Expert to pour water on global crisis fears

One of the world's leading authorities on water management will challenge the widespread belief that there is an impending global water crisis when he gives a free public lecture at the University of Waterloo this afternoon.

The Water Institute is featuring Professor Asit K. Biswas of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy as its 2013 Distinguished Lecturer, presenting "Future of the World's Water: Rhetoric and Reality." Professor Biswas will argue that the world has enough water to support our food and energy requirements if we manage it properly. He will identify poor water management practices and describe some remarkable advances in unexpected places.

Professor Biswas has served as senior advisor to 20 governments, NATO and other international organizations. He is the founder of the Third World Centre for Water Management, and winner of the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize.

The lecture begins at 3:30 p.m. in Room 1006 of Mathematics 3.

The 2013 Distinguished Lecture is the the capstone of the inaugural Water Institute Research Symposium, which will be taking place from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Davis Centre 1350. The symposium's aim is to showcase the breadth of Waterloo’s water research and provide an opportunity for organizations to interact with researchers and students.

 

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Turn on, tune in, butt out

An enhanced version of Crush the Crave, a smoking cessation app developed at the University of Waterloo launched last month with new features to help keep even more people from smoking.

Crush the Crave 2.0 is now available on iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, making it accessible for a potential 650,000 Canadians. A number of new features are introduced in this version, including even greater personalization and supportive reminders of money saved, health improvements, and achievement of goals. Comprehensive tools including health-based calculators and the ability to track the locations where users smoke and crave cigarettes are also a part of the updated app.

A leaderboard shows progress in remaining smoke-free compared to other app users and there is increased Facebook integration. These new features build on Crush the Crave’s informative help screens and customized quit plan that help users monitor habits, understand cravings, share results and receive support from friends online. Crush the Crave also helps users handle cravings with social media tools, such as videos, games and opportunities to chat with friends online until cravings subside.

Funded by Health Canada, the first version of Crush the Crave was launched in April 2012, and was the first evidence-based mobile app targeted to young adults aged 19 to 29. This age group has the highest smoking rate in Canada—24.4 per cent—and they are also the greatest users of both social media and mobile technology, with some 69 per cent of young adults who own cellphones owning a smartphone.

“Smartphones offer a smoker an intervention that takes place any time, anywhere and allows something to happen at the point of the problem," said Bruce Baskerville, senior scientist at the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact.

The first version of the app was well received, with more than 17,000 Facebook fans, and at least 600 Twitter followers. Facebook comments have included reports of successful smoke-free days and cravings conquered, as well as encouragement from peers, and represent a growing community of support for young adults who want to quit.

Leave the Pack Behind, a program to control tobacco consumption among young adults in Ontario’s post-secondary institutions, was a key partner in the development of the app.

 

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Canada Day celebration headliners announced

With the warming of the weather and the sunshine of recent days it's not too difficult to imagine that summer is just around the corner. With that in mind comes the announcement that indie rockers Hollerado and folk rock legends Spirit of the West will be performing at the University of Waterloo's Canada Day celebration at Columbia Lake held on, you guessed it, July 1, 2013.

The Vancouver-based Spirit of the West have four gold and two platinum albums under their belts and are remembered for such classics as "Home for A Rest" and "If Venice is Sinking."

Hollerado is a comparative newcomer on the Canadian music scene, and they are Juno Award nominees known for their "jam-packed crazy-catchy" melodies.

The performance gets underway at 7:00 p.m. with fireworks to follow at 10:00 p.m. The Canada Day celebration web page has all the details.

 

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Thursday's notes

 

Tickets for the venerable Fed Bus are now being sold at the SLC's Turnkey Desk, rather than International News, the convenience store located in the space formerly occupied by Federation Xpress.

Some intersessional interruptions in food service offerings on campus include Mudies, which is closed until May 4, ML's Coffee Shop, which is closed until May 3, Liquid Assets in Hagey Hall, which is closed until May 3, Bon Appétit in the Davis Centre, which is closed until May 3. And the Tim Hortons in Modern Languages is closed until Friday, May 3, while the SLC Tim's is closed until May 5. Is there no justice? For the answer to that question, check out Food Services' complete list of locations and hours.

Finally, our campus's annual battle with our fine feathered frenemies has attracted the attention of Maclean's OnCampus blog. Honestly, it's a wonder these geese act the way they do around here, strutting around like they own the place - do they not remember what happened to the beavers?

 

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