News

The University of Waterloo announces, with deep sadness, the death of Harsimran Darhan. Harsimran was a fourth-year mechatronics engineering student.

Harsimran loved his coursework and excelled in his co-op terms focused on what he was learning. He was a very kind-hearted young man who had a wonderful sense of humour. He loved to be outdoors, especially on his bike. He is fondly remembered by his many friends and by his instructors at Waterloo.

Sept. 30 marks the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Ahead of this day, the Faculty of Engineering sat down with our Elder in Residence, William Woodworth, PhD (Elder Bill), to talk about his important role within the University of Waterloo. In his role as Elder in Residence, Elder Bill provides faculty, staff, and students with culturally sensitive advising and counselling grounded in Haudenosaunee teachings.

Dr. Mark Hancock is the new interim chair of the Department of Management Sciences at the University of Waterloo.

Hancock, a management sciences professor since 2010, took over from previous department chair Dr. Qi-Ming He on Sept. 1.

For the second time this year, Waterloo Engineering architecture alumnus Newsha Ghaeli (BAS ’11) has made a worldwide list of up-and-coming leaders.

Ghaeli and Dr. Mariana Matus, co-founders of Biobot Analytics, have been listed on the TIME100 Next list in recognition of their groundbreaking work in the field of wastewater epidemiology. Launched in 2017, the company also cracked the second annual TIME100 Most Influential Companies list earlier this year.

A leading robotics company, developed in partnership with the RoboHub at Waterloo Engineering by two alumni, has raised US $70 million to fuel its growth.

Avidbots, a manufacturer of autonomous floor-cleaning robots for commercial use, was founded in 2014 by Pablo Molina (BASc ’11, mechatronics engineering) and Faizan Sheikh (BASc ’11, mechatronics engineering). Their idea to outsource the dirty work to robots has proved enormously successful; with this latest financing, the startup has raised over US $107 million to date.

Dr. Edris Madadian was an environmentalist before he became an engineer, a passion he now wears on his sleeve as a postdoctoral researcher.

His research focuses on contamination from pharmaceutical and personal care products that go down our drains or are flushed down toilets and become sewage sludge, a by-product of wastewater treatment. The disposal of COVID-19 personal protective equipment adds to the issue on a global scale.

The University of Waterloo celebrated the life and legacy of Douglas Tyndall Wright, the founding dean of Waterloo Engineering, with a special event on Sept. 23.

Wright, who served as the first dean of the Faculty of Engineering from 1958 to 1966 and as Waterloo’s third president and vice-chancellor from 1981 to 1993, passed away on May 21, 2020.

Douglas Wright was the founding dean of Waterloo Engineering.

A video technology company that was born at Waterloo Engineering has reason to celebrate after its acquisition this week by an entertainment industry giant.

SSIMWAVE Inc., an award-winning, Waterloo-based company, has joined forces with IMAX to lead the charge in video image quality in a deal worth $18.5 million in cash and $2.5 million in stock, plus additional earnout potential of $4 million.

Researchers at Waterloo Engineering are involved in a dozen projects that were announced today as recipients of more than $1.6 million in federal funding for state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.

The support from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation through its John R. Evans Leaders Fund is part of $64 million awarded country-wide to 251 research projects at 40 universities.

An event is planned for next month to celebrate the retirement of the founding director of the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business at Waterloo Engineering.

Howard Armitage retired this summer after 41 years with the University of Waterloo, starting with his appointment as a professor at the School of Accounting and Finance.