Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Environment will announce the creation of the new Pacific Water Research Centre (PWRC) at two water events this week. Dean Ingrid Leman Stefanovic will make the announcement at SFU Blue on June 25, and SFU President Andrew Petter will address the 6th annual Canadian Water Summit the following day.
“Just as we can no longer rely on the climate being stationary, we can no longer rely on water cycles being stationary,” said water researcher Steven Conrad. “However, the PWRC is located in a province with a long history of managing uncertainty in its fisheries and forests, the centre is well positioned to consider British Columbian approaches to climate change and water issues.”
The centre will be a mecca of cross-disciplinary collaborative research applied to mitigating real world water crises globally. Its research agenda will be driven by community concerns.
“The goal of the PWRC aims to inform research questions on the strength of local and regional priorities, to ensure that community-engaged research leads to positive, community-relevant changes,” said Stefanovic.
The Pacific Water Research Centre is the only interdisciplinary environmental facility in Western Canada. It will help to address complex water issues by supporting cross-disciplinary research at the interface of water science, social values, and public policy.