Champion of water remembered through new award

The late Nicholas ‘Nick’ Reid was the executive director of the Urban Water Research Centre (UWRC) and a former executive and vice-president of the Ontario Clean Water Agency. A champion of environmental stewardship, Reid helped to advance applied research, education, outreach and policy regarding the sustainability of water. He also spent countless hours mentoring students and connecting them with the industry to enrich their learning experience. After his untimely passing in 2021, Reid’s family, friends, peers and colleagues paid tribute to him and his work by establishing The Nicholas Reid Memorial Award.

“Nick was an optimist by nature and he saw the potential for us to work together to achieve positive change. He easily transitioned from thinking about big issues, like boil water advisories, to small issues, like fixing leaky lab equipment,” says Claire Oswald, academic director at Ryerson Urban Water (RUW) and associate professor in geography and environmental studies. “My network has grown substantially over the years because of Nick. He was generous in sharing his experiences and skills. We are all better for having known him.”

The award in his name is given annually to a graduate student who demonstrates leadership or innovation in a water-related field. It was established thanks to numerous donors, including generous gifts from the Ontario Water Works Association, Mohsen Mortada, and the Ontario Clean Water Association. The inaugural recipient of the Nicholas Reid Memorial Award is Zanina Ilieva, a PhD student in civil engineering.

“This is my first award and, when it was announced, I started to receive congratulatory notes from university professors and peers. It all felt really special,” says Ilieva. “I find great pleasure in the work I do and my research findings, but to be recognized in this way and to be acknowledged at such a high level is very rewarding.”

Ilieva is working on a treatment technology that can sustainably and cost-effectively remove contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from wastewater. As part of her research, Ilieva discovered that PFAS can statistically be reduced into four groups, thus reducing the cost and time of analysis and treatment.

Despite PFAS being toxic to animal and human health, they enter the environment due to inadequate removal by wastewater treatment plants. In addition to her lab work and research, Ilieva participates in the Ryerson Graduate Teaching Development Program, volunteers as a presenter with student outreach programs like SciXchange and SHAD, and is part of the Ontario Water Consortium’s Graduate Leadership Council.

No doubt, Nicholas Reid’s legacy will be carried forward in years to come by students and researchers like Ilieva.

“Nick felt a strong connection to Ryerson and UWRC, and was a great connector of people. Just one example is the authentic and mindful connections he made with the Indigenous community,” says Dave Cramb, dean of the Faculty of Science. “He started many environment-related initiatives, and part of his legacy is that these initiatives and connections will live on.”