University hosts second annual Water Week

By KATE KIRWAN news Writer

This week, n otre d ame is celebrating “Water Week” in honor of World Water d ay. The week’s celebrations are sponsored by h 2 o @ nd, a collaborative initiative of over 50 faculty members across 10 departments working to expand and prioritize water research at n otre d ame. i t is the second annual Water Week.

Jennifer Tank — Galla professor of biological sciences, director of the n otre d ame e nvironmental c hange i nitiative and member of the h 2 o @ nd i nitiative — said she hopes the week’s events, ranging from a lake cleanup to a flash panel on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFas ), will help spark awareness of the necessity to protect clean water sources.

“a s the initiative was thinking about our theme for this week of ‘Why Water,’ we discussed how a place like this area, where it’s really water-rich, we all take it for granted a little bit. We don’t have the same sort of water scarcity issues that you might be if you were at a rizona s tate,” Tank said. o n Tuesday, students attended a virtual seminar with Juliana Leonel, professor of oceanography at the Universidad Federal de s anta c atarina, titled “PFas in b razilian Waters: a Tale of Two s ources.”

Tank’s hope is that students will emerge from this week having thought more about this critical resource, one that some individuals rarely think about day-to-day.

The week began with a call to action on m onday. s tudents are encouraged to spread awareness about the importance of water preservation and ecological knowledge by posting on social media with the hashtags #WhyWater and # nd WaterWeek.

Wednesday is the official date for World Water d ay, and n otre d ame is hosting a PFas Panel from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the h esburgh Library a uditorium to celebrate. The panel features PFas faculty researchers Kyle d oudrick, Gary Lamberti and Graham Peaslee, centering what perand polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFas ) are and how the university is researching groundbreaking methods to better understand what Tank describes as “forever chemicals.” d oudrick, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences, stated that the initiative chose to focus specifically on PFas chemicals for this year’s Water Week because of their relevance in the public sphere. h e hopes that students will become more conscious and educated about what PFas chemicals are and where they are found.

“PFas chemicals are probably the hottest topic right now in drinking water treatment,” d oudrick said.

“These chemicals relate to every one of us, and because we’re all exposed to it, just coming in and learning about PFas and engaging with the following questions will benefit students: h ow does it impact us? Where’s it at? Where’s it occur in our daily lives? a nd what can i do as a consumer, for example, to mitigate my exposure?” o n Thursday, an event titled “ o peration du Lac: b less & s erve” is scheduled. r everend Terrence e hrman, c s c . will lead a blessing of the lakes, followed by a lake cleanup event. e hrman will lead a walkover to the lakes from the Grotto beginning at 3 p.m., and all gear for the cleanup brigade will be provided.

Tank described a great turnout for the event last year, and she hopes students will take advantage of this opportunity to be present in nature and help preserve the local ecosystems around the lakes.

“ m any hands make light work. We collected a significant amount of garbage around the lake last year,” Tank said.