Events and Activities

The Laurier Institute for Water Science (LIWS) hosts a diverse range of events including workshops, seminars, and conferences, designed to engage and enrich students, faculty, and the broader community. We're always looking for new event ideas. Please reach out to us if you have suggestions.

World Water Day (WWD)

Our keystone event, the Laurier WWD conference is held on or near the official UN date (March 22) and provides students a platform to share and discuss their research with faculty, stockholders, and fellow students. Beyond the student poster session and research talks, the event has historically included panel discussions, hands-on workshops, guest speakers, and our annual general meeting.

Halton Children's Water Festival

Since 2022, LIWS has supported the Halton Children's Water Festival as both as a sponsor and through hosting activity refinement workshops, aimed at ensuring the planned activities communicate good science while remaining enjoyable and feasible.

"Ideas in" Series

A new event as of 2026, starting with "Ideas in Fish Science," this meeting focuses on bringing together faculty level researchers to share methods, technical approaches, and discuss emerging ideas. Designed to foster collaboration, the meeting includes extended breaks for conversation and a guided collaborative lunch in a supportive, collegial atmosphere.

Laurier Brantford Public Lecture Series

Hosted in partnership with the Brant Land Trust at Laurier's Brantford campus, this lecture series features a wide variety of experts sharing their knowledge about the local environment with both the Laurier and the broader Brantford communities.

Previous topics have included:

• "The Grand River as an Indigenous Landscape" by Gary Warrick, Emeritus Professor of Indigenous Studies, History, Archaeology, and Heritage Studies.
• "The Challenges with Urbanization and Protection of Water and Aquatic Environments" by Jack Imhof, retired Biologist for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and National Biologist and Director of Conservation Ecology for Trout Unlimited Canada.
• "Assessing the effects of multiple stressors in the Grand River Watershed" by Dr. Gerald Tetreault, Research Scientist at the Water and Science Technology Division of Environment and Climate Change Canada in Burlington.