USask alum wins top water prize
Dr. John Cherry, who earned his geological engineering degree from the University of Saskatchewan (USask), was named the 2020 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate for discoveries that have revolutionized our understanding of groundwater vulnerability.
It was a series of chance encounters that intially led to Dr. Cherry studying hydrogeology and becoming Canada's first hydrogeologist specializing in groundwater contamination, according to an article in WaterToday.
"My parents, who were filmmakers with the National Film Board, moved us from Ottawa back to their native Saskatchewan when I was 16. Had it not been for that move I would not have heard a guest speaker at the University of Saskatchewan who inspired me to study the emerging science of hydrogeology."
The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) says that during his career, Dr. Cherry's research has raised awareness of how groundwater contamination is growing across the world and has led to new, more efficient methods to tackle the problem.