Rebecca Rooney | Environmental Science | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Rebecca Rooney | Environmental Science | Best Researcher Award

Doctorate at University of Waterloo, Biology Department, Canada

Summary:

Dr. Rebecca Rooney is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Waterloo, specializing in wetland ecology and conservation. With a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta, Dr. Rooney’s research delves into the impacts of human activities on wetland ecosystems, including the effects of oil sands mining and invasive species. She has published extensively, with her work cited nearly 1800 times, and she actively contributes to several international and national scientific advisory boards. Dr. Rooney’s contributions to the field have been recognized through numerous awards, highlighting her as a leader in wetland conservation and environmental science.

Professional Profile:

πŸ‘©β€πŸŽ“Education:

Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB (2011)

  • Thesis: Wetland assessment in Alberta’s oil sands mining area
  • Supervisor: Dr. S.E. Bayley

M.Sc. in Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (2006)

  • Thesis: The influence of a rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) cage farm on the benthic environment and invertebrate fauna of Lake 375, Experimental Lakes Area
  • Supervisor: Dr. C.L. Podemski

B.Sc. Hns. in Environmental Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON (2003)

  • Thesis: The relative influence of local and landscape scale habitat on diversity of Odonata in freshwater ponds near Ottawa, Canada
  • Supervisor: Dr. L. Fahrig

🏒 Professional Experience:

Dr. Rebecca Rooney is an esteemed Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo, a position she has held since 2019. She began her tenure at the University of Waterloo as an Assistant Professor in 2012, after serving as a Research Associate at the University of Alberta. Her academic career is complemented by her adjunct appointments at the University of Guelph and Queen’s University. Dr. Rooney took maternity leaves in 2015 and 2019.

In her role, Dr. Rooney has demonstrated leadership and commitment to advancing the field of biological sciences, particularly in wetland ecology and conservation. She has served as the Canadian Co-chair of the Research Coordination Committee of the International Joint Commission’s Science Advisory Board since 2018, where she contributes to various working groups, including Connecting Waters, Microplastics in the Great Lakes, Great Lakes Early Warning System, Community Science, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Her significant contributions have been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the Leadership Award from the Invasive Species Centre in 2024 and the Excellence in Science Research Award from the University of Waterloo in 2022.

Research Interests:

Dr. Rooney’s research is focused on wetland ecology, conservation biology, and environmental monitoring. Her work often intersects with the study of human impacts on aquatic ecosystems, invasive species management, and the application of traditional ecological knowledge in environmental science.

Author Metrics:

Dr. Rooney has an impressive publication record, with 68 peer-reviewed journal articles, 4 in review, and 1 in press. Her work has been cited 1795 times, achieving an h-index of 24 and an i10-index of 38 according to Google Scholar. Since 2018, Dr. Rooney and her highly qualified personnel (HQP) have delivered over 44 conference presentations and 25 invited or plenary talks, in addition to authoring more than 40 reports for government agencies.

Top Noted Publication:

Oil sands mining and reclamation cause massive loss of peatland and stored carbon

  • Authors: RC Rooney, SE Bayley, DW Schindler
  • Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
  • Volume: 109
  • Issue: 13
  • Pages: 4933-4937
  • Year: 2012
  • Citations: 340

High microcystin concentrations occur only at low nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratios in nutrient-rich Canadian lakes

  • Authors: DM Orihel, DF Bird, M Brylinsky, H Chen, DB Donald, DY Huang, A Giani, …
  • Journal: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
  • Volume: 69
  • Issue: 9
  • Pages: 1457-1462
  • Year: 2012
  • Citations: 174

Setting reclamation targets and evaluating progress: submersed aquatic vegetation in natural and post-oil sands mining wetlands in Alberta, Canada

  • Authors: RC Rooney, SE Bayley
  • Journal: Ecological Engineering
  • Volume: 37
  • Issue: 4
  • Pages: 569-579
  • Year: 2011
  • Citations: 91

Stochastic and deterministic processes drive wetland community assembly across a gradient of environmental filtering

  • Authors: J Daniel, JE Gleason, K Cottenie, RC Rooney
  • Journal: Oikos
  • Volume: 128
  • Issue: 8
  • Pages: 1158-1169
  • Year: 2019
  • Citations: 63

Community congruence of plants, invertebrates and birds in natural and constructed shallow open-water wetlands: do we need to monitor multiple assemblages?

  • Authors: RC Rooney, SE Bayley
  • Journal: Ecological Indicators
  • Volume: 20
  • Pages: 42-50
  • Year: 2012
  • Citations: 62

 

Gebiaw T. Ayele | Land use change impact study

Dr. Gebiaw T. Ayele: Leading Researcher in Land use change impact study

πŸŽ‰ Congratulations Dr. Gebiaw T. Ayele on Winning the Best Paper Award! πŸ† Your dedication to research, mentorship, and collaboration with international teams is truly commendable. This award is a testament to your outstanding work and the impact it has on the broader community.

Professional Profile:

πŸ“š Professional Summary:

  • PhD in Hydrology from Griffith University, Australia.
  • MSc in Hydraulic and Water Resources; BSc in Water Resources.
  • Certificate in Integrated Decision Support System; Best Practice Drinking Water Quality Management; Manage Conflict through Negotiation (Prevention/De-Escalation); Construction Contract Management.
  • Expertise in catchment erosion, sediment and pollutant modeling for policy decisions.
  • Proficient in hydraulic, hydrodynamic, water quality, and sediment transport models.
  • Skilled in farm to basin-scale simulation models (SWAT) integrating climate, soil, land use, and landscape data.
  • Extensive experience in GIS and remote sensing (ERDAS, ENVI) for water resources applications.
  • Coding capability for big data management on HPC clusters.
  • Recognized in the “talent pool” at the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.
  • Currently a ‘Water Quality Processes Officer’ monitoring 32 water treatment plants and regulated towns.
  • 15+ years of experience as a hydrologist in industry, teaching, research, and consultancy in Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
  • Recognized by Australian Freshwater Sciences Society; 2021 INTECOL International Wetlands Conference.
  • Received over 10 grants; 45+ peer-reviewed publications.

πŸŽ“ Education:

  • PhD in Hydrology and Water Resources, Griffith University, Australia (2023).
  • MSc in Hydraulics and Water Resources, Arba Minch University, Ethiopia (2012).
  • BSc in Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Ethiopia (2007).

🏒 Professional Experience:

  • Water Quality Processes Officer, Victoria, Australia (May 2023-present).
  • Doctoral Researcher, Griffith University, Australia (Feb 2019–April 2023).
  • Teaching and Research, Australian Rivers Institute Griffith University, Australia (Dec 2016–April 2023).
  • Consultant, University Lecturer, and Researcher, Blue Nile Water Institute and Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia (Nov 2012–Dec 2015).
  • Research Assistant, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), East Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Apr 2011–Oct 2012).
  • Research Assistant, Horn of Africa Regional Environment Centre and Network – Demand Driven Action Research Program (HoARECN-DDAR) (Apr 2010–Jun 2012).
  • Instructor and Department Head, Department of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, Bahir Dar Polytechnic College, Ethiopia (Oct 2007–Oct 2008).

🌐 Professional Memberships:

  • International Society of Limnology (SIL).
  • New Zealand Freshwater Sciences Society (NZFSS).
  • Australian Freshwater Sciences Society (AFSS).
  • National Wetland Trust of New Zealand (NWT).
  • American Geophysical Union (AGU).
  • New Zealand Lakes Water Quality Society (LWQS).
  • International Association of Sedimentologists (IAS).

πŸ† Awards and Grants:

  • Australian Rivers Institute International Conference Travel Grant 2022.
  • AFSS Bill Williams Scholarship 2022.
  • Griffith University IEIS Grant 2022.
  • NZFSS V.H. Jolly Award 2022.
  • Multiple research and publication grants 2022, 2023.
  • Griffith University GUIPRS 2019.
  • University of Strathclyde Excellence Scholarship Award 2018.
  • Blue Nile Water Institute 2014.
  • IWMI-CGIAR-CCAFS 2012.
  • HoARECN 2011.
  • Arba Minch University Graduate Scholarship 2010.

πŸ“ Selected Conference Presentations and Invited Talks:

  • Reconstructing 1000 years of climate data for lake modeling (Nov 2022).
  • Modeling the impact of forestry on water quality for Lake Okareka (Nov 2022).
  • Non-stationarity of streamflow and nutrient loads in a temperate catchment (Oct 2021).

πŸ“– Publications Top Noted:

  • Non-stationarity of streamflow and nutrient loads in a temperate catchment (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2023).
  • Land use and climate change effects on streamflow and nutrient loads (Land, 2023).
  • Relationship of attributes of soil and topography with land cover change in Ethiopia (Remote Sensing, 2022).
  • Sediment yield and reservoir sedimentation in dynamic watersheds (Water, 2021).
  • Terrain effects on spatial variability of soil properties (Soil Systems, 2019).
  • Time series land cover mapping in northern Ethiopia (Air, Soil and Water Research, 2018).
  • Streamflow and sediment yield prediction in the Upper Blue Nile River Basin (Water, 2017).
  • Spatio-temporal analysis of water storage variation in East Africa lake basins (Journal of Hydrology, 2022).

The paper “Streamflow and Sediment Yield Prediction for Watershed Prioritization in the Upper Blue Nile River Basin, Ethiopia” by Dr. Gebiaw T. Ayele and collaborators focuses on predicting streamflow and sediment yield to aid in prioritizing watersheds in the Upper Blue Nile River Basin, Ethiopia. Here’s a breakdown of the important content:

🌍 Context:

  • Location: Upper Blue Nile River Basin, Ethiopia.
  • Objective: Prioritize watersheds based on streamflow and sediment yield predictions.

πŸ“Š Methodology:

  • Models Used: The study likely employed hydrological models for prediction.
  • Data Sources: Climate, land use, soil, and landscape data were probably integrated into the models.
  • Spatial Scale: Assessment at the watershed level.

🚰 Key Findings:

  • Streamflow Prediction: Insights into the expected water flow in the Upper Blue Nile River Basin.
  • Sediment Yield Prediction: Understanding the likely sediment transport patterns.

πŸ—ΊοΈ Application:

  • Watershed Prioritization: The predictions contribute to identifying priority areas for conservation or management interventions.

πŸ€” Significance:

  • Resource Management: Helps in planning and managing water resources efficiently.
  • Environmental Conservation: Supports initiatives for soil and water conservation.

🌐 Contextualization:

  • Regional Implications: Findings might be relevant for broader regional water resource management strategies.
  • Climate Resilience: Insight into streamflow is crucial for addressing climate resilience in the region.

πŸ“ˆ Scientific Contribution:

  • Model Validation: If applicable, the study likely validated the predictive models used.
  • Advance in Knowledge: Contributes to the scientific understanding of hydrological processes in the Upper Blue Nile River Basin.

πŸ” Further Reading:

  • Researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in hydrology and water resource management would find value in the detailed methodology and findings.