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From self-driving cars to intelligent voice assistants to smart factories, artificial intelligence — or AI — is transforming every sector of the economy and the very fabric of society in fundamental ways. The University of Waterloo, a long-time leader in innovation, has been at the forefront of this transformation for decades, but especially so since the 2018 launch of the Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Institute — Waterloo.AI.

Nicholas Vadivelu, an undergraduate student majoring in computer science and statistics, has received the 2021 Jessie W.H. Zou Memorial Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. Established in 2012, this prestigious annual award recognizes excellence in research conducted by an undergraduate student in the Faculty of Mathematics. 

Recent PhD graduate Mike Schaekermann has received the 2020 Distinguished Dissertation Award from CS-Can|Info-Can, the non-profit professional society that represents computer scientists and the interests of their discipline across the nation. 

Cheriton School of Computer Science Professor Bin Ma has been appointed a University Research Chair to recognize his outstanding contributions to bioinformatics, in particular his development of novel algorithms and software to derive biological information from DNA and proteins.

Incoming computer science master’s students Alex Bie, Matt Regehr, Xinyu Shi and Yiping Wang have each received a Vector Scholarship in Artificial Intelligence from the Vector Institute. Valued at $17,500, these merit-based scholarships help recruit top students into AI-related master’s programs in an Ontario university. 

The research paper on which this feature article is based will be presented on May 12, 2021 at CHI 2021, where it received a best paper honourable mention. 

CHI is the premier international conference on human–computer interaction. Held from May 8 to 13, 2021, the 2021 ACM CHI Virtual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems was originally slated to be held in Yokohama, Japan.

Dr. Nashid Shahriar has won the 2021 Mathematics Doctoral Prize. Now in its third year, these prestigious awards are conferred annually to recognize the achievements of top graduating and graduated doctoral students in the Faculty of Mathematics.

Eliciting curiosity — the intrinsic desire to explore and to find new information — enhances learning, promotes information-seeking and improves memory. Understanding how to elicit and maintain curiosity in students could help us design educational robots that stimulate interest, engagement and a quest for knowledge.

Recent PhD graduates Mike Schaekermann, Hong Zhou and Fiodar Kazhamiaka have each received a Cheriton Distinguished Dissertation Award. Established in 2019, the dissertation award was created to recognize excellence in computer science doctoral research. In addition to the prestigious recognition, each awardee receives a cash prize of $1000.

PhD candidate Ahmed Alquraan is one of 16 recipients internationally and the only recipient from Canada to receive a prestigious 2021 IBM PhD Fellowship. Established in 1951, these intensely competitive fellowships have supported thousands of PhD students over seven decades.