News

Waterloo electrical engineering alumni are debuting connected, wearable workout gear to the public in Spring 2014.

Backed with $3.5 million in seed funding from fellow electrical engineering graduate Chamath Palihapitiya's Social+Capital Partnership, Athos offers wearable technology that is fully integrated in workout clothing.

"The shortage of engineers with postgraduate education and skills . . . can and absolutely must be reversed," says Waterloo Engineering's associate dean of graduate studies and international agreements in a Globe and Mail  editorial published November 25.

Carl Haas, a civil and environmental engineering professor and the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Construction and Management of Sustainable Infrastructure, was inducted last month into the National Academy of Construction. The ceremony took in Scottsdale Arizona.

Amir Khajepour, a Waterloo mechanical and mechatronics engineering professor and the Canada Research Chair in Mechatronic Vehicle Systems, received a prestigious Engineering Medal  – Research and Development from the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers at its awards’ gala. The event was held in Toronto on November 23.

Exceptional students, faculty, staff and alumni were honoured at the 2013 Waterloo Engineering Awards Dinner held on November 21.                    

Over 2,500 students received awards this year for everything from top marks, to extracurricular activities, such as leadership, community engagement and involvement in athletics.    

Ross McKenzie, managing director of the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research, spoke to Amanda Lang about fuel cell vehicles on CBC's Lang O'Leary Exchange.

He said the fuel problem is not insurmountable, particularly if government and automotive fleets adopt the hydrogen car as a green alternative.

Drew Higgins, a chemical engineering doctoral student, has been named the recipient of the 2013 Electrochemical Society (ECS) Canadian Section Student Award for his research on nanostructured fuel cell and battery electrode materials, carried out under the supervision of Zhongwei Chen, a chemical engineering professor.

 “It’s obviously something about your great engineering school, combined with the resources and encouragement to start building and creating stuff while you’re still in school, that positions Waterloo founders so well to be starting companies," says Alexis Ohanian.

Alexis Ohanian will be spending quality time on campus with University of Waterloo students this Friday November 22.

Catherine Rosenberg, an electrical and computer engineering professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in the Future Internet, has been appointed Chair of the Orange Scientific Board.  Formerly known as France-Telecom, Orange is a French multinational telecommunications corporation that currently employs about 170,000 people and has more than 230 million customers worldwide. The role of the board is to advise Orange on R&D issues.

A software help system co-founded by a new management sciences faculty member has received $500,000 in seed money from the State of Washington's W Fund with additional funding expected to expand the startup's operations. 

Qazzow is based on Parmit Chilana's dissertation work at the University of Washington where she completed her doctoral degree in Information Science earlier this year.  Rather than typing out a question, the software help system allows users to tap on whatever is causing a problem and  relevant Q&A information instantly appears on the screen.