By Nayla Qureshi
MNS Society is the official departmental club for all Materials and Nanosciences students. As a voting member of the Science Society (SciSoc) Board of Directors, we represent and advocate for our student body. From networking and social to lab events, we aim to enrich the student experience. Additionally, we play a key role in the MNS 10 Seminar course, offered jointly by the Departments of Chemistry and Physics & Astronomy. Starting Fall 2024 the MNS Society President Nayla Qureshi has been collaboratively working with our program advisor, Professor Rick Marta to coordinate seminar speakers, manage promotion and catering.
MNS 10 in Fall 2025 started off with great energy. Professors from both Science and Engineering were speakers, and the MNS Society organized one of its first collaborations with MNS 10, “MNS Society Student Seminars.” This series features talks from senior MNS students about their co-op experiences, research projects, and the many other opportunities they’ve pursued. So far, we’ve successfully hosted two sessions and are excited to continue this collaboration.
Besides orientation, the science clubs have never hosted an event as a unified community until the Science Clubs Bondfire launched by MNS Society in Spring 2024. The event returned in Spring 2025 with an even greater impact and the Fall 2025 Bondfire welcomed our large incoming first-year cohort and gave them the chance to connect with the broader science community.
The MNS Society has been actively involved in the Waterloo Nanotechnology Conference (WNC) since 2017, and for this year’s “Quantum Meets Nano”-themed conference, the MNS Society is proud to be one of the sponsors. WNC is a student-led event that brings together researchers, industry professionals, and students to explore the latest innovations in nanotechnology and materials science. It has a full day of talks, panels, and networking sessions focused on how nanoscale science is shaping the future of technology, healthcare, and sustainability.
This year we have also hosted lab events, which are fully designed, created, and supervised by our executive team. Two highlights include our ferrofluid and bismuth labs; always a hit with students.
We’re excited to see what the future holds and are looking forward to the term ahead.
