Minutes from May 23, 2012 meeting of Arts Environmental Studies Consortium

Recorder: Laurie Adkin

Thanks to Susan Smith for additional input on my notes, which were also reviewed by Jenny Welchman.

In attendance (from Arts): Laurie Adkin, Isabel Altamirano-Jimenez (PolS/NS), Sara Dorow (Soc), Nathan Kowalsky, Susan Smith, Jenny Welchman (6)

Regrets: Jeremy Caradonna, Ken Caine, Joan Greer, David Kahane, Matthew Hoven (St. Joseph’s/edu. & env.), Marc Nuttall, Andie Palmer (Anthro), Liza Piper, Maria Whiteman (Art & Design) (9)

Guests:Makere Stewart-Harawira (Educ), Debra Davidson (REES/ALES), Greg Goss (BioSci), Shannon Leblanc (Sustainability Coordinator, Facilities & Operations), colleague of Shannon’s (5)

After introductions, we invited Greg and Debra to speak to us about the U of A’s recently announced “Water Initiative.” Below, in point form, are some of the details that were gleaned.

(1) Water Initiative (

●The initiativecomes from the President’s office. Water related research was identified as a way to raise the university’s international profile. The idea is to create a profile for the U of A as a “water university,” thereby attracting funding from government, industry, and foundation sources.

●The selection of the four initial academic leadswas done by a search of academic research profiles using the keyword “water,” to identify researchers who have published widely in some area related to water. It was speculated that this is why none of the academic leads comes from the Arts Faculty. However, it was also said that an a priori decision was made to have leads from the four areas of Biological Sciences,[1] Health/Medicine, Engineering, and Policy. The outcome of this search was a list including: SubirBhattacharjee (Mechanical Engineering/ NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Water Quality Management for Oil Sands), Chris Le (Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry/ Canada Research Chair in Bioanalytical Technology and Environmental Health, Greg Goss (BioSci/aquatic toxicology and Vic Adamowizc (Rural Economy/ALES). As Vic was unavailable, he recommended Debra.

●It is believed that there are between 100 and 200 researchers working on water-related issues at the U of A.

●Greg put considerable emphasis on the goal of facilitating multi-disciplinary teaching and training.

●The External Advisory Board(EAB) met March 1, 2012, and will meet next in February 2013. Its involvement with the WI is an annual meeting at which it offers “strategic” advice. Currently, the EAB includes 11-14 individuals, and more have been invited. Among the members are representatives of provincial and federal governments, industry, and NGOs. The Waterkeepers and the North Saskatchewan River Watershed Alliance were mentioned. There are no faculty members on the EAB. (This seems similar to the structure of the AWRI.)[2]

●More complete information about the EAB and the WI in general should be forthcoming in September. Discussions with deans are occurring this summer.

●Funding:Greg is in the process of fund-raising for the WI, from governments and other sources. These include Industrial Research Chairs, endowed chairs or scholarship funds from private donors, and a Network Strategic Grant focused on water.[3]

●What will the WI do?

“attract the best students in the world” by offering full scholarships – initially for graduate students. (There is an objective to eventually recruit undergraduate students, as well.) The target is 200 studentships.

In addition to carrying out research in a department/faculty, these graduate students will have the opportunity to earn a multi-disciplinary certificate in “water research.” At this time, they are thinking of requiring something like 10 three-day courses for such a certificate.

The WI will “co-ordinate” water-related research on campus. It has a database on researchers.

The WI will have a “media office” that communicates about the water research being done at the university and recruits students.

What will WI offer to researchers at the university?

Help with grants (writing of? Administration of?)

Scholarships for students

Matching funds for projects that have obtained other funding

Seed money for grant applications

Communication about water-related research on campus to facilitate collaborations

●The EAB has recommended an initial focus on three areas of research:

grey water

energy and water

water for rural or remote communities

One project-in-development would pair a village in India with a community in Alberta as research sites. The intention is to help generate “researcher-community partnerships.”

Comments/discussion

●Is there any involvement by communities in the EAB? How will it be decided which communities to initiate projects with? Response (Greg): Individual researchers are expected to approach the Water Initiative for matching funds or other support; the WI will not initiate research.

●A proactive effort is needed to reach researchers early on in this process (Sara)

●Arts environmental researchers would like to be involved in the “unfolding” of the WI (LA)

●The WI was the President’s initiative, but university researchers can make what they want of it (Debra)

●Policy has been a predominant theme in WI discussions, while technology has been less important (Debra)

●No connection between ERSC and the WI (Debra)

●Hopefully, the interest shown by sociology faculty and our group have put Arts on the radar for the WI leads; they now know that there are interested researchers “over here” (LA)

(2) A friendly offer: Shannon Leblanc, Sustainability Co-ordinator at Facilities and Operations, wished us to know that the Office of Sustainability will be glad to help publicize our events or announcements on its website.

Post-Guests Discussion:

(3) An AESC by any other name: Laurie was thinking of creating a google doc for AESC members to brainstorm our name, but those present thought we should just keep AESC. So AESC it is, unless someone is very unhappy with this moniker, or has something else to propose that will gain a majority following.

(4) Letter of support for Canadian scientists affected by the NSERC budget cuts

Agreed that Laurie will draft a letter and post it as a google document for group revision and approval.Proposed that it be sent to the government, the organizer of the scientists’ letter, and the Dean of Science at the U of A. (Once we get our website, we can also post it there.)

(5) website: Laurie to follow-up with Liza Piper.

May 25 update: We are searching for a student with sufficient technical skills to create a website for AESC. Liza estimates that the hours required would amount to about $400.00. Please send candidates to Liza or Jeremy Caradonna, but note that Liza will be out of the country from about May 27-third week of June.

[1] The Faculty of Science still has an alumni magazine; the summer 2012 issue is devoted to water research:

[2] The Alberta Water Research Institute (AWRI) … established in 2007 and funded by (what is now called) Alberta Innovates: Energy and Environmental Solutions, has been morphed (in 2012) into Water Resources, one of four programs under AI:EES There is considerable overlap between the researchers and themes associated with the AWRI and the U of A Water Initiative. Water Resources “seeks the best solutions and funds leading edge research in support of Alberta's provincial water strategy,WaterforLife: Alberta'sStrategyforSustainability.”

[3] The VP Research Office is currently hiring an administrative assistant for the Executive Director of the Water Initiative (Greg Goss).