University of Waterloo Faculty of Environment
Encyclopedia
The Faculty of Environment is one of six faculties at the University of Waterloo
in Waterloo
, Ontario
, Canada
.
The faculty was established in 1969. During its 40th anniversary at the start of the Fall 2008 term, its name was changed from Faculty of Environmental Studies to the current name, Faculty of Environment. The reason for the name change was because the faculty does more than just study the environment, and works towards "Smart, Green, Solutions", and that its professors and students are engaged in hands-on research projects across Canada and internationally. With the name change, the buildings formerly known as ES1 and ES2 have been renamed EV1 and EV2. Currently under construction is a third building, appropriately named EV3. EV3 will largely consist of the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) and the School of Planning, as well as a lecture hall.
There was some student resistance with this name change, that came in the form of disagreements whether there should be a "the" in the new name, and problems with the commonly used 'ES' abbreviation throughout the Faculty. This was rectified by changing the meaning of 'ES' from 'Environmental Studies' to 'Environment Students'. The new abbreviation for the faculty is ENV, and is pronounced "envy".
Currently matriculating 1,100 undergraduate students, 200 graduate students, and 50 faculty members, the Faculty is growing in both undergraduate and graduate enrollment.
Co-op education, whereby students alternate 4 months in school with 4 month paid work terms in jobs relating to their program, is a major feature of the Faculty. Co-op students can graduate with nearly 2 years of paid work experience.
Each program has their own student society that organizes events specifically for students within their program. These societies include Waterloo Environment and Business Students (WEBS), Environment and Resource Studies Student Association (ERSSA), Waterloo Association of Geography Students (WAGS), Student Association of International Development (SAID), Knowledge Integration Student Society (KISS), and Planning Student Association (PSA).
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
in Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The faculty was established in 1969. During its 40th anniversary at the start of the Fall 2008 term, its name was changed from Faculty of Environmental Studies to the current name, Faculty of Environment. The reason for the name change was because the faculty does more than just study the environment, and works towards "Smart, Green, Solutions", and that its professors and students are engaged in hands-on research projects across Canada and internationally. With the name change, the buildings formerly known as ES1 and ES2 have been renamed EV1 and EV2. Currently under construction is a third building, appropriately named EV3. EV3 will largely consist of the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) and the School of Planning, as well as a lecture hall.
There was some student resistance with this name change, that came in the form of disagreements whether there should be a "the" in the new name, and problems with the commonly used 'ES' abbreviation throughout the Faculty. This was rectified by changing the meaning of 'ES' from 'Environmental Studies' to 'Environment Students'. The new abbreviation for the faculty is ENV, and is pronounced "envy".
Programs
The faculty has grown significantly since its establishment, having become one of Canada’s largest centres for environmental research and teaching. The Faculty offers undergraduate and graduate programs in:- Environment and Business
- Environment and Resource Studies
- Geography and Environmental Management
- Geography and Aviation
- Geomatics
- International Development
- Knowledge Integration
- Planning (urban planningUrban planningUrban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
) - Local Economic Development
- Tourism Policy and Planning
Currently matriculating 1,100 undergraduate students, 200 graduate students, and 50 faculty members, the Faculty is growing in both undergraduate and graduate enrollment.
Co-op education, whereby students alternate 4 months in school with 4 month paid work terms in jobs relating to their program, is a major feature of the Faculty. Co-op students can graduate with nearly 2 years of paid work experience.
Departments and schools
The Faculty of Environment consists of: Department of Environment and Resource Studies, Department of Geography and Environmental Management, the School of Planning, the Centre for Knowledge Integration, and School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) (which is made up of the programs Environment and Business, International Development, and Local Economic Development).Research
The Faculty's research centres and groups include: Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3), Adaptation and Impacts Research Group, Ecological Restoration Group, Ecoplan China, Heritage Resources Centre, Parks Research Forum of Ontario (PRFO), Sustainable Energy Research, Transportation Research Group (TRG), Waterloo Laboratory for Earth Observations (WatLEO), and the Water Policy and Governance Group.Student societies
Students are served by the Environment Students Society that has many roles including representation on various boards within and outside of the Faculty, event planning, student space improvements, management of a student coffee shop and more. Additionally, all students pay into WESEF (Waterloo Environment Students Endowment Fund) which has approved over $500,000 in student-led projects that benefit the students themselves.Each program has their own student society that organizes events specifically for students within their program. These societies include Waterloo Environment and Business Students (WEBS), Environment and Resource Studies Student Association (ERSSA), Waterloo Association of Geography Students (WAGS), Student Association of International Development (SAID), Knowledge Integration Student Society (KISS), and Planning Student Association (PSA).