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Waterloo tops #BikeWR leaderboard
After all the trips were counted, the University of Waterloo topped the community #BikeWR leaderboard by a wide margin.
Thanks to the TravelWise team for organizing the community-wide campaign, and to King Street Cycles for supporting the Bike Breakfasts.
A big congratulations to Hendrik Walther, who conquered Waterloo’s Bike Challenge leaderboard for the second year in a row. It was a very tight race at the head of the pack! Winners for this year’s prize draws include:
- Claire Diffey won the $250 gift card to King Street Cycles;
- Brendan Lowther and Allison Boyd each won a swag bag, including a bike repair kit, umbrella, and handlebar mirror; and
- Cory Woods and Krista Parsons each won a $100 gift card to King Street Cycles
Most importantly, thanks to all of the staff, students, and faculty that tracked their trips throughout June and joined one of Waterloo’s Bike Breakfasts. Cycling to campus is a healthy, affordable, and eco-friendly way to get to campus, and your stats show it. Keep it up, and happy cycling!
Velocity Fund finalists named
On Thursday, July 21, twenty students will pitch their startup at the Velocity Fund Finals for a chance to win their share of $125,000.
Come join Velocity for an event full of awesome pitches and free boxed lunches for the first 200 attendees. Audience members and those watching the Livestream will have the chance to win 1 of 5 GoPro cameras.
The $5K pitches will take place at 11:00 a.m., and the $25K pitches will take place at 1:00 p.m., both in the Student Life Centre.
The $25K finalists are:
- Altius Analytics Labs , which is developing the first of its kind health care intelligence system to help prevent joint pain and injuries;
- Babylon VR , which uses virtual reality to help home buyers visualize condos before they are built;
- Citius Solutions , a software-as-a-service company that offers optimization solutions in the delivery industry;
- CubeXLab Technologies Inc., which provides automated vision inspection solutions that are highly affordable, flexible and easy-to-use for part and component manufacturers in automotive, fastener, plastic injection and pharmaceutical industries;
- EMAGIN, Canada’s first artificial intelligence company for the water sector;
- Flexfinity Inc., which is developing HITCH, solar-powered smart WiFi routers that automatically interconnect, to form community mesh networks for storing, accessing, and sharing videos and other Internet content;
- Hiaq Thermal Inc., a performance sportswear company which has developed an ultra thin, lightweight, flexible, and breathable nanoparticle insulation for their winter apparel line;
- Knote, which offers a natural language processing platform to help companies leverage the power of artificial intelligence in documents and big data processing. Their tools enable companies to support employees by automating routine, time consuming work, and by improving efficiency;
- Salient Energy , which is commercializing a revolutionary new battery based on research at the University of Waterloo. Their zinc-ion battery is perfectly suited, both technically and economically, for storing electricity in the grid; and
- UpGrain Inc., which uses low frequency electro-magnetic field stimulation of seeds to increase overall yield of various crops by 20 percent. They use advanced mathematical algorithms to calculate the most suitable time to maximize treatment effects on seeds.
The $5K pitch finalists include:
- EloquentSpeaking , which enriches lives by improving people’s communications skills, in order to make simple yet powerful communication techniques universally accessible and adopted;
- ENVR develops hardware and software which adds a 4D element to virtual and augmented reality;
- Gymnatik , which provides one day passes to gyms around the world;
- Masood Energy Corp., which provides reliable grid level storage by repurposing used electric vehicle batteries. Once electric vehicle batteries reach the end of their lives, they still retain a significant amount of their initial capacity and can be repurposed for stationary energy storage to provide an additional 10 years in secondary use;
- MycoCup , whose product is a sustainable take-out cup made of agricultural waste and mycelium, the roots of fungi. The mycelium creates a polymer that is durable, hypoallergenic, non-toxic, mold-resistant, and retains more heat than fibreglass. By using this cup, cafes can cut costs, reduce their eco-footprint, and differentiate their brand;
- Orbit360 , which deploys a network of screens inside and outside of vehicles so that companies can advertise themselves to their target customers more efficiently;
- Speak! is a language teaching tool that simulates real life situations with speech recognition and interactive videos;
- Studio Monolith Inc. , which is an interdisciplinary digital design practice specializing in interactive media;
- Tabnex , which is an end-to-end job acquisition platform that centralizes all the essential tools into one seamless experience, and designed into a workflow; and
- The Playful Pixel , which hosts large group entertainment events that combine the best of theatre, board games, and video games. A small cast of Playful Pixel performers and game technicians guide 50+ player audiences through 3 hours of face-to-face play with a flexible overarching narrative, sensor-enhanced smart props, and handheld mobile devices.
Don't miss this event by reserving your free ticket now or bookmarking the Livestream.
AccessAbility Services launches new online system
AccessAbility Services is excited to announce that it is launching a new software system! These upcoming changes will make AccessAbility Services more accessible.
"This system will improve our internal processes considerably," says Manager of AccessAbility Services Jennifer Gillies. "But more importantly it will make things easier for our students, faculty, and staff.”
The online system will allow students to make accommodation requests and book their tests and exams online. It will also generate faculty notification letters and will allow instructors to confirm test details electronically.
The system is available 24 hours a day, allowing both faculty and students to access the system when it’s most convenient. This system will replace the current process of signing hard copy forms, but will still provide opportunity for instructors to seek clarification or suggest alternative accommodations if needed.