Wednesday, March 26, 2025

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• Waterloo celebrates Co-op Students of the Year

• Venture capital student team dominates Canadian finals, eyes global stage
• Nutrition Month concludes with focus on emotional and mental wellbeing
• Mathematics 4 crane installation to disrupt traffic on William Tutte Way
• Farmer's Market today and other notes

Waterloo celebrates Co-op Students of the Year

By Emily Totzke. This is an excerpt of an article that originally appeared on Waterloo News.

For 20 years, the Co-op Student of the Year awards have celebrated Waterloo’s most outstanding co-op students. From using artificial intelligence (AI) to help combat microbial resistance to enhancing patient care and integrating sustainability into logistics, this year’s award winners are making real-world impact that extends far beyond the workplace. 

“Waterloo’s co-op students continue to make significant contributions on their work terms,” says Dr. Norah McRae, associate provost of Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE). “These incredible students have thrived in evolving workplaces and are a source of inspiration. I’m excited to celebrate the 20th year of these awards and look forward to seeing how our students continue to impact the workforce.” 

Congratulations to the 2024 Co-op Students of the Year: 

• Jarett Dewbury, Faculty of Engineering, Biomedical Engineering 
• Hoang Do, Faculty of Environment, Environment and Business 
• Michelle Kao, Faculty of Science, Physics and Astronomy 
• Sarah Larochelle, Faculty of Health, Kinesiology 
• Kennedy Taylor, Faculty of Arts, Legal Studies 
• Linda Wang, Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science 

CEE celebrated award recipients at a hybrid ceremony on March 25, where honourable mentions and the Velocity Co-op Problem recipients were also recognized. The Velocity Co-op Problem award recognizes students for providing the best analysis of an important problem relevant to a co-op employer or their industry.

Read the full story on Waterloo News

Venture capital student team dominates Canadian finals, eyes global stage

By Rachel Doherty. This article was originally published on the School of Accounting and Finance website.

For the sixth consecutive year, the University of Waterloo’s Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) team has secured victory at the Canadian Finals in Halifax. Now, they are headed to the Global Finals in North Carolina, where they will compete against top business schools like Berkeley, Dartmouth, Georgetown, and Trinity College.

Unlike traditional startup competitions, VCIC flips the script—students act as venture capitalists, evaluating real startups, conducting due diligence, and negotiating investments in a high-pressure, real-world simulation.

This year’s team features six standout students from the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF): Ansh, Joel, John, and Nolan (Accounting and Financial Management), Quynh-Anh (Biotech/CPA), and Rachel (Computing and Financial Management).

A key factor in their success is Waterloo’s Student Venture Fund (SVF), a unique, student-led course that provides hands-on experience in managing real capital. The skills developed through SVF translate directly into VCIC, sharpening their expertise in deal evaluation and strategic decision-making.

Faculty mentors Mark Arnason, Neil Brisley, and Frank Hayes emphasize the value of this competition, stating, “The competition gives students a great opportunity to apply their knowledge of the Venture Capital industry, strengthen their presentation skills, and test themselves against top business schools.”

For the team, winning is about more than just a title—it’s about preparing for careers in venture capital and private equity. Rachel, a two-year VCIC veteran, shares, “Winning the Canadian Finals with my team for the second time in my undergraduate career was an incredible feeling. The skills and knowledge I’ve gained have been instrumental in my career development in private equity, venture capital, and consulting.”

Teammate Ansh echoes this sentiment, adding, “Winning VCIC wasn’t just about the competition itself but about refining the analytical skills and investment judgment I plan to carry forward. This experience pushed me to think critically and develop out-of-the-box solutions—exactly what’s needed to succeed in VC.”

With a legacy of Canadian dominance and unparalleled experiential learning opportunities, Waterloo’s team is ready to take on the world.

Will they claim the global title? Stay tuned.

Nutrition Month concludes with focus on emotional and mental wellbeing

A message from Campus Wellness and UW Food Services.

This year’s Nutrition Month theme, Nourish to Flourish, focuses on the powerful role nutrition plays in helping individuals and communities thrive. Over the month of March, we have been highlighting the role nutrition plays in physical, mental, sociocultural and emotional wellbeing. 

The focus this week is on Emotional and Mental Wellbeing.

Food means more to us than just nutrients and fuel – it is intertwined with our emotional and mental well-being. Food and the act of eating can bring happiness, joy, ease stress, and foster important social connections. It is common for us to have memories associated with certain foods or food practices – these can influence how we experience food and our preferences.

Our hunger and appetite can also shift in alignment with how we are feeling. Understanding how our emotional and mental health affect our food choices is valuable, and it’s important to nourish ourselves not just physically but also mentally and emotionally. Remember: It is okay to nourish yourself in ways that make you feel good. Are you worried about your emotional relationship with food? Consider connecting with a Registered Dietitian to explore this further. 

Thanks for joining us in our coverage of Nutrition Month for 2025 – see you next year!

Mathematics 4 crane installation to disrupt traffic on William Tutte Way

Plant Operations has provided a map to guide pedestrians during the closure.

"The Mathematics 4 (M4) Construction Project is about to reach a major milestone with the erection of the Tower Crane that will begin to build the superstructure of the building," says a note from Plant Operations. "In order to erect the tower crane in a safe manner, William Tutte Way will be closed on Friday, March 28 from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m." 

On Friday, there will be no pedestrian access down William Tutte Way from the Ring Road to the Math 3 building. The pathway from L Lot to William Tutte Way between M3 and the General Services Complex (GSC) will have no access to the front doors of M3, and L Lot does not provide access to William Tutte Way.

M3 will remain open and the main entrance can be accessed via the BMH Green. The GSC will remain open and can be accessed from the main doors at the corner of Ring Road.

For more information please visit the Service Interruption Notice website.

For more information on the M4 project visit the Mathematics 4 website.

Farmer's Market today and other notes

"Since the Covid-19 pandemic, food insecurity among post-secondary students has been steadily increasing," writes Renate Donnovan, Community Wellness Officer in the Faculty of Engineering. "Over half of Canada’s postsecondary students experience some level of food insecurity (20.7 per cent are classified as “severely food insecure” and 36.1 per cent are “moderately food insecure”). 

For the past 2 years, the Faculty of Engineering has actively worked to increase food security through cooking and nutrition classes. This term, Engineering partnered with a vendor from St. Jacob’s Market to host regular community wellbeing farmer's markets on-campus.

“During our first market on February 26, we sold 420 bags of produce in 55 minutes. The vendor is planning to bring double that amount for the March market. They will also bring a limited number of veg-only bags,” says Donnovan.

The Community Well-being Farmer's Market runs again today on the 1^st floor of E7, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (or until it is sold out), and is open to all members of the University of Waterloo and affiliated intuitions. Most payment methods are accepted. 

An assortment of seasonally available items have been pre-packaged into bags and are available for $10 each. Bags consist of half fruit and have vegetables and would cost approximately 30 to 50 per cent more if the same items were purchased at a grocery store.

The community wellbeing farmer's markets will return on May 21, June 11, June 25, July 16 and July 30.

The latest Waterloo Womxn + Nonbinary Wednesdays event is Learn to Lift, which takes place today from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. in PAC Studio 1.

"Join us for a beginner/size-friendly weightlifting workshop with movement specialist Sam Germann," says a note from W3+. "Sam will share her passion for weightlifting and guide us through a fun and inclusive hour of movement, where you'll learn techniques that work for you. Everyone is welcome – no experience necessary! Space is limited, so please register in advance."

The University of Waterloo Chamber Choir's end-of-term concert is set to take place on Friday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m.

A Time & A Place will feature the 30-member University of Waterloo Chamber Choir as they explored music on the themes of time and place with a performance of Alex Berko’s cantata Sacred Place. The program also features music of Thomas Tallis, Anton Bruckner, Arvo Pärt, Ěriks Ešenvalds and Sinead O’Connor. The Chamber Choir is directed by Dr. Mark Vuorinen, who also directs the Elora Singers and the Grand Philharmonic Choir.

The concert will take place at St. John the Evangelist Church at 22 Water Street in Kitchener. Tickets are available at the door - $5 students/$10 general.

This is your reminder that a VR for Workplace Wellness drop-in session will take place tomorrow in the Learning Lab on the third floor of Dana Porter Library from 12 noon to 2:00 p.m.