Monday, August 30, 2021

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• Fall Orientation begins today
• Your UWaterloo life, one click away
• Fighting fire with seaweed

Fall Orientation begins today

Waterloo Orientation will be offered virtually for new undergraduate students beginning today and running until Friday September 3, 2021.

New students will join a network of current students, alumni, professors, and staff, with virtual activities planned to help newcomers feel right at home. During Orientation, new students will have the opportunity to connect with their future classmates, experience the unique traditions of UWaterloo and their specific faculty, become immersed in the University and community culture, and hear more about what Waterloo has to offer both on and off-campus.

As a faculty or staff member, you have the opportunity to help incoming students feel a sense of belonging. Creating a strong sense of community for our new students makes their transition easier and sets them up for success throughout their academic experience at Waterloo. The Here to Help program is available to help you help support new student transition. From Tuesday, September 7 to Friday, September 10, faculty, staff, and student volunteers are encouraged to wear a Here to Help sticker. Wearing a sticker symbolizes your knowledge of campus amenities, awareness of student resources, and your willingness to help a student if they need assistance. You can pick up your sticker from a number of wayfinding booths across campus.

Fall Orientation is a shared partnership between the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA), the Student Success Office (SSO), and the University's six faculties.

Check out an article on the WUSA website about Orientation.

Your UWaterloo life, one click away

By Jennifer Halcrow.

Whether you’re new to campus or returning after some time away, we want to ensure you have access to what you need for a successful Fall Term.  

As a new undergraduate student, you can participate in virtual Orientation from August 30 to September 3. Take advantage — this is your chance to connect with other first-year students with events like speed friending or our virtual scavenger hunt, plus so much more. Our Orientation leaders are eager to show you our unique traditions and make you feel at home in our Warrior community. Registration for Orientation remains open throughout the week. 

Are you a new incoming graduate student? Continue to connect with your peers through Waterloo Grad Ready until November. Log in to your LEARN account to access live sessions, message boards and review important content that will set you up for success.  

“Making the most of your time at university really means developing relationships and growing who you are as a person — these are the things that lead to success in life and what a great university experience is all about,” says Chris Read, associate provost, students. “Find your community, ask questions and enjoy the experience.” 

Some of you may be joining us in person this fall, while others may continue their studies virtually. No matter where you are, your UWaterloo community is here to support your every step. A variety of resources have been compiled into one convenient space — start exploring. 

Academic Success 

• Develop the strategies you need to study smarter, not harder. Discover the Student Success Office’s learning resources. 

• For some extra support, book a Peer Success Coaching appointment to develop a plan for academic success. 

• Writing a paper? Designing a portfolio? Giving a presentation? The Writing and Communication Centre can help you work through all stages of the communication process. 

• Review the guide for graduate research and supervision to understand the roles and responsibilities of those who contribute to a graduate education. 

• Explore the Library’s resources for undergraduate and graduate students. 

• Order your course materials and stock up on school supplies with the W Store. 

Physical and Mental Health 

• Prioritize your mental health by exploring the Health and Wellness resources available to you. 

• Physical activity goes a long way to supporting your overall health. Find a way to move that works for you. 

• Participate in physical activities virtually at home, or in-person on campus.  

• Learn from Nicole Pin, UW Food Services Registered Dietician. She covers topics like grocery tips, making the most of what you have on hand + more. 

• Overcome re-entry to campus and in-person experience anxiety with tips to support some of the challenges you may face. 

Student Experience 

• Join a student club or association and participate in a variety of events across campus. There are lots of opportunities for both our undergraduate and graduate students to find your community. 

• Grab a bite to eat on campus. Choose from a wide variety of flavours to satisfy any craving. 

• It’s never too early to embrace your leadership potential. Student Leadership Program workshops will be offered online for the fall 2021 term.  

• Enhance your degree with the Global Experience Certificate (GEC). Position yourself as a future leader with a competitive advantage. 

• Build your entrepreneurial skills and get advice from experienced coaches. Explore all of our campus innovation partners. 

Co-op and Career 

• Develop skills and gain experience to prepare for the future workforce. Review WaterlooWorks job boards or identify your skills through EDGE. 

• Graduate students can register to participate in the Professional Skills Foundations program to develop skills in career preparation, communications, leadership and personal effectiveness. 

Important dates and documents 

• Connect with The Centre to get your paperwork sorted out and bookmark the important dates calendar to stay on top of deadlines. 

These are just the tip of the iceberg Warriors, keep exploring your UWaterloo life student resources, just one click away. 

Fighting fire with seaweed

By Brian Caldwell. This article originally appeared on Waterloo News.

Two recent Waterloo Engineering graduates were named national finalists in a prestigious design contest this week for an idea that began taking shape in a first-year class.

Anneke van Heuven (BASc ’21) and Elias Trouyet (BASc ’21) were just starting the nanotechnology engineering program when they learned that the chemicals in most existing flame retardant materials can cause long-term health effects including cancer.

Five years later, the safe, non-toxic alternative they went on to develop with classmates Tessah Costello and Abby Bull as their Capstone Design project earned them one of two runner-up spots for Canada in the 2021 James Dyson Award competition.

Cotton coated with a flame-retardant formulation (left) is intact after exposure to fire, while untreated fabric is destroyed.

Their startup company, AlgoBio, now moves on to the international stage of the annual showcase for student inventors, with 20 global finalists for be announced in mid-October from an initial pool of more than 2,000 entries from 28 countries.

Extensive research on the health and environmental impacts of chemicals used to prevent consumer and industrial products from burning led van Heuven and Trouyet to seaweed, which has natural flame-retardant qualities.

They combined a biopolymer made from seaweed with embedded nanoparticles to develop two non-toxic, environmentally friendly coating formulations that easily exceed industry requirements.

With a basic prototype and testing to prove it works, van Heuven, the chief executive officer, and Trouyet, the chief technology officer, are now consulting potential customers and considering modifications to make an additive, in addition to a coating, for the plastic and rubber industries.

"I always liked the idea of starting my own company because I enjoyed creative and innovative projects," van Heuven said. "Part of the reason I chose nanotechnology engineering was because of the entrepreneurship opportunity, but I wanted to be realistic and I only chose to pursue this path once I knew that our technology worked and there was market opportunity."

Teams from Waterloo Engineering have a long track record of success in the Dyson competition, which was launched by the well-known inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner to challenge university students to develop innovative products that solve tangible problems.

Last year, five 2020 nanotechnology engineering graduates – Holden Beggs, Alisha Bhanji, Ishan Mishra, Fernando Pena and Zhenle Cao – finished in the top four internationally with startup Scope Photonics and its smartphone camera zoom technology.