$1M for worldwide water research, student scholarships

Research focusing on one of the most critical resources on the planet has been given a  dramatic boost at McMaster.

The Philomathia Foundation announced today a $1-million gift to establish the  Philomathia Foundation Water Project, an initiative that will support a professorship in  water policy and research as well as fellowships and travel scholarships for students  studying water-related issues.

Wilfred Chung, CEO of the Foundation, which is dedicated to improving humanity  through its support of research and technology, says McMaster offers a unique  opportunity to address what UN-Water calls a global crisis.

“Water issues are not only important in Canada, but affect many nations around the  world,” said Chung, a 1975 McMaster chemistry alumnus.

“Shortages of clean water are becoming endemic, and this is a major cause of poor  global health. The Philomathia Foundation is delighted to be able to engage the  expertise at McMaster to tackle these difficult issues. We are hopeful that by relating  new ideas in engineering with global policy development, McMaster will become a world  leader in this area,” he says.

A new professor with expertise in engineering and public policy will be recruited for the  project and will have an adjunct appointment at the United Nations University – Institute  for Water, Environment and Health.

McMaster enjoys a strong relationship with the United Nations University, located at the  McMaster Innovation Park, which includes the joint 2010 launch of the graduate  program called Water Without Borders.

. The Philomathia Fellowships will support international PhD students undertaking water  research at McMaster, while the travel scholarships will support student research in  countries such as Kenya and India, where the search for solutions to water issues is  particularly pressing.

Sarah Haliburton, a fourth-year nursing student and 2011 recipient of the Philomathia  Travel Scholarship, knows well of the dire need for clean water.   She spent three months working in a clinic in Kolkata, India, where hundreds of women,  men and children lined up daily for treatment.

“I saw children suffering from diarrhea and dehydration, skin and fungal infections,  women and men suffering from wound infections,” she recalls.

“Their homes do not have clean running water and entire communities must rely on  local, small ponds as sources. Rural families bathe, swim, and wash clothes, dishes,  livestock all in the same pond. They then cook with this same water, often unable to  boil it because fuel is too costly, making the likelihood of contracting a parasite or  bacterial infection inevitable.”

Those months in India taught Haliburton that nursing interventions and patient  education alone won’t alleviate the problem. A coordinated effort from different fields of  study is needed, she says, where researchers can work together to find answers.

“This gift will allow us to immediately start working on solutions to the global water  crisis, as well as train future water researchers and policymakers. We’re very grateful for  the Philomathia Foundation’s foresight in this area,” says Patrick Deane, president of  McMaster.

“Thanks to the Philomathia Foundation’s generosity, McMaster will continue to build on  its expertise in water and related research.”

“This generous grant strengthens a critically important research and academic  programme,” said UNU-INWEH Director Zafar Adeel. “The Water Without Borders  programme is helping develop tomorrow’s leaders in the water research arena.”