Plastic pollution is often discussed in terms of what we can see: floating debris, shoreline litter, and microplastics (MPs) in surface waters. However, a less visible but equally important aspect is how plastics evolve in the environment and how this transformation affects contaminant transport. My master’s thesis and research focused on this overlooked dimension throughContinue reading “The Hidden Life of Microplastics: Bio-Aging and Organic Sorption in Water Systems”
Tag Archives: Waterside Chat
From a Childhood Poem to Water Research
When people ask me why I chose water research, I usually don’t have a short answer. Part of the answer goes back to my childhood. Growing up, one of my favourite places in the house was our family library, where a collection of novels, books, and poetry were kept. One day I came across aContinue reading “From a Childhood Poem to Water Research”
Smart Blue Roofs: Turning Rooftops into Active Stormwater Infrastructure
Urban Stormwater Management in Practice Climate change is expected to increase the intensity and frequency of heavy rainfall, raising the risk of urban flooding in Ontario. In 2024, the City of Mississauga, Ontario, experienced two severe storms. The first event on July 16 generated up to 102 mm, and another large storm on August 17–18Continue reading “Smart Blue Roofs: Turning Rooftops into Active Stormwater Infrastructure”
Finding Your Current: My pathway as a Young Water Professional
Water is everywhere. Born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, I grew up surrounded by the Great Lakes. My summers were spent collecting bugs and frogs and searching for cool rocks. I was seven or eight when I received my first microscope; a small, monocular discovery scope from a children’s science kit. That giftContinue reading “Finding Your Current: My pathway as a Young Water Professional”
Water Finance: A Discipline Born Across Systems
My interests have never followed a straight line. Neither has my career, nor the geographies that shaped it. But over time, the pattern behind that movement became clearer.I grew up and trained in India, lived and worked across North America, and later across Europe. Over time, I came to understand that these were not simplyContinue reading “Water Finance: A Discipline Born Across Systems”
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”
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”
IWA YWP Canada 