News

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.

A civil and environmental engineering student team achieved the University of Waterloo’s best-ever result at Canada's premier steel bridge building competition.

Waterloo’s steel bridge team received third-place national and fourth-place overall honours at the Canadian National Steel Bridge Competition (CNSBC) in early May. Over 13 teams competed, including three international teams from Puerto Rico, Mexico and Japan.

Dr. Alexander Wong, a systems design engineering professor at Waterloo, has been selected as a new Institute of Physics (IOP) fellow.

Wong’s election as a fellow is the highest accolade the IOP presents to reflect a person’s exceptional services and contributions to physics in their chosen field. He shares this honour alongside Waterloo Nobel Laureate and physics professor Dr. Donna Strickland, who was named an honorary fellow in 2019.

 The 5G hype cycle promotes the mobile network as the gateway technology enabling next-generation experiences, from immersive virtual reality to life-saving remote surgeries.

Dr. Catherine Rosenberg is one of the world’s leading researchers in 5G and internet technologies and a professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo. She says that while many of these experiences are still a few years away, the global rollout of 5G networks is starting to change many of the ways we live, work and play.