Homecoming 2025: Water, Climate Change, and the Future

As part of last weekend’s Homecoming festivities, Interim Dean of Science Alanna Watt hosted an engaging and timely event on Friday morning entitled “Water, Climate Change, and the Future,” which highlighted the importance of freshwater science research in the face of a changing climate. 

The event featured presentations from McGill Professors Irene Gregory-Eaves (Biology) and Jeffrey McKenzie (Earth and Planetary Sciences), two leading experts in freshwater science. Following their presentations, Professors Gregory-Eaves and McKenzie answered audience questions about their research. 

Professor Gregory-Eaves, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Freshwater Ecology and Global Change, presented her work studying the structure and functioning of lakes through initiatives like the NSERC LakePulse network. Canada is the most lake-rich nation in the world, making it a critical region for understanding the effects of climate change on lake ecosystems.  

Professor McKenzie is a hydrogeologist with a focus on cryohydrogeology, which is the study of the interactions between climate change and groundwater in cold regions. As permafrost in the Canadian Arctic thaws due to rising global temperatures, it leads to changes in groundwater flow that McKenzie’s Laboratory for Advanced Hydrologic Modeling and Stuff (LAHMAS) group studies using numerical models and field-based research. 

The event, which was attended by 35 McGill alumni and staff, was one of three events hosted by the Faculty of Science for Homecoming. On Friday afternoon, alumni, staff, students, and prospective students toured new Biology labs. Later that same day, the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences also hosted a reunion. 

In addition to events organized by the Faculty of Science, three Psychology professors - Anna Weinberg, Sara Colalillo, and Melanie Dirks - participated in a Homecoming Signature Masterclass focused on Youth Mental Health.