Research @ Queen’s: Engineering environmental solutions

Research @ Queen’s: Engineering environmental solutions

Leachate, liners, landfills, and learning – how Queen’s researcher Kerry Rowe is working with, instead of against, nature to solve an environmental problem.

By Tim Lougheed

December 4, 2019

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Kerry Rowe, Canada Research Chair in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering and professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, researches landfill management and is developing techniques that work with nature rather than fighting nature. (Photo by Bernard Clark / University Communications)

“Part of what we’ve been doing is developing techniques [for landfills] that work with nature rather than fighting nature, and trying to make nature work for us instead of against us.” Kerry Rowe

RESEARCH @ QUEEN’S
Did you know that the university recently launched a new central website for Queen’s research? From in-depth features to the latest information on the university’s researchers, the site is a destination showcasing the impact of Queen’s research. Discover Research at Queen’s.

Human beings have undoubtedly been throwing things away for as long as we have had things to throw. These ancient middens – the predecessors of our modern landfills – provide a treasure trove of artefacts for archaeologists, who sift through discarded items for clues to how people once lived.

Today’s dumpsites may well offer up similar insights to future investigators, but they are already revealing a great deal about how our environmental sensibilities have evolved over the last 60 or 70 years.

Continue the story on the Research at Queen’s website.

Smith Engineering