Thursday, January 12, 2023

Waterloo leads university and industry consortium to advance Canada's security and defence

The University of Waterloo announced a 5G and beyond mobile network technology consortium to develop secure 5G mobile networks and improve Canada’s security and defence. The group is funded by the Department of National Defence (DND) through its Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program. A team of computer scientists at Waterloo is leading the $1.5 million multi-partner consortium.

The three-year project brings together academic and industry partners from École de technologie supérieure in Montréal, University of Regina, BlackBerry, NoviFlow, and Rockport Networks, with support from Rogers Communications Canada to create new solutions to secure 5G mobile networks. This latest global wireless standard delivers reliable, high-speed data transfers with very little delay — advanced communications technology that is transforming businesses, industries, and nations.

“Our mobile communications networks can be sliced using software into fit-for-purpose networks that operate virtually, each with a different degree of isolation and level of quality-of-service to meet security and performance requirements,” said Dr. Raouf Boutaba, the project’s principal investigator and director of Waterloo’s Cheriton School of Computer Science. “However, network softwarization also introduces vulnerabilities that can compromise services, including slices. The goal of the consortium is to deploy 5G network slices that not only have high performance, flexibility and reliability but also have increased security levels required for critical applications.”

Among the technologies the consortium will develop are artificial intelligence systems to detect a range of cyberattacks on 5G network slices as they happen, then respond quickly and automatically with countermeasures to keep the network secure. Additionally, security requirements will be built into the 5G network slices themselves using end-to-end network slice orchestration that responds dynamically to an application’s security requirements and the severity of threats.

5G network slicing can be defined as a network configuration that allows multiple networks to be created on top of a common physical infrastructure.

“The solution we are developing will have many, long-lasting impacts on Canadian industry and defence,” said Dr. Noura Limam, a research professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science and the project’s coordinator. “Applications that range as widely as healthcare, public safety, emergency response and unmanned vehicles will benefit from these secure, responsive 5G network slices, positioning Canada as a leader in 5G and beyond mobile networks. Additionally, the innovations developed in collaboration with our industry partners — Rockport Networks, NoviFlow and BlackBerry — will further Canada’s economic prosperity.”

Ultimately, the various solutions will be integrated with the consortium’s partner and collaborator technologies to create a proof-of-concept on the University of Waterloo–Rogers 5G testbed.

Engineering student brings the Mecha Mayhem

By Jon Parsons. This story was originally featured on Waterloo News.

An undergraduate student in the Faculty of Engineering’s mechanical and mechatronics engineering program is a key organizer of an upcoming international robotics contest.

Jonathan Zhou, a 2022 Schulich Leader at Waterloo, is getting set to kick off an event called Mecha Mayhem in his hometown of Calgary. Zhou was recently a semi-finalist in the Breakthrough Junior Challenge for his work in science communications.

He is organizing the event with his brother, Justin, who is currently completing a Masters in Electrical Engineering at Waterloo and is a member of the Engineering Excellence Fellowship.

The Mecha Mayhem tournament will take place over three days of competition, with more than 120 middle and high school teams attending from around the world. It will feature Canadian tech and robotics companies and will be a chance to promote new talent on the world stage.

The event also aims to promote and diversify robotics and STEM education by donating leftover robotics kits after the competition is over.

“Robotics is not just a fun hobby,” Zhou says. “Many of the real-world skills and lessons I learn in classes at Waterloo, I’ve encountered before in robotics. It’s a great way to develop skills and an interest in mechatronics early on.”

Mecha Mayhem is the first VEX Robotics signature event in Canada. VEX Robotics is a company that offers educational opportunities for students, all the way from elementary school to university. Zhou says that VEX Robotics opportunities in Canada are few and far between, with only select schools across the country offering the programs.

This event is the latest work for Zhou and his non-profit, Western Mechatronics, which he started to help get young people involved in robotics competitions and robotics education.

“My entire team has been hard at work on this for the better part of a year,” he says. “It’s been a lot of work, but I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve done and can’t wait to see the event happen.”

Mecha Mayhem will be held at Calgary’s BMO Centre from February 3 to 5.

Ever considered becoming a Senator?

The University of Waterloo Act of 1972 established the terms and provisions for the institution including the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Governors and the Senate. The Board is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the University including the administration, finances, and assets while the Senate oversees the institution's academic policy. 

The Senate includes students, faculty, staff, representatives of Affiliated and Federated Institutions and observers. Senator terms vary depending on their role and/or affiliation.  

Senate nominations open in early February, with elections running March 2 -9.  

If you would like to learn more, visit https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/nominations-elections. 

Quantum for Health Design Challenge throws down the gauntlet

A message from Transformative Quantum Technologies (TQT).

Transformative Quantum Technologies (TQT) presents the Quantum for Health Design Challenge (Q4Health) to search for opportunities where quantum technology can advance health. This challenge is open to the entire University of Waterloo community, including undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, faculty and staff.

Q4Health invites teams to develop well-motivated, quantum-based ideas that can lead to innovation in health. The focus is on the impacts that new technologies can have. No prototype is required. Winning teams can receive up to $10,000.

The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. ET on February 6, 2023.

To learn more about the Q4Health Design Challenge, visit Q4Health.

Velocity Innovation Ecosystem Mixer tomorrow and other notes

Velocity is mixing it up and wants you to join in the fun. "The Innovation Ecosystem Mixer is an opportunity to enjoy some food and refreshments, meet fellow students and aspiring or emerging entrepreneurs, make friends, gain valuable contacts, and build connections to all things Velocity including our people, spaces, and resources," says a note from Velocity. "Plus, find out about Zero, the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, GreenHouse (Social Impact Incubator), Grebel Peace Incubator, and the Library."

"Anyone can benefit from an entrepreneurial mindset and the Velocity community starts on the Waterloo campus. Whether you have experience or not, are exploring a big idea, or founding a company, Velocity is here to help."

The mixer takes place on Friday, January 13 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in SCH 228.

There's still time to register for the event.

The University of Waterloo IT Professional Development Advisory Group (PDAG) is hosting a talk on the Campus IT Review on Friday, January 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m on Microsoft Teams. Presenting will be Andrew McAlorum and Connie van Oostveen, with Nathan Lee moderating.

"The IT Review process culminated in a report that was published in late 2019, with over 100 recommendations listed," says the event synopsis. "In the spring term of 2022, work was begun to organize and bring some structure to the work of implementing the recommendations. The following September, the project was launched with a defined scope, theme co-leads assigned, and the identification of inflight and new projects and initiatives related to the recommendations within the themes. In this session, you will learn about the organization and structure of the IT Review, the scope of the work, timelines, what actions are being taken, where progress is being made and how you can get involved."

Andrew McAlorum is the Director of Client Services in IST, which includes the Service Desks, Customer Relations and Support, and Project Management Office. He has held previous positions in higher ed IT at University of Waterloo, University of Toronto, and York University.  

Connie van Oostveen is the Manager of the Project Management Office, and is currently the project manager for the IT Review. Connie has over 25 years of experience in IT, as a business analyst, portfolio and strategy manager and project manager, implementing large projects and initiatives for core business activities, as well as leading the development of an IST Strategic Plan (2017-2020). Connie has PMP and PMI-ACP certifications, a business analyst certificate and a BMath. With Nathan Lee, Connie leads the Project and Portfolio Community of Practice.

This session will be recorded and available via the PDAG MS Teams site.