News

A startup co-founded by a Waterloo Engineering alumnus to help make the construction industry greener has raised $2 million in investment in its first year of operation.

Adaptis, which developed artificial intelligence software to increase material recycling and reduce carbon emissions, grew out of research by Dr. Sheida Shahi (PhD ’21) while she was earning her doctorate in civil and environmental engineering.

Waterloo-based startup VueReal Inc. has received $10.5 million in federal and provincial funding to grow its business.

Described as a semiconductor and cleantech company, VueReal makes microscopic LEDs and sensors that range from two microns to 20 microns in size. For reference, a human hair is about 70 microns thick.

Ten senior student teams from the Faculty of Engineering competed in this year’s Norman Esch Entrepreneurship Awards for Capstone Design, pitching their startup ideas to a panel of judges tasked with awarding $60,000.   

All 10 pitches showcased innovative thinking and entrepreneurial skills. Six teams delivered winning pitches and walked away with $10,000 each to invest in their projects’ commercialization.

A company launched by four Waterloo Engineering classmates in a living room “with old computers and no salaries” has secured $20 million in funding for product innovations and to accelerate growth.

Based in Toronto, Nulogy was founded by friends Jason Tham, Sean Kirby, Kevin Wong and Jason Yuen (all BASc ’02, systems design engineering) to provide supply chain software and support.

Three teams of Waterloo Engineering students delivered winning pitches at the recent Velocity pitch contest finals that focused on sustainable innovation.  

The teams were awarded $5,000 each to invest in their startups which included a whale safe fishing device, a software solution that helps restaurants manage their stock and a wastebin powered with artificial intelligence to reduce landfill waste.

A chemical engineering professor has joined an elite group of scientists worldwide as the recipient of a early career award in polymer processing.

Dr. Milad Kamkar, who joined Waterloo Engineering last year, is the 2023 recipient of the Early Career Award from the Polymer Processing Society (PPS), which recognizes the creativity, innovation and productivity of early career researchers in polymer processing.

A detailed analysis by Waterloo Engineering researchers showed there is a need to improve diets in long-term care (LTC) homes to make them healthier for residents.

The analysis found that eating more whole grains, plant-based proteins, and plain fruits and vegetables would help residents meet government guidelines and reduce their risk of inflammation.

A professor at Waterloo Engineering has been recognized for his outstanding supervision of graduate students.

Dr. John Long is one of three campus-wide recipients for 2022-2023 of the Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision, an annual distinction bestowed by Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs in collaboration with the Graduate Student Association.

Dr. Ravi Mazumdar, an electrical and computer engineering professor at Waterloo, has been elected as a fellow of the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association (AAIA).

Mazumdar joins a prestigious group of worldwide fellows whom AAIA executives elect for their development and application of AI through academic research, science education and academic publications.

The UW Alumni Women in Technology Entrance Scholarship was established by the Elliott family with an initial donation of $10,000 in 2020. Andrew Elliott (BASc ‘85, chemical engineering) and his wife Donna Elliott (BA ’85) met when they were students at Waterloo. Their two daughters, Sarah Elliott (BASc ‘14, systems design engineering) and Carolyn Elliott (BAFM, ‘18), are alumni too.

So far, the scholarship has benefitted six women students including Rachel Wormald.