This week is McMaster’s first Water Week, a week celebrating the and connecting the links between water science, technology and policy to deliver local and global impacts.  This is the signature event kicking off the new McMaster Water Network.  This network will be a platform for water science, engineering and policy across our faculties.

So far, this week has been a resounding success with documentary screenings, public lectures, and workshops.  Yesterday was the Student research poster showcase.  Over 60 undergraduate and graduate students presented their research and ideas all around water.  I was amazed at the turnout, both in terms of student involvement, and people at the poster session.  It bodes very well for the Water Network and really showed the extent of water research ongoing at McMaster!

Undergraduate thesis student Shayen Sreetharan has been working in the Wilson lab over the last year.  He was a summer researcher and has been focused on lake whitefish, a species we are increasingly using to study the effects of chemical, thermal, and radiological stress.  In his project over the last year, Shayen did a wonderful job of developing a staging series for lake whitefish and identifying their growth (weight and morphology) throughout development.  His work has been recently submitted for publication – an amazing feat for a 3rd year undergraduate.  Shayen presented his whitefish staging series and growth data as part of the Student Research Showcase.

Shayen won the Philomathia Water Prize in the undergraduate competition.   Congratulations on your success!