Dr. Robert Liang, AquaHacking ’18 alum, at Lake Winnipeg AquaHacking Challenge Kick-Off event
Dr. Robert Liang, co-founder of WaterPuris, based in Waterloo, ON, and alumnus of the 2018 AquaHacking Challenge (Lake Ontario & Beyond), was part of the Lake Winnipeg AquaHacking Challenge Kick-Off event as part of the DisruptED Conference in Winnipeg from January 30-31, 2020, organized by regional AquaHacking partner, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).
“It was great to meet AquaHacking’s partners at IISD and to visit their office. I had the opportunity to share more about WaterPuris and our oxidation water treatment technology products during a Lunch & Learn with IISD staff,” said Dr. Liang.
The Challenge was formally launched during a panel lead by Valerie Chort, VP Corporate Citizenship at RBC, called “Harnessing Tech for Social Good,” with speakers Jane McDonald, President of IISD, Carolyn DuBois of The Gordon Foundation and Chelsea Lobson, Lake Winnipeg Foundation.
Dr. Liang said, “There were lots of people from colleges and municipalities who were interested in the Lake Winnipeg AquaHacking Challenge. Lots of students were interested in joining. I was able to tell them about my AquaHacking experience and to show them the prototype my team developed. Seeing the prototype really helped them see what they can do. I explained to them, this is what you can do in the lab. Before AquaHacking, I had no experience in entrepreneurship – I just focused on my research. But this is what you can learn and do.”
“Thanks to IISD and AquaHacking for inviting me to be a part of the Lake Winnipeg AquaHacking Challenge Kick-Off. I am happy to be an ambassador of the AquaHacking alumni community, and I look forward to seeing the innovative solutions that will be developed to help Lake Winnipeg,” said Dr. Liang.
To learn more about the Lake Winnipeg AquaHacking Challenge and for information on the 5 water issues tackled in this Challenge click here and check out this great video explaining more about the Lake Winnipeg Challenge.
To learn more about other AquaHacking alumni startups, click here.