News

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have reached an important milestone by logging their 100^th kilometre on public roads in a self-driving car.

Achieved last week in an industrial area of Waterloo, it is the culmination of almost two years of work since the research team won approval from the Ontario government to do on-road testing in an autonomous vehicle pilot program.

Waterloo Engineering is continuing its relationship with Amazon through the Alexa Fellowship, a growing program to support research, education and entrepreneurship around conversational artificial intelligence (AI).

Waterloo was one of just four universities – along with Carnegie Melon University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Southern California - to participate in the program when it launched last year.

Sriram Narasimhan, a Waterloo civil and environmental engineering & mechanical and mechatronics engineering professor, was interviewed by Ben Mulroney on CTV's Your Morning about the state of the country's bridges.

His insight into Canada's infrastructure comes two days after a bridge collapsed in Genoa, Italy killing at least 39 people. The tragedy has prompted a year-long state of emergency to be declared in the region.   

It is with deep sadness that the University of Waterloo community learned of the accidental death of one of our students earlier this week.

CJ (Colton) Moore was a fourth-year Waterloo biomedical engineering student in addition to being a world-class competitive diver. CJ passed away in Port Burwell on August 12. He was 24.

The University continues to offer CJ’s family its sympathies and support, including hosting a Celebration of Life for CJ on campus.

A researcher at Waterloo Engineering has helped find a novel method to extend the battery life of smartphones for up to an hour each day.

Kshirasagar Naik, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, collaborated with researchers in India to develop an app that can reduce the energy consumption of smartphones without any significant impact on performance.

Two research networks led by Waterloo Engineering experts were front and centre as more than $78 million in federal funding was announced today for collaborations between academia and businesses across the country.

Ehsan Toyserkani, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, will receive $5.5 million over five years for the Network for Holistic Innovations in Additive Manufacturing (HI-AM).

Governments may soon be able to use artificial intelligence (AI) to easily and cheaply detect problems with roads, bridges and buildings.

A new AI software system developed by researchers at Waterloo Engineering automatically analyzes photographs taken by vehicle-mounted cameras to flag potholes, cracks and other defects.

Ralph Haas, known in the engineering world as the father of pavement asset management, was the recipient of the University of Alberta’s highest honour, Doctor of Science, honoris causa, at the university’s spring convocation held in June.

Haas, professor emeritus of Waterloo’s civil and environmental engineering department, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Alberta and a PhD in civil engineering from the University of Waterloo.

With the help of seven University of Waterloo co-op students, Canada’s first Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (SALD) system is up and running. At the celebratory ribbon cutting on May 10, 2018, project leader Professor Kevin Musselman said he couldn’t have done it without the co-op students who helped design and build the machine.

“I was sitting at my desk the whole time. I don't think I ever lifted a finger so it was entirely built by the students,” laughs Musselman.

More young women will likely go into engineering if it is promoted as a profession for well-rounded people with a desire to serve society, according to a new study at the University of Waterloo.

The findings suggest that efforts to close a gender gap in the field should stress key reasons for women to pursue engineering along with the current approach of instilling confidence in their technical and academic abilities to succeed.