Current students

Subscribe to Current students

Vinton G. Cerf, Internet pioneer and Vice President and "Chief Internet Evangelist" at Google, will speak about the history of the Internet, beginning with the Arpanet, then move along the terrestrial Internet trajectory. He will then present emerging policy and technical challenges and, finally, discuss the interplanetary Internet project.

His lecture is free, open to everyone, and takes place on Tuesday, June 11 at 2:30 p.m. in the University of Waterloo's Humanities Theatre.

Event info: https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/events/distinguished-public-lecture-vint-cerf-internet-past-present-future

Registration (free but required): https://www.ticketfi.com/event/5709/distinguished-public-lecture-internet-past-present-and-future

Join us to explore the impact of the Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI Systems. The code, introduced by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry, aims to foster public trust in AI technologies, intending to accelerate adoption. This engaging panel discussion featuring education leaders, computer science researchers and industry experts will explore the broader implications of accelerating AI adoption beyond economic impacts. Speakers will share insights hopes and concerns about the potential societal changes, ethical considerations and regulatory challenges that come with AI.

Admission free. Register at the Critical Media Lab website.

The documentary Chasing Time will be screened with a following panel discussion, Friday in the E7 event space (2nd floor). The documentary is the visually stunning culmination of the Extreme Ice Survey project: an unprecedented 15-year photographic record of the melting glaciers around the world.

Admission is free. RSVP at the event site.

This event is part of the visit of David and Linda Cornfield to the Systems Design Engineering department. David Cornfield is a Waterloo Engineering graduate ('85), who went on to a successful career with Microsoft. David and Linda Cornfield turned their attention to philanthropy and environmentalism, choosing to support projects that will have great social and environmental impact.

Chatting Time is a follow-up to the documentary Chasing Ice (2012).

The students we support in our Social Innovators in Training program are building prototypes and are starting down the path of putting together their pitches for the social impact fund.

This Wednesday, we are hosting Demo Day in our GreenHouse space and it is open to all members of the community. Students will be showcasing their prototypes and would welcome members of the community to join them as they continue to test and iterate on their ideas.

All are welcome and you may drop-in as your schedule permits.

GreenHouse Demo Day - March 6 | 5:00-6:30pm @United College (GreenHouse space) - drop-in any time between 5:00-6:30pm

Join the Critical Tech Talk series to hear guest speaker Kari Zacharias discuss how engineers can work towards responsibility, sustainability, and equity in design by practicing humility as respect of other ways of knowing, doing, being, and making.

Join us for an urgent discussion on "surveillance capitalism", its threat to our information civilization, and how its trajectory undermines democratic norms and the centuries-long evolution of market capitalism.

Biotechnology and society affect each other in ways that increase in number and significance each year. The purpose of this course is to understand the developing relationship between biotechnology and society. A variety of areas are examined, including agriculture, human fertility, eugenics, medicine, social policy, crime, security, and so on. Our concern is with how biotechnology is (or will be) making the world better or worse, and for whom. Some emphasis is placed on materials pertinent to Canada.

Instructor: Cameron Shelley

The course has been designed to provide a framework or set of intellectual tools to help students understand and evaluate technological change. These tools will be applied to the development of information technology, its interaction with society, and possible future senarios. Selected topics include understanding digitization as culture, visions of the future and perils of prediction, as well as issues related to application areas such as the home, manufacturing, office work, design and services, education, and law. The course will also consider some of the privacy and personal dignity issues associated with information technology.

Cybernetics is the study of the interfaces between humans and machines. This course will present an overview of cybernetics from automation and robotics to prosthetics and wearable computing. The roles of men and women in a post-human era will be discussed along with related themes dealing with gender, cyberspace, politics and popular culture.

Instructor: Mark Morley

The focus of the course is on good design, particularly where design relates to society and social issues. Good design reflects not only technical achievement but also responsiveness to social context and values. Topics include the nature of design, the social and cultural implications of design, the roles of designers in relation to the social contract, and design assessment in light of social values such as risk, fairness, progress, and sustainability. Although the focus of the course is on the design of technology, any designed system is open for examination and discussion. The course material provides a mixture of theoretical concepts and practical cases of their application.

Instructor: Cameron Shelley

Current students

Internet: Past, Present and Future

Critical Tech Talk 9: Perspectives on Accelerating AI Adoption

Chasing Time (film screening)

Social Innovators in Training, Winter 2024: Demo Day

Critical Tech Talk 8: Humility as a Value in Engineering and Design

SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM: A conversation with Shoshana Zuboff and Jim Balsillie

STV 306: Biotechnology and Society

STV 302: Information Technology and Society

STV 205: Cybernetics and Society

STV 202: Design and Society