Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Campbell’s research career began with a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) University Research Fellowship, which was a rare and prestigious honour. Her groundbreaking work in visual optics and imaging included the first real-time images of cone photoreceptors in the human eye and the development of polarization imaging techniques to identify biomarkers, also in the eye, of Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. This technology was recognized by the Alzheimer’s Association as an inexpensive, non-invasive option that could reach underserved populations.

Campbell’s work bridged fundamental science and real-world applications. She explored the optical quality of the human eye, investigated the crystalline lens and its changes with aging, and discovered putative optical signals guiding eye growth. Her efforts in nonlinear optics and imaging opened new doors for understanding eye disease and development, influencing both science and medicine.

Campbell was awarded the Rank Prize in Optoelectronics in 2004 for her contributions to imaging applications with demonstrable benefits to humanity. She was later honoured with the CAP INO Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Applied Photonics and the OCUFA Status of Women Award of Distinction for her tireless advocacy for equity in academia. Campbell is a Fellow of Optica, ARVO and the Canadian Association of Physicists.

Campbell’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion was evident throughout her career. She worked tirelessly to improve conditions for women and underrepresented groups in STEM, initiating programs like the Climate for Women in Physics site visit in 2016, serving as a faculty advisor to FemPhys, a student-led EDI group, and negotiating for parental leave for spouses of Waterloo faculty on behalf of FAUW. Her efforts to foster inclusivity earned her widespread admiration from colleagues and students alike.

As an educator and mentor, Campbell inspired many students to pursue their passions in science. Her approachable nature and unwavering dedication to student success created an environment where students thrived academically and personally. Many of her students have gone on to distinguished careers in research, industry and academia, carrying forward her legacy.

Retirement marks the end of Campbell’s formal academic role, but not her work. She will continue her research at Waterloo while working to commercialize her discoveries. Her vision and dedication have left a lasting mark on the department and the university, and we wish her the very best in this next chapter of her journey.

Read tributes to Dr. Campbell from students

Theatre and Performance presents UpStart 2025

The University's Theatre and Performance program is hosting the annual UpStart Festival, a juried one-act play festival showcasing plays written, directed, designed, and performed by students.

Three such plays will be presented from March 19 to 22 in the Theatre of the Arts.

Utopia - written by Joshua Barroso and directed by Hanna Freitas

Set in the idyllic neighborhood of Utopia, the couple comprising of Charlotte and Beatty host a welcome dinner for Mary, a recent divorcee who has just moved next door. However, something is not right. Around the dinner table, Mary begins to wonder if something is afoot in her Utopia.

The Waiting Room - written by Roza Tasneem and directed by Jasmine Rajaballey

University roommates Dylan - a rich hopeless romantic, and Aamir - a chronic people pleaser, form an unlikely trio with Tee - their standoffish classmate, while trapped in a mysterious hospital waiting room. In this test of wit and impulse, they must confront old wounds while waiting to treat new ones.

Hell Weeks - written by Kye Stevenson Hatayama and Talia Dmitrienko and directed by Kye Stevenson Hatayama

A university student, Olivia, receives an email from the Devil, which gives her an ultimatum that he made with the university: if she passes her exam, she will live, however if she fails, hell will claim her soul.

Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the performance so the audience can engage in an art installation that reflects the UpStart25 festival’s theatrical points of emphasis. In the theatre gallery, spectators are invited to immerse themselves in a thematic display meant to extend the world of the plays to the world right in front of us. Following each performance, the audience is invited to participate in a talkback with the cast about the themes and content of the play.

The UpStart festival is part of the 2025 Capstone project, with five senior Theatre and Performance majors making up the core of the creative team.

Tickets are $15 general admission and $10 for students and seniors. Call the box office at 519-888-4908 or buy your tickets online.

Young and restless for sustainability, other notes

Waterloo students have organized the Young and Restless Sustainable Impact Summit, which will be held on Saturday, March 15 from 12 noon to 4:00 p.m. in Conrad Grebel University College's Alumni Hall.

"We are hosting it with the purpose to support student businesses in developing their ideas to tackle SDG-related goals," writes organizer Samantha Kremer. "The day will include a keynote speech, panel discussions including industry experts and student leaders, performances, and a pitch competition where students will compete for $1,000."

Today, Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) is hosting the UW x Microsoft | AI for Future-Ready Talent event from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Tatham Centre. Attendees will learn how the University of Waterloo, in collaboration with Microsoft, is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the experience of co-op and work-integrated learning (WIL) students.

There's still time to RSVP.

The Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies and the Social Interaction, Language and Culture Lab (SILC) is inviting the University community to a public lecture with Dr. Philipp S. Angermeyer from York University entitled Raus! From German Command to Tok Pisin Verb: On the Linguistic Consequences of Colonial Encounters.

The lecture takes place on Wednesday, March 5 from 11:00 a.m. go 12:30 p.m. in the SILC Lab in ML 109.

More information about the event, including the talk's abstract, can be found on the Germanic and Slavic Studies event webpage. Questions? Please contact Grit Liebscher at gliebscher@uwaterloo.ca.