Keywords: Plastic Additives, Passive Sampling, Persistent, Mobile, and Toxic, Water Pollution My interest in environmental chemistry began during my undergraduate thesis, where I studied how different types of microplastics weather in the environment. Watching these plastics slowly break down and transform in different environments sparked a lasting curiosity about what they release and how thoseContinue reading “The Hidden Side of Plastic Pollution: Tracking Chemical Additives in Ontario Waters”
Category Archives: Non-Technical Blogs
When Climate and Seasons Shift: How Microbes Keep Constructed Wetlands Alive
Have you ever wondered what happens to the tiny, unseen microbes that work tirelessly to clean our wastewater when the seasons change, or when the climate itself starts to shift? As climate change continues to reshape the world around us, its impacts extend far beyond melting ice caps and rising sea levels. The changing climateContinue reading “When Climate and Seasons Shift: How Microbes Keep Constructed Wetlands Alive”
Rethinking Chemical Risk Assessment: Incorporating Dynamics into the Dose-Dependant Paradigm
As water professionals, we share a common goal: to preserve water quality. We work hard to understand hazards and assess risks using pollution guidelines, in order to prevent harm to humans and the environment. This raises an important question: how are these guidelines derived, and are they truly protective? As Young Water Professionals, we learnContinue reading “Rethinking Chemical Risk Assessment: Incorporating Dynamics into the Dose-Dependant Paradigm”
My Water Journey: From Academia to Consulting
As a young water professional (YWP), curiosity has been my compass. It has driven me to ask questions, explore new paths, and ultimately transition from research into consulting. Throughout this journey, I have learned that building my career is less about having all the answers and more about staying excited to keep learning and exploring.Continue reading “My Water Journey: From Academia to Consulting”
Cold Plasma for a Sustainable Future: Advancing Water Treatment and Nitrogen Fixation
Let’s imagine rupturing the electrons or ions from a gas or vapor. It certainly sounds like an energy intensive process, perhaps requiring a highly specialized and sophisticated experimental setup. I thought the same before joining the Soft Matter & Interface Research Group at the University of Alberta. In reality, this can be achieved just byContinue reading “Cold Plasma for a Sustainable Future: Advancing Water Treatment and Nitrogen Fixation”
What is Water?
So I was asked to write a blog post about water. As an environmental engineer specializing in research of an aquatic contaminant, I thought it would be easy enough for me, right? Wrong. Water means many things. As an environmental engineer, water often refers to something with undesirable qualities, like sewage, that needs to beContinue reading “What is Water?”
My Journey to Becoming a Wastewater Engineer
When I was seven, my hometown, Wuxi, faced a crisis of blue-green algal blooms. This environmental issue sparked my curiosity about the mechanisms behind such crises. However, it wasn’t until I entered Duke Kunshan University (DKU) as an undergraduate, that I discovered environmental science as a field of study. As a liberal arts college, DKUContinue reading “My Journey to Becoming a Wastewater Engineer”
The Importance of Continual Development
I work at EPCOR Water Services at the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant in Edmonton, Alberta. I recently attended the Water Environment Federation’s Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC), hosted in New Orleans. It was an amazing experience, and I encourage young water professionals (YWPs) to take advantage of such opportunities when they present themselves. ProfessionalContinue reading “The Importance of Continual Development”
Navigating the Water Industry: Embracing Change and Discovering Your Passion
As a young professional in the water industry, I often reflect on my journey of professional development. Over the past seven years, I’ve transitioned between five major roles: wastewater consulting, transportation infrastructure consulting, stormwater management consulting, flood risk management with a conservation authority, municipal planning for linear infrastructure, and finally, back to wastewater consulting. IContinue reading “Navigating the Water Industry: Embracing Change and Discovering Your Passion”
There is so much about water
I completed my undergraduate studies in Civil Engineering at the University of Alberta, specializing in environmental engineering, whose curriculum included courses on air quality, water resources, river management, and remediation. Initially, I didn’t have a specific area of interest, but my path gradually steered toward water-related fields. My first co-op placement in drainage unexpectedly hadContinue reading “There is so much about water”
IWA YWP Canada 