News

Three companies founded by Waterloo Engineering alumni have made a national list of artificial intelligence (AI) startups to watch over the next year.

Avidbots Corp., DarwinAI and Otto Motors are among 20 startups highlighted by the Vector Institute, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to research in the field of AI, on its inaugural Vector AI20 for 2023 list.

A professor at Waterloo Engineering has been named a fellowship inductee by Canada’s longest-standing engineering society.

Dr. Alfred Yu is one of 22 new fellows selected by the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) for their “exceptional contributions to engineering.” His official fellowship induction will take place in April at the EIC’s annual gala.

A unique fellowship program for Black and Indigenous scholars was recently named first runner-up by a global group of engineering deans for a coveted diversity award.

The Indigenous and Black Engineering and Technology (IBET) PhD Project, led by Waterloo chemical engineering professor Dr. Tizazu Mekonnen, received first runner-up out of three shortlisted projects for the Global Engineering Deans Council’s (GEDC) Diversity Award.

Researchers at Waterloo Engineering are developing a new patch that would offer diabetics an affordable, accurate, pain-free, round-the-clock alternative to traditional tests that require pricking a finger for a blood sample every few hours.

And to make it even more user-friendly, potentially life-saving readings from the patch would be transmitted to people’s smartphones.

Dr. Jason Grove has been selected as the new associate dean, undergraduate studies for the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering.

Grove, who will take over from outgoing associate dean, undergraduate studies Dr. Daniel Davison, will begin a four-year term on Jan. 1.

A longtime professor at the School of Architecture at the University of Waterloo has been selected for a lifetime achievement award from a major industry association.

Terri Meyer Boake, who earned two undergraduate degrees at Waterloo and has been a teacher at her alma mater since 1986, will be honoured by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) at a conference in Charlotte, North Carolina in April.

A doctoral student and two professors at Waterloo Engineering are developing new floodplain mapping technology that has the potential to impact flood mitigation and response.

Robert Chlumsky, Dr. James Craig and Dr. Bryan Tolson have launched a startup called Blackbird that received a $15,000 funding boost through a Velocity and Waterloo Commercialization Office (WatCo) program for student researchers, founders and recent graduates who are transforming their research into commercial ventures.

Researchers at Waterloo Engineering have developed a relatively simple, inexpensive system to produce algae as a source of protein in space as part of a contest launched by the Canadian Space Agency.

Chemical engineering professors Dr. Valerie Ward and Dr. Nasser Abukhdeir are semi-finalists in the Canadian edition of the Deep Space Food Challenge, which has a $380,000 top prize, to find solutions to sustain astronauts on long missions.

A sophisticated pitching robot developed by two alumni of Waterloo Engineering is generating plenty of interest in the world of professional baseball.

Joshua Pope and Rowan Ferrabee launched Trajekt Sports in 2019, the same year they graduated with degrees in biomedical engineering and mechatronics engineering, respectively.

Researchers at Waterloo Engineering followed their curiosity and called on nature for inspiration for a new urinal design that has attracted internatinal attention by solving the messy problem of splash-back.

The long, sleek design all but eliminates splatter on floors and shoes by ensuring the angle at which a urine stream hits the urinal wall doesn’t exceed about 30 degrees, a measurement determined via physical experiments and computer modelling.