reception to follow in DC 1301 (The Fishbowl).

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Hydrogeologists are faced with the challenge of building models of water and solute movement through complex, sparsely characterized geologic systems. Every step of this process introduces opportunities for error and uncertainty, from the choice of where and what to measure, to the conceptualization of the flow system, to the construction, parameterization, and calibration of the numerical model. There is increasing acceptance among hydrogeologists that 'all models are imperfect'. But there is little to no agreement about how (or if) model uncertainty should be communicated to clients and how that uncertainty might be included in water resources planning. In this talk, I will present a very simple hydrogeologic problem and use it to explore the following topics. How does measurement uncertainty affect model prediction uncertainty and how can we determine if those uncertainties matter? How can we determine how much hydrologic observations are worth in a decision context? How can we account for stakeholder biases and, importantly, are they always something to be avoided? The talk will draw on Bayes' Law, Pareto optimization, and multi-model analysis. But the take home messages will be clear and simple to explain to any audience.

Speaker bio

Ty Ferré is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Arizona. His students investigate topics ranging from direct and geophysical monitoring of the vadose zone, to groundwater model parameter estimation, to increasing the role of stakeholders in water resources decision making. He was the 2016 National Groundwater Association Darcy Lecturer.

The University of ��ݮ��Ƶ is committed to achieving barrier-free accessibility for persons with disabilities who are visiting, studying or working at ��ݮ��Ƶ. If you have questions concerning access or wish to request accommodations for this event, please contact Julie Grant (j26grant@uwaterloo.ca)

WaterTalk: What’s public about public water?

Julie Grant — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 18:26:22 +0000

WaterTalk: What’s public about public water? Julie Grant Mon, 10/16/2023 - 14:26

As part of the Water Institute's WaterTalks lecture series, Dr. David McDonald, Professor, Department of Global Development Studies, Queen’s University, will present: What’s public about public water?

This event is in person in DC 1302 with a lunch reception to follow in DC 1301 (The Fishbowl).

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Debates about water privatization have tended to construct a simplistic binary of public versus private. In reality, ‘public’ water is varied and complex in its institutional and ideological make-up, illustrated in part by the rise of very different types of ‘remunicipalized’ water services over the past ten years as well as the growth of ‘corporatized’ public utilities. Drawing on two decades of empirical and theoretical work on this topic, Dr McDonald will highlight key tensions and synergies in the emerging debates about the nature of public water services.

Speaker bio

David McDonald is Professor of Global Development Studies at Queen’s University and Director of the Municipal Services Project. He has conducted research on public services in more than 50 countries and has written extensively in academic and popular formats. His most recent book is “Meanings of Public and the Future of Public Services”

Water Institute Early Career Faculty Research Showcase

Julie Grant — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 13:20:35 +0000

Water Institute Early Career Faculty Research Showcase Julie Grant Wed, 09/27/2023 - 09:20

Join us for the Water Institute 2023 Early Career Faculty Research Showcase!

This in person event will showcase the research programs of Water Institute early career faculty and provide an opportunity to network and explore potential collaboration.

Please plan to attend in support of our early career colleagues!

This event will be offered in person in the EIT 2053 Link Conference Room from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Presentations & reception to follow.

Hear presentations from:

Leah Jones-Crank

Assistant Professor, School of Environment, Resources, and Sustainability
Good governance for interconnected water-energy-food systems

Tonya DelSontro

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Assessing GHG dynamics in man-made waterbodies

Roberto Guglielmi

Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Mathematics
M²aaS - Math modeling as a service

Grant Gunn

Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Environmental Management
Remote sensing of freshwater lakes

Chantel Markle

Assistant Professor, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability and Department of Geography and Environmental Management
Wildlife ecohydrology and conservation

Jozef Nissimov

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology
Viruses of microbes in lakes: enemies or friends?

Zhao Pan

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
Diagnosing flow by assimilating sensors and models

Helena Shilomboleni

Assistant Professor, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability and Department of Geography and Environmental Management
Climate smart agriculture in the global South

WaterTalk: Recent advances in optimization models for water systems

Julie Grant — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 13:10:04 +0000

WaterTalk: Recent advances in optimization models for water systems Julie Grant Wed, 09/27/2023 - 09:10

As part of the Water Institute's WaterTalks lecture series, Bernhard Becker, Sr. Advisor / Researcher, Deltares | RWTH Aachen University will present: Recent advances in optimization models for water systems.

This event will be offered in person in DC1302 from 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Speaker bio

Bernhard Becker works at Deltares (Delft, the Netherlands) in the field of optimization and control of water systems and is product manager of the open-source optimization software RTC-Tools. Becker holds a PhD degree in civil engineering from RWTH Aachen University (Germany) and he is affiliated as external lecturer at RWTH Aachen University.

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Recent advances in optimization models for water systems

The fact that multiple operational conditions must be satisfied makes water management a challenging task: Dam operators have to determine reservoir release and turbine dispatch given inflow forecasts and uncertain future conditions such as floods and droughts; polder managers should choose which pumps or sluices to operate given energy costs, capacity and tides; flood control authorities take over control of operations in case of flood conditions. Operational decisions become very complex, with multiple dimensions of interactions. To that end, mathematical optimization techniques can help to support decisions and resolve conflicts. An optimization model aims to support operators by finding an operational scheme (decisions taken over time) that best meets one or more operational goals under given boundary conditions.

WaterTalk: Responding to the World Water Crisis: Mar del Plata (1977) to New York (2023)

Julie Grant — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 13:04:41 +0000

WaterTalk: Responding to the World Water Crisis: Mar del Plata (1977) to New York (2023) Julie Grant Mon, 03/20/2023 - 09:04

As part of the Water Institute's WaterTalks lecture series, Quentin Grafton, Professor of Economics and Chairholder UNESCO Chair in Water Economics and Transboundary Water Governance at the Australian National University (ANU), will present: Responding to the World Water Crisis: Mar del Plata (1977) to New York (2023).

This event will be offered in person in EIT 3142 Conference Room from 3-4 p.m., reception to follow from 4:00 - 5 p.m.

Speaker bio

Quentin Grafton is Professor of Economics and Chairholder UNESCO Chair in Water Economics and Transboundary Water Governance. He is an Australian Laureate Fellow, a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, a former President (2017-18) of the Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society (AARES) and a Distinguished Fellow of AARES. In 2022, he was appointed a Lead Expert and Commissioner of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water that will report to the UN 2023 Water Conference. He has published 185 scholarly articles in inter-disciplinary journals (such as Science), 47 chapters in books and 17 edited or co-authored books (including with Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press).

WaterTalk: Recognizing the spiritedness and agency of water: Personhood and other legal approaches

Julie Grant — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 21:08:59 +0000

WaterTalk: Recognizing the spiritedness and agency of water: Personhood and other legal approaches Julie Grant Sun, 02/12/2023 - 16:08

As part of the Water Institute's WaterTalks lecture series, Aimée Craft, Professor Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa and University Research Chair Nibi miinawaa aki inaakonigewin: Indigenous governance in relationship with land and water, will present: Recognizing the spiritedness and agency of water: Personhood and other legal approaches.

This event will be offered in person in DC 1302.
Lunch reception to follow in DC 1301 (The Fishbowl) from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.

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Water bodies, including lakes, rivers and glaciers, have been recognized as legal persons throughout the world. This legal approach to granting rights to water builds on Indigenous laws that recognize the spiritedness and agency of nibi (water). This discussion will review some of the contexts in which these water protections arise and consider how to continue to give them effect through Indigenous legal mechanisms.

Speaker bio

Aimée Craft is an award-winning teacher and researcher, recognized internationally as a leader in the area of Indigenous laws, treaties and water. She holds a University Research Chair Nibi miinawaa aki inaakonigewin: Indigenous governance in relationship with land and water.

An Associate Professor at the Faculty of Common law, University of Ottawa and an Indigenous (Anishinaabe-Métis) lawyer from Treaty 1 territory in Manitoba, she is the former Director of Research at the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and the founding Director of Research at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. She practiced at the Public Interest Law Centre for over a decade and in 2016 she was voted one of the top 25 most influential lawyers in Canada. In 2021 she was awarded the prestigious Canadian Bar Association President’s Award and was named the Early Career Researcher of the Year Award at the University of Ottawa.

Prof. Craft prioritizes Indigenous-lead and interdisciplinary research, including through visual arts and film, co-leads a series of major research grants on Decolonizing Water Governance and works with many Indigenous nations and communities on Indigenous relationships with and responsibilities to nibi (water). She plays an active role in international collaborations relating to transformative memory in colonial contexts and relating to the reclamation of Indigenous birthing practices as expressions of territorial sovereignty.

Breathing Life Into the Stone Fort Treaty, her award-winning book, focuses on understanding and interpreting treaties from an Anishinaabe inaakonigewin (legal) perspective. Treaty Words, her critically acclaimed children’s book, explains treaty philosophy and relationships.

She is past chair of the Aboriginal Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association and a current member of the Speaker's Bureau of the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba.

WaterTalk: Droughts in a human-dominated world: Feedbacks, legacies and inequalities

Julie Grant — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 15:28:29 +0000

WaterTalk: Droughts in a human-dominated world: Feedbacks, legacies and inequalities Julie Grant Tue, 01/17/2023 - 10:28

As part of the Water Institute's WaterTalks lecture series, Dr. Giuliano Di Baldassarre, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences & Principal Investigator HydroSocialExtremes, Uppsala University, Sweden will present: Droughts in a human-dominated world: Feedbacks, legacies and inequalities.

This event will be offered online (Zoom).

More information

Societies have increasingly influenced the frequency and severity of hydrological drought over the past centuries by: i) building dams and reservoirs to secure water supply; ii) diverting water flows to supply cities, industries and agriculture; and iii) changing river basin characteristics through deforestation, urbanization and drainage of wetlands. While societies influence hydrological droughts, drought occurrences (and risks) influence societies. Adaptive responses include migration from drought-affected areas or changes in water allocation and governance. In this talk, I present case studies, global analyses and models to show how these sociohydrological feedbacks can generate legacy risks or social inequalities and thus challenge the development of sustainable policies of disaster risk reduction and water management.

Speaker bio

Giuliano Di Baldassarre is a professor of surface water hydrology and environmental analysis at the Department of Earth Sciences of Uppsala University, Sweden. He is also the Director of the Centre of Natural Hazards and Disaster Science (CNDS), which currently supports about 30 early career scientists (PhD candidates and postdocs in social, engineering and earth science) in three Swedish universities (www.cnds.se). Giuliano aims to understand how (and why) the interplay between social, technical and physical processes can generate risks, crises or disasters. His research focuses on natural hazards, including droughts and floods. In this context, he has led an interdisciplinary research group as the PI of the project HydroSocialExtremes (www.hydrosocialextremes.org) funded by the European Research Council (ERC, Consolidator Grant). Giuliano has been the recipient of numerous honors, including the Plinius Medal by the European Geosciences Union (EGU), Thuréus Prize by the Royal Society of Sciences (Uppsala), and the Witherspoon Lecture Award by the American Geophysical Union (AGU). He has been one of the leaders of of Panta Rhei–Everything Flows in since 2013 (and the Chair in biennium 2017-2019), the global research initiative of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) bringing together hundreds of scientists worldwide doing research on water and society. He has more than 150 publications, including several papers in multidisciplinary journals, such as Nature Sustainability, Science Advances and Nature.

WaterTalk | John Cherry: Groundwater is the Key to a Sustainable Earth

Julie Grant — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 19:09:25 +0000

WaterTalk | John Cherry: Groundwater is the Key to a Sustainable Earth Julie Grant Thu, 12/08/2022 - 14:09

As part of the Water Institute's WaterTalks lecture series, John Cherry, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, Leader of the Groundwater Project, Recipient of the 2020 Stockholm Water Prize and Lee Kwan Yew Water Prize, 2016 presents: The Global Water Crisis Paradox: Groundwater, Food and Poverty.

This event will be offered in person at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ Theatre of the Arts, Modern Languages Building.
3:30-4:00 p.m. Doors Open
4:00-5:00 p.m. Lecture
5:00-6:30 p.m. Reception

The Global Water Crisis Paradox: Groundwater, Food and Poverty

Climate, wars, pandemics, and recessions threaten our society's future, but the most immediate threat is disappearing fresh water. According to the World Bank (2015), “Water is reaching a tipping point.” The US National Intelligence Council’s Strategic Futures Group, March (2021), wrote “Water insecurity is threatening global economic growth, political stability.” According to the World Economic Forum (2021), “Water insecurity risks triggering a global food crisis.” What goes unacknowledged by these and other global policy bureaucracies is that the global water crisis has groundwater problems at its heart. Unless this becomes clearly recognized soon and corrective measures taken, a breakdown of the globalized food economy and subsequent societal collapse become likely. Groundwater is at the heart of the crisis because groundwater makes up 99 % of all liquid freshwater; when drought comes, groundwater is the only freshwater in most regions. Understanding groundwater entails understanding a paradox. In many parts of the world too much groundwater is extracted unsustainably (groundwater mining) for irrigation. However, in rural areas around the world, 3 billion people live in water poverty and need more groundwater development for health, hygiene, and family subsistence agriculture.

On the current trajectory, most of humanity will soon live in water-based food insecurity, water poverty, or both. The solutions must reflect the paradox. Many aquifers must be pumped less to achieve sustainable water yields and food security. Some aquifers need millions of additional small, low-yield wells to supply individual families with a few hundred liters per day, which is too little pumping for groundwater mining. Key to these solutions are the concepts introduced by Glieck and Paniapannan (PNAS, 2010) for peak water, peak sustainable water, and peak ecological water. Lester R. Brown of the Worldwatch Institute warned a decade ago that “the real threat to our future is peak water…over pumping…which threatens food supply” and now it’s happening. Extrapolating from the acclaimed book by Jared Diamond (2005), Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, we are failing, not by conscious choice but because we do not comprehend what we cannot see: groundwater. We do not recognize the crisis, we are not monitoring the diminished groundwater we have left and we understand little about how biodiversity and groundwater are connected. In knowledge and technology, we are by far the most advanced civilization ever, but our fate is being determined by our ignorance. Hope for redeeming the global water crisis lies in the relatively uncomplicated but nevertheless challenging solutions that are available.

The Groundwater Project (GW-Project), established in 2017, is a Canadian non-profit charitable organization that aims to raise groundwater consciousness and strengthen groundwater expertise worldwide. Since 2017, we’ve published 27 original books with 11 more books near completion; Over 1000 well-recognized scientists and practitioners (including retirees) have volunteered as authors, translators and reviewers. These contributors are associated with over 220 organizations throughout the world. Key to the mission of the GW-Project is fostering rapid dissemination of knowledge and learning tools to universities everywhere including those in developing countries so that those with inadequate teaching resources for comprehensive groundwater education can direct students to synthesized knowledge at a high global standard. Currently, the GW-Project is working with 114 translators (volunteers), translating 18 books, into 41 languages including French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Farsi, Greek, Hungarian, Vietnamese, and several local African languages. Emphasis is on overcoming inadequacy in knowledge and technical resources for improved access to safe drinking water globally in both remote rural areas and large urban centers, as well as on understanding and avoidance of contamination of Earth’s groundwater resources.

John Cherry, Leader of The Groundwater Project, Distinguished Emeritus Professor, ��ݮ��Ƶ and Principal Investigator, Morwick G360 Institute for Groundwater Research, Guelph

Speaker bio

Dr. John Cherry’s research pioneered the field of “contaminant hydrogeology”. He holds geological engineering degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, University of California Berkeley, and a PhD in hydrogeology from the University of Illinois. He joined the faculty at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ in 1971 and retired in 2006 as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He co-authored the textbook “Groundwater” with R.A. Freeze (1979) and co-holds several patents, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Foreign Member of the U.S. Academy of Engineering. He was the Chair of the Canadian Expert Panel on the environmental impacts of shale gas development. He has received awards from the USA, UK, Switzerland, Canada, Singapore (Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, 2016), IAH President’s Award (2019) and the 2020 Stockholm Water Prize. He is currently a Principal Investigator at the G360 Institute and Project Leader for the Groundwater Project (gw-project.org) a project aimed at democratizing groundwater education globally. He is the Director of the University Consortium for Field-Focused Groundwater Contamination Research.

Parking information is available here.

A recording of this event will be made available on our YouTube channel at a later date.

WaterTalk: Does the framing matter? On dissent, consensus, and scientific controversies in policy-relevant research

Julie Grant — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 12:41:37 +0000

WaterTalk: Does the framing matter? On dissent, consensus, and scientific controversies in policy-relevant research Julie Grant Wed, 10/19/2022 - 08:41

As part of the Water Institute's WaterTalks lecture series, Gunilla Öberg, Professor, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC and Professor, The Center for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway will present: Does the framing matter? On dissent, consensus, and scientific controversies in policy-relevant research.

This event will be offered in person on the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ campus in DC 1302 from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Lunch reception to follow in DC 1301 (The Fishbowl) from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

More information

A large number of areas in society rely on expert knowledge. There is a growing recognition that many of our present-day systems rely on a too narrow definition of relevant and valuable knowledge and expertise. These insights have led to increasing calls for interdisciplinary, trans-academic and cross-cultural competency, which has proven more challenging than anticipated. Drawing on 30-years’ experience of leading and participating in sustainability research in areas of contemporary societal concern, Dr. Öberg will examine common stumbling blocks and ways forward, including the ways in which disciplinary and cultural arrogance hinder the development of common ground and respect for other ways of knowing. She will discuss how a systematic fostering of humility and reflection can be used as a remedy, for example, by scaffolding increased awareness of how differences in thought styles, writing styles, and oral expression impact individual, disciplinary and societal perceptions of quality, reliability and relevance.

Speaker bio

Dr. Gunilla Öberg, professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES) at UBC, Vancouver, Canada is inspired by her deep knowledge in chlorine biogeochemistry and her experience as a leader of complex interdisciplinary sustainability projects. She has over 30 years’ experience of leading complex interdisciplinary projects. Her present research deals with the notion of expertise and expert knowledge in complex areas where science is uncertain and disputed, and the silent exclusion of knowledge that clashes with dominant science, such as Indigenous knowledge. At present, her projects deal with chemicals of concern and microplastics. Questions in focus are: What kind of knowledge is needed, used and trusted? How does the knowledge used impact perceived solutions? How might we help decision-makers and the public ‘unpack’ assumptions, values and preferences that are embedded in such knowledge? What might a more equitable chemicals management system look like?

Water Institute Research Conference 2022

Julie Grant — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 14:55:29 +0000

Water Institute Research Conference 2022 Julie Grant Thu, 08/11/2022 - 10:55

Water as a foundation for healthy communities and sustainable livelihoods

This online three-day international conference will explore progress against the UN’s SDGs at the intersection of water, health, food and gender through the work of international experts and early career scholars from Canada, Africa and Asia who will share research experiences and lessons learned from a variety of multi-sectoral projects led by academic and local partners.

Day One: Monday, September 26, 7:00 to 10:00 AM ET

Time (ET)	Speaker
7:00 to 7:05	Day One – Conference opening Roy Brouwer Executive Director, Water Institute, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, Canada
7:05 to 7:10	Conference opening remarks Katie Bryant Program Officer, International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
7:10 to 7:15	Brief overview of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship program Jeanne Gallagher Program Manager, Universities Canada
7:15 to 8:00	Keynote presentation: Global child health and development: Does improving water safety and sanitation matter? Zulfiqar A. Bhutta Inaugural Robert Harding Chair in Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children and Director of Research at the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health, Toronto, Canada
8:00 to 8:05	Break
8:05 to 8:55	Panel discussion: Lessons learned in achieving SDG6 – Clean water and sanitation for all Moderator: Diana Karanja Director, Community Health Support Programme COHESU, Kenya Panelists: Elijah Bisung Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen’s University, Canada Inonge Milupi Head of the Department Language and Social Sciences Education, University of Zambia, Zambia Thelma Zulfawu Abu Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of Connecticut, USA
8:55 to 9:05	Break
9:05 to 9:55	Panel discussion: Lessons learned in achieving SDG3 – Good health and wellbeing for all Moderator: Tom Wanyama Assistant Professor, School of Engineering Practice and Technology, McMaster, Canada Panelists: Elizabeth Onyango Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Canada Buba Manjang Director of Public Health Services, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Gambia Andrea Rishworth Postdoctoral Fellow, Geography, Geomatics and Environment, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada
9:55 to 10:00	Day One – Closing remarks Craig Janes Director, School of Public Health Sciences, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, Canada

Day Two: Tuesday, September 27, 7:00 to 10:00 AM ET

7:00 to 7:05	Day Two – Welcome Roy Brouwer Executive Director, Water Institute, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, Canada
7:05 to 7:50	Keynote presentation: Community-based approaches to achieving water and food security in Africa: Linking policy to practice Inga Jacobs-Mata Country Representative Southern Africa, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Pretoria, South Africa
7:50 to 8:00	Break
8:00 to 8:50	Panel discussion: Lessons learned in achieving SDG10 – Reduce inequality Moderator: Soumya Balasubramanya Senior Economist, The World Bank, Washington, USA Panelists: Douglas Singini District Medical Officer, Limulunga District Health Office, Zambia Jullian Sone PhD student, Department of Hydraulic Engineering and Sanitation, University of São Paulo, Brazil Archisman Mitra Researcher, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), New Delhi, India
8:50 to 9:00	Break
9:00 to 9:45	Keynote presentation: Irrigation nutrition linkages with implications on the role of water in transforming food systems Dawit Mekonnen Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, USA
9:45 to 9:50	Day Two – Closing remarks Sarah Dickson-Anderson Professor, Department of Engineering, McMaster, Canada

Day Three: Wednesday, September 28, 7:00 to 10:00 AM ET

7:00 to 7:05	Day Three – Welcome Roy Brouwer Executive Director, Water Institute, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, Canada
7:05 to 7:50	Keynote presentation: Water, Gender and Social Inclusion: A long way to go Deepa Joshi Gender, Youth and Inclusion Lead in the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo, Sri Lanka
7:50 to 7:55	Break
7:55 to 8:50	Panel discussion: Lessons learned in achieving SDG5 – Gender equality and empowering all women and girls Moderator: Lina Taing Director, Water Without Borders Graduate Diploma Program, Senior Researcher Water & Health, UNU-INWEH, McMaster, Canada Panelists: Rodgers Tayebwa Head of the Department Civil Engineering, Uganda Christian University, Uganda Mwimanenwa Njungu Lecturer, School of Medicine, Copperbelt University, Zambia Gervin Apatinga PhD candidate, University of Saskatchewan, Canada Sajida Aswan Academic Manager, Niagara College, Canada
8:50 to 9:00	Break
9:00 to 9:50	Panel discussion: How has QES contributed to the SDG’s and how do we keep the network alive? Moderator: Susan Elliott Professor, University Research Chair in Medical Geography, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, Canada Panelists: Ann Weston Senior Program specialist, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Diana Karanja Director, Community Health Support Programme COHESU, Kenya Masood Lohar Founder and CEO Clifton Urban Forest, Karachi, Pakistan Lina Taing Director, Water Without Borders Graduate Diploma Program, Senior Researcher Water & Health, UNU-INWEH, McMaster, Canada
9:50 to 9:55	Day Three – Closing remarks Roy Brouwer Executive Director, Water Institute, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, Canada