2024 Water Sustainability Summit
Part of the UCalgary Discovery Exchange Series
Summit in the Canadian Rockies with leading UCalgary researchers and international experts
This event has now sold out. Thank you for your interest.
Navigating Global Water Security: Predicting Floods, Droughts, and Water Quality Threats
Join us in the Canadian Rockies for the 2024 Water Sustainability Summit, the first event of UCalgary's new Discovery Exchange Series!
Water security is a grand challenge that requires collaboration and collective action for the common good. Together, we will co-create a roadmap for a comprehensive water prediction ecosystem with global implications.
Navigating Global Water Security: Predicting Floods, Droughts, and Water Quality Threats is a 3-day international workshop for researchers and scientists in academia, industry, and government to co-develop a roadmap to produce integrated water quantity and quality predictions across large geographical domains. All attendees will be contributors to the summit’s planned outcomes, including a peer-reviewed publication.
Spend time at the University of Calgary campus and the Fairmont Lake Louise, with outdoor discussions in Canmore, the Bow Valley, and Banff National Park.
On Days 2 and 3, contributors will co-develop a long-term strategy to produce integrated water quantity and quality predictions across large geographic areas, including Canada and neighbouring nations.
The 2024 Water Sustainability Summit is generously sponsored by:
Led by expert hosts from UCalgary and abroad
The summit program has been created for experts, by experts, including UCalgary researchers and world-class colleagues from industry, academia and government.
Dr. Martyn Clark
Professor of Hydrology and Schulich Research Chair in Environmental Prediction
University of Calgary
Dr. Kerry Black
Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair (Integrated Knowledge, Engineering & Sustainable Communities), in the Center for Environmental Engineering Research and Education (CEERE)
University of Calgary
Dr. Alain Pietroniro
Professor of Civil Engineering
University of Calgary
Dr. Kelly Munkittrick
Professor and Campus Alberta Innovation Program Chair in Aquatic Ecosystem Health
University of Calgary
Dr. Fred Wrona
Professor and Svare Research Chair in Integrated Watershed Processes
University of Calgary
Céline Cattoën-Gilbert
Hydrological Forecasting Scientist
NIWA, New Zealand
Diogo Costa
Assistant Professor, Department of Geosciences
University of Évora, Portugal
Gemma Coxon
Associate Professor in Hydrology, School of Geographical Sciences
University of Bristol, UK
James W. Kirchner
Professor Emeritus at the Department of Environmental Systems Science
ETH Zürich
Charles H. Luce
Research Hydrologist
United States Forest Service
Hilary McMillan
Professor of Geography
San Diego State University
Manabendra Saharia
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering
Associate Faculty, Yardi School of Artificial Intelligence
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Katherine Skalak
Research Hydrologist
United States Geological Survey
Chris Spence
Research Scientist
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Nathalie Voisin
Earth Scientist
Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, USA
Asim Zia
Professor of Public Policy and Computer Science in the Department of Community Development and Applied Economics
University of Vermont
Launch of the United Nations University Hub at UCalgary in 2023.
About the Summit
- Over 3 days, contributors will explore the complexity of environmental predictions, diving into quantitative and qualitative methods that inform the future of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
- Key Areas of Focus:
- Advancing process understanding and modeling
- Developing water prediction systems
- Knowledge-to-action
- Contributors will engage in workshops focused on understanding how long and short-term predictions are informing decisions in water and environmental protection and stewardship, and how they can serve as early-warning systems for emerging threats to aquatic ecosystems.
- Contributors will share their expertise in emerging approaches to developing actionable and predictive information and tools that empower communities to respond to climate threats that affect personal safety, ecosystems, and the economy.
- Examples from across the globe will be highlighted and explored to share best practices and emerging research in environmental predictions and sustainable water management.
- As a unique opportunity, contributors will engage in high-level discussion on the development of a next generation national water quality model for Canada.
Summit contributors will spend 2 days at beautiful Lake Louise, Alberta.
Schedule overview
Oct. 29, 2024
Day 0
No sessions scheduled
Group hotel rate available at Alt Hotel University District for out of town contributors
Oct. 30, 2024
Day 1
Classroom and walking sessions
University of Calgary Main Campus, Canmore and Bow Valley area
Travel to Lake Louise
Evening reception at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, sponsored by the Schulich School of Engineering
Oct. 31, 2024
Day 2
Plenary and breakout discussions at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, in partnership with CIROH, ECCC and RTI International
Group dinner, sponsored by RTI International
Nov. 1, 2024
Day 3
Breakout discussions at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, in partnership with CIROH and ECCC
Field excursion and picnic at Lake Minnewanka
Travel to Calgary
Group hotel rate available at Alt Hotel University District for out of town contributors
Fees
$2,000 plus GST, includes:
- 3-day summit hosted by leading UCalgary researchers and international experts
- 2 nights meals and accommodation at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
- 2 guided field excursions to Canmore, the Bow Valley, and Lake Minnewanka
- Transportation to Lake Louise (Oct 29) and back to Calgary (Nov 1)
Fee breakdown
- 3-day Summit: $685
- Meals, transportation, and 2 nights accommodation: $1,315
Registration fee does not include accommodation in Calgary. See Accommodation section.
Accommodations
Pre/post-summit
Pre/post-summit in Calgary: Not included with registration fee
- Room block available at Alt Hotel at University District
- $155 - $175 / night plus taxes, rates valid for Monday October 29 and Friday November 1
- Book by October 11, 2024
- Link to book provided at time of registration
Days 2-3 in Lake Louise
Days 2-3 in Lake Louise: Included with registration fee
- Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, ~$319 / night plus taxes
- Room booking secured at time of registration
Meals and social events
- Breakfast, lunch, coffee and snacks provided
- Dietary restrictions can be provided at point of registration
- Cocktail reception Wednesday evening , group dinner Thursday evening
Travel
Transportation during program is included:
- Field excursions on Days 1-3
- Calgary to Lake Louise on Day 1
- Lake Louise to Calgary at end of Day 3
- If you wish to extend your stay in Lake Louise or Banff National Park, you are welcome to arrange your own transportation - visit Brewster Express for one of the popular self-book options.
Meet our sponsors
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Sponsorship of the summit will support Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) long-term goal of developing a system capable of predicting the impacts of stressors (e.g., extreme weather events, climate change, agricultural runoff, urbanization, spills, proposed resource developments, land-use change) on water quality across Canada. ECCC’s prediction system is intended to provide Canadians with the data, information, and knowledge they need to build resilience to a changing climate and other stressors related to water quality.
Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology
The summit is sponsored by the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH), a partnership between NOAA and The University of Alabama. The summit is intended to support CIROH’s mission of advancing water prediction, including extreme events such as floods and droughts, and water quality – and building community resilience to water-related challenges.
RTI International
RTI International is an independent, nonprofit research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Their vision is to address the world's most critical problems with science-based solutions in pursuit of a better future. Clients rely on RTI International to answer questions that demand an objective and multidisciplinary approach—one that integrates expertise across the social and laboratory sciences, engineering, and international development.
Schulich School of Engineering
The Schulich School of Engineering is proud to sponsor the 2024 Water Sustainability Summit. The Schulich School of Engineering’s vision is to build on Calgary’s strength as a national hub of engineering excellence, to expand the diversity, inclusivity and the impact of our profession, locally and globally, through pivotal research findings and by embracing student success and experience.
The United Nations University (UNU) Hub at UCalgary on Empowering Communities to Adapt to Environmental Change is the world’s first UNU Hub, created in partnership with the UNU Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH). It is the first Hub to be created by the UNU, a global think tank and part of the UN family of organizations. The UNU Hub will collaborate with UNU-INWEH to develop the scientific understanding, solutions, and skilled workforce required to mitigate and adapt to climate threats that affect ecosystems, economies, personal safety, and ways of life around the world.
Contact
The UCalgary Discovery Exchange Series is managed by the Office of the Vice-President Research.
- Contact us at research@ucalgary.ca
- Subscribe below to receive updates about the 2024 Water Sustainability Summit and future programs.
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About the Discovery Exchange Series
The UCalgary Discovery Exchange Series offers unique, research-focused experiential opportunities for members of the national and international research community to exchange and create new knowledge together.
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