News

Completing a PhD is at once the end and the beginning of a journey of exploration and discovery in a student’s academic career.

One of Waterloo Engineering's new cohort of doctoral graduates at the 2023 Spring Convocation is Dylan Jubinville who completed a PhD in chemical engineering. His research project and dissertation, “Highly filled, durable, and sustainable wood-plastic composites from recycled thermoplastics,” was completed under the supervision of Dr. Tizazu Mekonnen.

Two Waterloo Engineering faculty members have been elected fellows by Canada’s most distinguished engineering academy.

Dr. Monica Emelko and Dr. Carolyn Ren are among the newest cohort of 55 fellows to be elected to the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) by their peers. Fellows have been selected because of their "outstanding contributions to engineering and for serving as role models in their fields and communities,” said CAE’s president Dr. Soheil Asfarpour in a media release. 

A team of researchers led by Dr. Boxin Zhao, a professor in chemical engineering at the University of Waterloo, has made significant strides in developing intelligent hydrogel materials for use as a reusable wound dressing.

Using advanced polymers, this new programmable 3D printed wound dressing could enhance the healing process for burn patients and have potential applications for drug delivery in cancer treatment as well as in the cosmetic industry.

Several wildfires in the Canadian province of Quebec have caused hazy skies and sent air quality plunging in parts of Ontario and the northeastern United States. The most harmful air pollutant worldwide is fine particular matter, with the biggest natural source of this pollutant being wildfires.

Dr. Rebecca Saari, a professor in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Waterloo, discusses the immediate and long-term threats to our health from poor air quality currently being experienced. 

The Pearl Sullivan Engineering IDEAs Clinic recently hosted an Engineering Design Day activity for first-year mechanical engineering students that focused on gravity cars.

With the support of Faculty members and industry partner Magna International, 26 student teams designed and built their own energy conversion systems to power their vehicles along a straight path to a location two meters from the starting position within a fixed time.

Dr. Yimin A. Wu, a professor with the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo, is the inaugural recipient of the Tang Family Chair in New Energy Materials and Sustainability.

Wu will receive $1.2 million over five years to support his research in designing energy materials for solar fuels and solar windows to assist society’s transition to renewable energy.

An undergraduate design team of 12 students was awarded a top prize at a recent international carbon removal competition in New York.

The team, Engineers Without Borders Waterloo, received first-prize in the most detailed category at the 2023 OpenAir Carbon Removal Challenge at New York University. Each year, this challenge calls for students to create new processes, approaches and prototypes to remove carbon from the land, waters, or air.

Waterloo Engineering alumni returned to campus for reunion and enjoyed multiple events hosted by the Faculty of Engineering and the University's Alumni Relations. 

The engineering Classes of 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018 were invited to campus to reconnect with classmates and faculty members, attend lectures, explore new facilities and celebrate this milestone together. 

Osose Itua, a fourth-year Waterloo Engineering student, will cross the stage at convocation on June 16 to receive her Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in mechatronics engineering. Along with her newly minted degree, Itua graduates with a well-rounded student experience that has shaped her entrepreneurial ambitions.

Itua got to do six co-operative work experiences during her studies. The first was at a large company, the following four were at startups and the final one had her working on her own business, Foodage.

Two chemical engineering graduate students have topped a national video competition for their research related to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Carlo Cunanan and Kiyoumars Zarshenas, master’s and PhD students respectively, are two of six Science, Action! video contest winners, a joint initiative organized by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT). Winning videos were selected for their ability to showcase the benefits of their natural sciences and engineering research and its impact on the SDGs.