News

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Engineering mourns the loss of a beloved dean

Pearl Sullivan, Waterloo's former dean of engineering and the first woman to hold the position, died on November 28 after a 12-year battle with cancer.

Passionate about supporting students, she was dedicated to ensuring they had a full understanding of engineering principles as well as the tools and facilities they needed to succeed.

Friday, November 27, 2020

Systems Design Engineering Professor Igor Ivkovic passes suddenly

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Professor Igor Ivkovic passed away on Friday, November 27, 2020.

Igor was a Lecturer and the Associate Chair Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Systems Design Engineering. He completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Computer Science and PhD degree in Software Systems Engineering, all at Waterloo. He was always a passionate supporter of the University.

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Grad student wins award at global blockchain event

A graduate student at Waterloo Engineering was recently recognized for his work at a virtual conference for experts in the blockchain field.

Behkish Nassirzadeh, who is doing a master’s degree in computer engineering under the supervision of Professor Vijay Ganesh, won the award for innovation at the UBRI (University Blockchain Research Initiative) Connect 2020 event hosted by technology company Ripple.

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Alumni win global award for phone camera invention

Five former nanotechnology engineering students at the University of Waterloo have come a long way since they came together over a shared interest in optics and frustration with the poor quality of their smartphone photographs.

Just over a year after they teamed up, their startup technology company, Scope Photonics, earned international attention with the announcement today that it is a worldwide runner-up for the 2020 James Dyson Award for student inventors.

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Two engineering companies top the Fast 50 growth list

Companies founded by Waterloo Engineering alumni took the top two spots in an annual list of the fastest-growing technology companies in Canada.

Heading the Technology Fast 50 list, compiled by professional services firm Deloitte, is Kitchener-based Intellijoint Surgical, which develops smart tools to enhance the accuracy of orthopedic surgery, increase hospital efficiencies and improve the lives of patients.

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Engineering student pitches invention on Dragons' Den

One of the surest signs that Sam Dugan, 22, is a born entrepreneur might be this: he got the brainwave for his latest business venture, completely out of the blue, when he was on a date.

Two years later, while juggling studies as a third-year mechatronics engineering student at the University of Waterloo, he has turned that idea into a startup technology company to reduce injuries at ski resorts.

Monday, November 16, 2020

Researchers using synthetic stones to monitor rivers

A research team led by a Waterloo Engineering professor has developed technology to track and measure environmental degradation in rivers.

Bruce MacVicar, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, is using synthetic stone tracers to monitor how sediment is transported in rivers during floods.

The movement of sediment has an important impact on the health of rivers and infrastructure such as bridges and pipelines.

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Diabetes work recognized in global Tech Briefs contest

A doctoral student at Waterloo Engineering took a top-five spot this week in a global competition organized by the world’s largest engineering design magazine.

Ala Eldin Omer earned an honorable mention in the medical category of the 2020 Create the Future contest staged by Tech Briefs.

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Experts share COVID research and perspectives

This year has been one like no other with the coronavirus upending lives in ways unimaginable at the beginning of 2020.

In October WEAL’s feature story, seven Waterloo Engineering researchers and alumni share their pandemic initiatives and opinions on how different buildings, education, work and everyday activities look now and could look in the future.

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Co-designer of innovative pump remembered

Alan Plumtree, an inventor of a pump that provides clean drinking water to developing countries, died on November 5.

Plumtree, a Waterloo mechanical engineering professor, and Alfred Rudin, a Waterloo chemistry professor, created the hand-operated pump in the late 1970s after being approached by the International Development Research Centre.