News archive - July 2018

Monday, July 30, 2018

Professor Emeritus Ralph Haas honoured by U of A

Ralph Haas, known in the engineering world as the father of pavement asset management, was the recipient of the University of Alberta’s highest honour, Doctor of Science, honoris causa, at the university’s spring convocation held in June.

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Co-op students build first-of-its-kind machine in Canada

With the help of seven University of Waterloo co-op students, Canada’s first Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (SALD) system is up and running. At the celebratory ribbon cutting on May 10, 2018, project leader Professor Kevin Musselman said he couldn’t have done it without the co-op students who helped design and build the machine.

“I was sitting at my desk the whole time. I don't think I ever lifted a finger so it was entirely built by the students,” laughs Musselman.

Monday, July 23, 2018

One step closer to closing the gender gap in engineering

More young women will likely go into engineering if it is promoted as a profession for well-rounded people with a desire to serve society, according to a new study at the University of Waterloo.

The findings suggest that efforts to close a gender gap in the field should stress key reasons for women to pursue engineering along with the current approach of instilling confidence in their technical and academic abilities to succeed.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

AI technology could help protect water supplies

Progress on new artificial intelligence (AI) technology could make monitoring at water treatment plants cheaper and easier and help safeguard public health.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed AI software capable of identifying and quantifying different kinds of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, a threat to shut down water systems when it suddenly proliferates.

Monday, July 16, 2018

NSERC grant supports unique biomedical technology program

How can engineers create more effective biomedical technologies? According to Catherine Burns, executive director of the Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology and systems design engineering professor, practical knowledge is the key.